Portugal to Spain Caminha - A Guarda

Vila Praia do Ancora is a quaint little seaside village that is split into two halves with the train line running through the middle. It's a fishing and retirement village with an old world pace of life.

The central plaza is glorious, the spring petunias decorating the church entranceway were a riot of colour, spring has well and truly sprung there.

Our next steps had us headed to Caminha where we would leave Portugal and enter Spain.

The glazed exterior house tiles as you walk into Caminha are so different from anything we have back home, it's a unique  style particular to this region.

The national triathlon was on in Caminha and they couldn't have had worse weather, it was chucking it down. The town was full of athletes, supporters, sponsors, guys and girls in wetsuits for the swim, racks of carbon fibre space age looking road bikes and hardy supporters and pilgrims with rain ponchos a plenty.

We managed to navigate the road closures and eager security staff protecting the roads for the bike stage and get across to the river bank where the boats left to take people across the River Minho to Spain.

We  went across on a little electric ferry with other pilgrims all looking like us, like large blobs of plastic with the rain ponchos covering us and our packs. There's no room for vanity in a rain poncho :)

The track to A Guarda wasn't too sludgy thank goodness. It was very wet but the raindrops had the magical effect of crating a lush green fairyland with all the foliage glistening.

Lovely public sculptures as we found our way to the port area in A Guarda.

Then, just like that, the sun came out, hurrah! Time to de-poncho and appear human again and dry out. 

Carreco & Vila Praia de Ancora

 

A bit of blog catch up. We've been dodging the rain and slowly making our way up the north west Portuguese coastline.

We enjoyed going inland after Viana do Castelo. We passed lovely pastoral scenes with happy contented cattle and cute spring calves. Lots of pilgrims on the trail from all over the world, a higher number of Americans than we've come across on previous Camino adventures and always a good smattering of Aussies -  Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!

Some scenes were very NZ-esque! We stopped at a little stream crossing and as I looked up to the hills I spotted a magnificent stone crucifix and was wondering how on earth it got there given its made of stone and set  atop a large set of granite hills. ( Click on pic & enlarge to spot it)

As we rounded the next corner  there looked to be an old monastery or convent grounds which had to be connected to the stone cross on the rocks - maybe a pilgrim path of old? 

The colour of the high stone entrance wall and gate  was stunning and made you wonder what delights were behind those high walls. 

After a little sleuthing it turns out the castle/estate/Quinta has over 500yrs of history and  it's now a fancy schmancy hotel or parador  called Quinta da Boa Viagem. Way back  early 16th century the King of Portugal made a pilgrimage to Santiago and  made a stop here and he gave  permission to build a chapel dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem, or Our Lady of Good Journey. The chapel was built  outside the walls of Quinta so that pilgrims walking the Camino could rest in the shade and coolness of its walls and bathe their feet in the  natural stone pools. 

Stunning coastal views with tidal, rocky shorelines, again it could be a coastal path in New Zealand. I thought this looked like seal country, but not a seal to be seen.

 

Many little collections of pilgrims stones with messages for loved ones or with hopes/wishes  have been left along the trail.

The final stretch into Praia do Ancora had us do an extra dogleg to get across the river when on a previous Camino we cut across the sand dunes. Any extra walking when you're  tired can be a challenge but we found a cafe just as spirits were lagging and dos cafe con leche made the world good again. 

Our humble little hotel in Praia de Ancora was above a local cafe/bar with a perfect window ledge to dry our hiking shoes - a view for a shoe, or two:).  After a good days walking sometimes a burger just hits the spot! 

Adeus Viana do Castelo

It was our last day in Viana do Castelo. We stayed much longer than we originally intended and we loved every minute  - this incredible little town has it all.

The town is  a mix of historic museums, buildings, churches and little winding lanes that open into quiet squares with convenient panaderia shops tempting you to the famed Pastel de nata. The streets are clean, mostly quiet,  there are  lovely trees and gardens and it has a relaxed pace of life.  The mountains hug the town and with the river and the sea there's any number of hikes or water sports to be had. It might be cold in winter but in spring it's perfect!

We timed it just right to visit the Igreja da Misericórdia de Viana do Castelo (or Casa das Varandas)  in the Praca de Republica. It was built in 1589 and as impressive as it is on the exterior ( see previous blog post pic),  the interior is pocket-rocket amazing with over the top renaissance style and  Italian and Flemish influences.

While the exterior boasts several floors and verandahs,  the interior felt  intimate, albeit with an abundance of opulent decoration. The beautiful blue and white glazed tiles,  so typically Portuguese,  and the ceiling frescos were breathtaking. 

Some areas were off limits but I managed a cheeky 'around the corner' glimpse. 

The detail in the  gilded carvings was stunning. They had several religious paintings on display too. 

The curator taking the €2.00 entry fee stated it was unquestionably one of the finest examples of Baroque style in the whole of Portugal. I believe him, we're so glad we got to see this highlight on our last day. 

To complement all the fabulous sightseeing Viana  has wonderful food options too. With the sea so close by and the verdant alluvial  fields alongside the banks of the Ria Lima - the local  restaurants make the most of all the fresh produce.  

We sampled a few portions of local clams and garlic olive bread  - it was all pretty good 👍. We'll miss the fabulous Avenida  Viana Boutique Suites, if you're ever in Viana book there, it's great. 

Vila Franca - Festa das Roses

Today we were extremely fortunate as our host drove us to the small village of Villa Franca and  a church that had the most spectacular festival of roses.  This is absolutely unique,  I guarantee you've never seen anything like it.

The roses and flowers are displayed atop a large, and I mean large, basin/tub/urn. The sides of the basin are hand decorated with flower petals and florist pins. As you looked really closely the detail involved was revealed, the artistry and the patience involved in creating these masterpieces is incredible. 

From what I  could tell most of the decorations told a story that progressed around the circumference of the display urn. Truely mind boggling the detail involved.  Along with the floral displays, the church was also festooned with roses of every colour and hue.

If you click on the photo above and  zoom in on the urn  you will see the size they are as you reference the photographer in the background.

Our host's wife grew up in this village and when she was a young girl they would walk in the festival parade with similar, but smaller, flower baskets on their heads through the streets to the church.

 

All the  arrangements used fresh flowers and foliage / greenery  from local sources.

The graveyard is also decorated with so many stunning floral tributes - sweetheart roses, orchids, protea, bamboo stalk, gypsophila, lillies...a floral extravaganza.

Outside the church there were many family groups sitting in the shade of trees with picnics and later in the day there was to be music, a parade and fireworks.

We were thrilled to have been shown this truely  unique and spectacular fiesta and grateful  to our host for taking time out of his busy day to drive us there and back. A memory to treasure.

Praca de Republica

How lucky were we to stumble upon a cultural festival in the Praca de Republica?  It was a real fiesta atmosphere with a band, traditional food stalls and of course singing and dancing. The square is the heart of Viana with museums and key municipality functions housed in architectural gems. Most buildings date back to the 16th century. 

Unfortunately for us the chafariz/fountain was being restored but we did  the magnificent Misericordia e Igreja, church boasting renaissance architecture from 1589.

The cultural revival group had gorgeous traditional dress and jewellery and little clog shoes that sounded terrific when they danced.

While the ladies were dancing the men were either playing in the band or selling their home baking, what looked like a distilled  spirit from a big old barrel and speciality breads. 

Although there was a fair bit of man talk in huddles.

The ladies skirts looked gorgeous when they were twirling, so colourful and all in the most gorgeous setting. (Remember you can click on the pics to zoom in 👍)

Absolutely perfect day for such a stunning performance. The town of Viana do Castelo is in full swing for the start of the season. It's so fantastic we're staying another night!