Vila Cha to Agucadoura 11.45 Miles
We weren’t out of bed until 8:30. We were the last perigrinos to eat. It was a nice breakfast with: meats, cheeses, pastries, breads, cereals, yogurt and, of course, coffee. The coffee was a machine, we selected Americano and then added a shot of expresso - perfect. Unlike last night, with no staff, this morning there were two staff plus a maintenance guy.
Back up to the to the boardwalk by 10. The first several miles were mixed with views of the ocean or 30 foot sand dunes separating us from it. The boardwalk was pretty crickety. The boardwalk bridge over a dry creek was washed out, and nearly 500 yards were covered with three feet of drifted sand. That was a hard trudge.
Always on the lookout for a second coffee and pastry, but it never came.
Through the city of Vila do Conde there are two routes, the Coastal and the Litoral. As we approached the city we could see a beautiful white church, fortress and light house that appeared to be right on the coast. Wouldn’t one think that this would mean we should take the Coastal route? Wrong!
The Coastal took us through the city and was mostly residential.
No coffee, pastry, or fortress! What little commercial we did pass was all closed due to it being Sunday.
When we finally made it to the northern and more interesting edge of Vila do Conde, we passed up a nice plaza (with music) restaurants, thinking we would find something better on the beach. Wrong again. We were starving, exhausted and settled for the Seahorse. It was right on the beach, the Super Bock was cold and the grilled ham and cheese seemed gourmet!
From Vila do Conde we continued to follow the coast toward our overnight in Agucadoura. Spectacular ocean views, where it wasn’t wide sandy beaches it was crashing waves on the rocky coves. Throughout the afternoon we saw snorkeling fishermen with spears and gynormous fins that propelled them. Never did figure out what was the prey.
When we finally arrived in Agucadoura, we thought our guesthouse would be near the center. We stopped at the Paimo Beach Bar for a beer and wine and were told by our server that we had overshot by about a mile! After enjoying our beverage and watching the kids displaying their excellent soccer skills in the central square, we headed SOUTH!
We knocked on the locked door of the guest house and luckily the host came out. He had texted us the entry code 10 minutes AFTER we had left the comfort of wifi at Paimo. The guest house host was a little strange. He spent at least 15 to 20 minutes talking about everything from poverty to oil and gas?!
We had a private room with two single beds and a sink. The bath/shower rooms were shared. Dave lost the coin toss and had to walk the 1/2 mile to the laundry and Sue got to shower. After those necessities were taken care of, we headed out to find dinner.
Our first choice and closest was closed - yes, it was Sunday! We ended up at Nortada, on the central plaza. Best thing that could have happened! We started with a Caprichicia cocktail, a loaded cheeseburger and the traditional Portuguese artery blocker, Francesinha sandwich.
We had the most accommodating server/owner who spoke perfect English. The cocktails were only 4 euro each and the sandwiches 6 and 8. This was a great foodie ending that had us starving at 3:00.
It was after dark when we got back at the guesthouse and we crashed shortly after.
2025-02-07