Lima to Kubiaes (18.1km)
We made our way across the old bridge and began our ascent of 400m elevation gain. We met many of the hikers from a few nights ago at various rest stops and cafes along the way. Today's trek took us through mountain villages, along country roads and scrabbling up mountain trails. It was the most difficult stage, so far, of the Portuguese caminho. We booked into our pension at about 2pm, showered and enjoyed lounging in the courtyard, sipping on vinho verde. At 7pm the local restaurant owner came to pick us up. We met many of the other pilgrims who were staying at the Albergue. We had a lovely dinner and treated ourselves with Portuguese flan, which is the best we've ever tasted. And after dinner we were driven back to our pension....what service!
Kubiaes to Valenca(16.3km)
The trek today had a slight elevation gain of 200m as we travelled through many mountain villages. It was an enjoyable trek as the trails took us through forests and the shade from the tall trees protected us from the hot sun. However it was sad to encounter a 2-3km stretch of the forest that was recently damaged by fire. As we arrived in Valenca the first sight was the fortress with its high walls that surrounds the old town. Valenca is the last Portuguese town in the Portuguese Caminho as tomorrow we will cross the Minho river and enter Spain and continue our trek to Santiago. The old town is a typical tourist attraction - a few churches and so many shops selling (surprisingly) children cuddly wear, nice bedding and, of course, souvenirs. Nice place to shop, but not a reason for us to stay another day.
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