Camino Portuguese 07: Alvaiázere to Alvorge

Sunday, June 08, 2025

Camino Portuguese: Day 07 – Alvaiázere to Alvorge / Vale Florido

There were several other pilgrims in the hostel getting ready for the day as I got up this morning. I was surprised to see so many pilgrims at the hostel because I never saw anyone along the Camino itself. There was an older German woman (probably in her 70s) who was making breakfast. She spoke almost no English and I was amazed that she was getting on so well on the Camino. Good on her!

I set off at 05:30 on what would be a relatively shorter day of walking (roughly 27km today, as opposed to the 32km+ of the past four days). Just after leaving town I reached the first of many hills on today’s walk. I enjoyed the peaceful walk once I reached a level pathway. I walked for nearly an hour before putting in my headphones.

I walked past several more abandoned buildings this morning. It was such a shame to see so many buildings left to rot all along this Camino. The route followed along a roadway for a while before turning off onto the familiar dirt path. I would soon regret leaving the road behind though. The dirt path devolved into an extremely rocky walkway, making it near impossible to take a step without feeling a stone pressing into my foot. It obviously slowed my walking pace down and caused considerable pain. To make matters worse, I had to go up and down several hills along this same abominable rock-filled path.

After walking about 12km, the majority of which was on the awful path, I came to the large town of Ansiao. I planned to have my breakfast break in town and headed to a pastry shop (one of the few places open on a Sunday). I had coffee, apple juice, and a pastry. I noticed another pilgrim sitting outside of the café and I realized that I had seen him yesterday in Alvaiazere! He was cycling the Camino and had been with a group of people yesterday, but the others were nowhere to be seen this morning. He was absorbed in his phone, so I didn’t disturb him.

I hoped to stop at a grocery store in town to try and buy a Gatorade or Powerade for the walk. I have been searching in vain every day for an electrolyte drink. Unfortunately the grocery store was closed today! I stopped in another café to buy some water and use the restroom (I had forgotten both back at the pastry shop).

The stretch of Camino after leaving Ansiao was an improvement – gone were the rocks that had tortured me earlier this morning. I enjoyed hiking through the tree-lined countryside, especially since there was so much shade to protect me from the sun. Despite putting on sunscreen on a daily basis, my hands were quite sunburned and I wanted to keep them out of direct sunlight for as long as possible.

The Camino was deceptive though… the path soon devolved back to the rocky hellscape that stretched on for several kilometers. I did everything I could to find a route through the rocks that minimized the pain, but it was very difficult. I walked up and down several hills, cursing each and every rocky I stepped on along the way. I was worried about how bad my feet would be this evening – hoping beyond hope that I wouldn’t have a ton of blisters!

As if to make the walk even worse (was such a thing possible?!), the Camino narrowed considerably to a footpath barely wide enough for a single person. The rocks were still everywhere, making it damn near impossible to avoid stepping on them now. Plants and flowers had overgrown much of the route as well, obscuring many of the rocks. Needless to say, I was not happy. The route eventually led uphill and this was the worst part of the day. The climb was all on uneven rocks, very narrow, and painful. As I climbed, several cyclist (not pilgrims) appeared riding in the opposite direction. I could not imagine how on earth they could possibly ride a bike along such a path, but then I saw one of them carrying his bike across the worst of the rocks.

I let out a quite cheer when I rejoined the roadway! Each step was no longer filled with stabbing pains. The official route followed the road for only a short distance before veering off again. When I reached the split off from the road, I could see that the path was the same rock nightmare, so I opted to remain on the road. The Camino basically mirrored the road and this was the smart decision for the well-being of my poor feet. I grew tired as I followed the road up and up a large hill. I knew the Camino would be more hilly from now on, but it still wears me out.

I reached the small town of Alvorge around 11:30 and decided to find a place to take a rest. There was a small outdoor market in the town center where people were selling various goods, from clothing to food. I walked through the market and went to the small convenience store, where I bought a fruit juice and a protein shake. I’d hoped to find a pair of gloves to wear, but the store didn’t have any available.

Since it was Sunday, most places were closed today, but there was one restaurant that Google Maps indicated was open. When I reached the restaurant, the doors were open and the staff were there, but it still appeared closed. I ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, a Coke, and an ice cream for lunch. The sandwich was just so-so (the bread was very dry), but the ice cream was refreshingly delicious!

I had another 2km left to walk to reach my hotel for the night. Pilgrims usually stop in Alvorge or continue to Rabacal. I was splitting the difference and staying in the village of Vale Florido. To reach the village, I had to head off of the Camino and walk through the countryside a bit more. Google Maps deceived me and said the route was “mostly flat”… in reality, I had to climb up a long and steep hill. Mercifully there was a strong breeze that helped cool me down ever so slightly.

I reached the hotel at 13:00 and was surprised to discover that no one was there to check me in. The ‘hotel’ was in reality a converted stone house, so there was no proper reception for me to do to when I arrived. Booking.com stated that check-in was at 14:00, so I decided to wait in the small courtyard at the front of the house. The only issue was that it was fully in the sun, with only small areas that offered any shade. I moved around to the different shady areas as I waited. When 14:00 came and went without anyone appearing, I began to get impatient. I had knocked on the door several times to no answer. Thinh was going to give the owner a call (I discovered that my SIM card only provided data, no calling or testing). Just as he was about to call, the owner came to the door!

The owners of the hotel/house are a very friendly couple. The wife is the one who let me in this afternoon and showed me around the house. It is a beautiful old building, with an enormous backyard, where they had installed a barbecue, volleyball court, and (best of all) a pool! I took advantage of the free laundry and washed my clothes, drying them out in the sun on the back patio. While I was relaxing at the hotel, another guest arrived. I was glad that I would not be the only one staying at the house this evening – it would be slightly creepy being all alone! One bizarre aspect of the village was at the church across the street. Rather than ringing an actual bell to toll the hour, it has a loudspeaker erected in the front and the sounds of chimes/bells are blasted every quarter hour. It caught me quite off-guard the first time I heard it!

There is only one restaurant in the village, which is also owned/operated by the same couple who own the hotel! It was a quick five-minute walk from the hotel (the village is basically one short street). When I arrived, it was very busy with many locals having their dinner and watching football (soccer). Everyone there was elderly, which surprised me because I expected to see some younger people around since there are a lot of farmlands nearby. For dinner I ordered pork fillet with fries, rice, and salad – I had surmised by now that this was a typical, standard meal here in Portugal. It is very good and filling this evening. Before leaving I got my pilgrim passport stamped (the owners keep it at the restaurant rather than the hotel/house).

When I got back, I went out to the pool to soak my feet for a short while. The cool water was refreshing! I then came back inside to write some in the blog before heading to bed.

Distance Walked: 27.35 km
Steps Walked: 37,046

Total Distance: 222.89 km
Total Steps: 296,726