We had two choices today. Take the short flat route, or take the long steep route with great views.

It was an easy choice… great views! That said, my legs were tired today, and the last couple miles were a mental slog. Rory’s and Karen’s positive attitudes made all the difference for me. They motivated me to finish strong.

1300 feet of climbing took us to the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora do Rosário do Monte da Franqueira. The building dates back at least 600 years and sits on the top of a mountain with beautiful views. It was worth the climb.

Barcelos

This is a charming town that sits on the Cávado River. It has some fun pedestrian-only streets and several attractive squares. There are also some ruins and a couple large churches.

There is going to be a jazz concert out in the square later tonight. Even though we’re tired, several of us are going to check it out.

A Beautiful Stamp

Each day, we collect 1 or 2 stamps in our pilgrim credential. We will show our completed credential in Santiago to conclude our pilgrimage.

Today we bumped into a pilgrim who creates beautiful wax stamps for his fellow pilgrims. Any donations he receives he uses to fund his pilgrimage.

He was a charming Italian man named Antonio. He made our day with his lovely artwork and fun personality.

We walked 12 miles today. We’ll do about the same tomorrow.

Good news, our final team member, Beth, has finally joined us. She just completed a vacation with her husband and now will walk with us to Santiago. It’s great to have her with us.