Day Five: Vila Franca de Xira to Azumbuja

Greetings and apologies for missing two days.  I couldn't find reliable WiFi in Azumbuja and yesterday I walked 32 kilometers (19 miles).  Vila Franca is pretty place with a lot to offer.  Maria told me that in the 80's and 90's, the town had a communist government.  There is not much to say about the walk.  It was 12 miles of pavement, trains, factories and huge, speeding trucks.

This one is for Judge Kase back in Socorro.  Vila Franca is the center of bullfighting culture in Portugal.  This statue stands in front of the train station.  My pack with the scallop shell is leaning against the base.  A nearby police officer was curious about me and so he asked where I was going and where I was from.  What he really wanted to tell me was that he was from Golega which is the center of horse culture in Portugal.  The Portuguese people are very respectful but a little shy about pilgrims.  They don't see many between here and Porto.

At this point I was nearly deaf from the highway noise (behind me).  However, high atop this grain storage structure, the storks were very happily doing what they do best, building massive stick nests.

It was a hard day of walking but no, I was not looking for a hole to crawl in.  A Portuguese cemetary still beautifully decorated from Easter.

The church in Azumbuja.  The stone pole in the plaza, I'm told, is centuries old and was used for public floggings of who? Sinners, agnostic pilgrims?  Anyway, the perfect finish to the day.  Now to find a cold cerveja and prepare for m32 k tomorrow.