Just Arrived in Ponte de Lima

It’s late March in Portugal, but signs of spring were already here. As we were walking along the river into Ponte de Lima, the blossoming trees clearly signaled a change in seasons. Although the Brierely guide suggested going from Barcelos to Ponte de Lima in one day, for two reasons, we broke this stage into two. First, 33.6 km is a long day! Adjusted for elevation, primarily due to going up the Alto da Portela, one has a 35.8 km day! Too much for us! Our second reason was that we really wanted to stay at Casa Fernanda halfway through this stage. For both reasons, our decision was the correct one! More on Fernanda’s in a later post.