Valenca, Portugal

This will be my last stop in Portugal.  I took the train from Porto and I plan to walk tomorrow.  I have been in Portugal almost a month.  It's a very relaxed country.  Comfortable, like your favorite pair of shoes.  People talk more slowly than in Spain, most cafes and restaurants open before 8:00 pm and food and accomodations are inexpensive compared to the rest of Europe.

The alburgue in Valenca.  It has 85 beds and there were about 20 pilgrims staying the night I was there.  In typical camino fashion, six of us took a taxi to a tapas restaurant and ordered paella.  One Korean, one Spaniard, three Portuguese and the American.

Valenca is a medieval fortified city built on Roman foundations.  It sits on a hill top overlooking the river and is surrounded by this impressive wall.  I walked through before businesses were open and the tour buses had arrived.  It was very quiet, only myself and several cats up early.

The camino as it passes through Valenca.

The Rio Minho from one of the watch towers of the fortress.