Camino Portuguese 08: Alvorge to Coimbra

Monday, June 09, 2025

Camino Portuguese: Day 08 – Alvorge / Vale Florido to Coimbra

I did not sleep very well overnight – I kept tossing and turning. My alarm rang far too early but I knew I needed to get up and get going early today. The weather forecast for today was markedly hotter than the previous days on the Camino – it was due to reach near 37 degrees Celsius (nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit)! I knew I needed to get out on the Camino early so I could cover as much ground as possible before the heat made the day a living hell.

In order to reach Coimbra, my stop for the night, quicker, I decided to deviate from the official Camino route today to shave roughly 10km off of the walk. The Camino took a roundabout way to go from Alvorge to Coimbra, deviating far to the west to swing through a city before heading back east. Following the Camino would have meant walking for 38-40km today, but the route I planned to follow was around 28km.

I set out at 05:30, as usual, and made good time in the pre-dawn hours. It wasn’t as cool as previous days, which I took as a warning for how hot it would get later on today. Sticking to the roads, I enjoyed the peaceful morning for the first hour or so before popping in my headphones to listen to some podcasts. Keith Morrison episodes of Dateline were a huge help to me during the long walks.

Sunrise was very pretty, particularly since there were some clouds in the sky. I wished for another cloudy day to help protect me from the sun and heat, but it was not to be. Thankfully I was in the shade for most of the morning. I came upon a small town after two hours of walking and hoped to get a coffee, but the lone café was closed today! I now had to walk for another two hours before reaching the next café.

After crossing the highway, my route followed along a dirt road. It was a bit strange being out there all by myself because I knew that I wouldn’t possibly run into any other pilgrims. Trees lined the road, providing me with more shade from the sun. The dirt roadway wasn’t anywhere near as bad as yesterday’s route, though there were some large rocks here and there. I walked as quickly as I could to get through this part of my route – I would feel better once I returned to the road.

Once the dirt road rejoined the main roadway, I was delighted to discover a proper stone sidewalk running alongside the road! Previous days had required me to dangerously walk along the shoulders of the roads, so this was a wonderful treat. This also let me walk at a faster pace since I didn’t have to stop and step out of the way each time a car would come driving past me.

I reached my first break around 09:30 and was very happy with the café. The woman running the place was very warm and friendly. She made me a large coffee and I also had a peach iced tea. The only food available was sweet pastries, which didn’t sound very good to me this morning, so I stuck with my drinks. I rested there for about 30 minutes, during which I talked to Thinh briefly. Before leaving, I bought some more water and an ice cream bar.

Back on the road, I knew that I was getting close to Coimbra. I had to walk through several small villages, which sometimes filled me with dread. So many houses had dogs in their front yards and they would always run up to the fences are bark and growl at me. Most of the time it was fine, but there were some huge dogs who could easily have jumped over their small fences to come at me if they so wanted. I have never been a dog person, and such aggressive dogs make me very uneasy.

When I reached the outskirts of Coimbra, I again stopped at a café to get something cold to drink. I even got a stamp in my pilgrim passport from the café! I hadn’t expected them to have a stamp since I was slightly off of the official Camino route, so it was a nice surprise. I didn’t have anything to eat, mostly because nothing seemed appetizing to me at the time.

There were only 3.5km between the café and my hotel for the night, but they dragged on forever! The day’s heat had truly set in as I navigated the city roads downhill and into the city center. I was impressed with the size of Coimbra. It’s a large city with buildings covering a small hill, nestled along a river. When I crossed the bridge to reach the city center, I was incredibly hot and sweaty – I needed to get to get out of the sun.

My hotel for the night wasn’t far from the bridge and, at 13:00, I arrived. It was slightly too early for check-in, but I was able to sit in the common room and relax while I waited. I was relieved to be inside and away from the sun/heat. About an hour later I was allowed to head up to my room, which was much nicer than I had anticipated! The bed was very comfortable, with a good sized bathroom. The only thing missing was air conditioning – the room was only equipped with a floor fan.

I relaxed in my room for a while before heading out to get some dinner. I grabbed a burger tonight and then went to a nearby supermarket to pick up some things. Returning to the hotel, I spent the rest of the night relaxing and recuperating from the long and hot day.

Distance Walked: 29.52 km
Steps Walked: 39,362

Total Distance: 252.41 km
Total Steps: 336,088