Tag Archives: Portuguese Way

SOUTHWEST FRANCE, NORTHERN SPAIN & PORTUGAL #20: WALKING THE CAMINO PORTUGUÉS & GORGEOUS GUIMARÃES

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Our third (and final) country on this tour was Portugal, and the Douro Valley was our first stop.  Along the way, our bus dropped us off so we could walk along Camino Portugués (Portuguese Way), the traditional coastal route used by pilgrims from Lisbon, Porto, and other regions of Portugal to reach Santiago de Compostela.  It was a rainy day and not the best day for walking or photography, but I captured a few shots:

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Our group up ahead, walking the Portuguese Way through the vineyards
Pilgrims
Walking through Ponte de Lima, we came across this life-sized bronze sculpture
You know you’re in Portugal when you see cork items for sale in gift shops!
I don’t even want to know what meat was being sold by this street vendor…

The medieval city of Guimarães was our next stop.  It is considered the birthplace of Portugal, because its first independent king, Afonso Henriques, was born here in 1110.  We took a walking tour of the well-preserved city center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and had time to explore on our own.  While most of the group went to a restaurant for lunch, we opted to grab a quick bite and see more of gorgeous Guimarães.

Pointing the way to Santiago de Compostela, in Spain

Next up: SOUTHWEST FRANCE, NORTHERN SPAIN & PORTUGAL #21: LOVELY LAMEGO

SOUTHWEST FRANCE, NORTHERN SPAIN & PORTUGAL #19: PONTEVEDRA & COMBARRO

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For our last full day in Santiago, we had the choice of spending the day in town or taking an optional tour to Pontevedra and Combarro, which is what we chose.

Both towns are in Galicia, an autonomous community of Spain located in the northwest Iberian Peninsula that is equivalent in size to the state of Massachusetts. 

Galicians consider themselves (unofficially) to be a Celtic nation and think of themselves more as Galicians rather than Spanish.  They have their own distinct customs and culture; and, although they have their own language, only 17% speak it with each other.

Pontevedra is a small, riverside city in northwest Spain known for its well-preserved old town.  It is also a stop along the Portuguese Way.  We took a walking tour of the old quarter and visited the city market.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

A scallop shell marker points the way for pilgrims walking the Portuguese Way to Santiago de Compostela

Next, we visited Combarro, a small fishing village famous for its hórreos, traditional stone grain stores on stilts.  This village is one of the only towns in the region to feature this kind of stonework, and I found it to be unique and charming.

Following our walking tour, we enjoyed lunch at a seafood restaurant that specialized in Galician fish stew, which is different from Spanish seafood paella, the specialty of southern Spain.  It was delicious!

Unfortunately, the cloudy skies weren’t the best for photography, but here are a few scenes photographed in the village:

Tintanegra, our lunch spot
Galician fish stew

Coming up next: SOUTHWEST FRANCE, NORTHERN SPAIN & PORTUGAL #20: WALKING THE CAMINO PORTUGUÉS & GORGEOUS GUIMARÃES