Day 1 (March 10) 9 Miles. Around Porto

Our Camino begins.

We got our passports stamped at the Cathedral do Porto – an imposing building overlooking the roofs of historic Porto (UNESCO World Heritage site). Finding a yellow arrow, we started down the stone stairway to the River Douro.

We were following one of the branches of the Coastal route that is about nine miles. We chose to do this segment on our first day because tomorrow we will have a 15 mile walk. We will take the Metro to the stop that we reached this afternoon, Matosinhos Sul, and continue the Camino. Twenty-four miles on the first day would have been a real stretch.

We walked along the quay passing a tram that begins near the Sao Francisco church and ends at a park near the lighthouse marking where the Douro and the Atlantic Ocean meet. Here’s Laird and I at the Atlantic Ocean with the lighthouse in the background.

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying a menu of dishes composed of black truffles and its wine pairing at Indiferente. Michelin designated it as a superb restaurant at a good price. We agree and recommend anyone in Porto, locals and tourists alike, to journey here! Below is the menu and photos of the duck magret and the accompanying 1997 Dao. Imagine a small puff of chocolate infused with black truffles.

What makes for such a wonderful experience are the people who created the magical moments. Here is the chef and Hugo who guided us through the dishes and upgraded some of the wines in our pairing.

As I wrote in my 88 temple blog, meeting people along the way is what makes these walks so special. We met this trio walking in front us. As we were passing them, we complimented the dog who was skittish. They stopped and thanked us. We introduced ourselves and found out that they were brother and sister walking their mother’s dog. Their mother had passed away two days before. We gave our condolences and went on our way to find the Metro for the ride back to the hotel. An early night – 15 miles tomorrow.