Dodging Rain
The skies were pretty clear and it was 58 degrees when I left the hotel. I took some city streets to cut over to where I could join the Camino.
Once established, I had only gone a few blocks before running into a young lady in full Comic-Con garb. Her name is Mata and she was very sweet. I don't know very much about anime so I asked if she was dressed as Sailor Moon. She replied that she wasn't but that it was something similar.
I was looking forward to something more scenic and an opportunity for more interaction with other pilgrims today. That didn't happen.. I left Porto and traveled through many residential areas. It was all the long roads. The good news is that there were excellent sidewalks for about 95 percent of the journey. The closest I came to meeting another walker was waving to them as I saw them sitting in a cafe.
Sometimes we wonder where the most absurd and far-fetched ideas come from. Today, I believe I passed the factory where they are manufactured.
Saturday appears to be a huge day for student drivers. I had seen several cars with the big blue "L" on the roof before. However, today there were many more. I imagine that might be because school is out and they can do more instruction during the day.
I spent much of the time dodging rainstorms. Fortunately, there were several bus shelters I could jump into. The video shows some time I spent trying to shelter during a particularly nasty storm. I got a little wet anyway.
It could have been much worse. After pressing myself against the wall, I looked down at my feet and saw some clear evidence that somebody had been there before. I don't believe I need to give a full description. I will say I felt very fortunate that my right foot was four inches from that evidence.
The final portion of my walk was along a stretch that put me a little bit more at risk for exposure to traffic. The Buen Camino app even issues a warning about not taking this particular direction. The problem was that my hotel was located up this road and there was no other way to get there. It was not reassuring to see the route marker in the shape of a grave marker.
My lodgings are actually very nice. The video should give some indication as to the charm of this establishment.
The forecast is for thunderstorms tomorrow. I'll finish drying my laundry (I actually did find a hair dryer in one of the bathroom drawers) and head to bed with the hope that I have clear skies upon waking.