Costa Verde

Short day from Braga to Villa Cha, a bit north of Porto. I used small roads, but even they are quite busy. And my impression is that car drivers in Portugal overtake faster and with less distance. 

Half a day at the nearby beach.

Braga

The climb started after 500m: Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês was a tough detour on my way to Braga, which has a quite remarkable Camping Municipal. Students celebrate a huge party with concerts not to far away. Could be that I use my Ohropax for the first time tonight.

Lima

Rio Lima was my goal today and a trail along that river from Ponte de Lima was slow to ride but a welcome change without cars. Morning was fine as well, after a climb a long way down to Rio Lima on a small road with few traffic.

Portugal

Excellent breakfast in the hostel. Good company as well. I followed quite a long way the pilgrims trail and that was not a path to cover distance fast by bike. Crossed into Portugal and stayed at a campsite. 

Santiago (and a) Compostela

The pilgrims dinner last night was wonderful, about 25 pilgrims attended. This morning it was good to have a light on my bike in the thick fog. Cycled about 30km to Santiago and made a detour of 100m to visit an old friend and former colleague at a research institute of the University of Santiago. Exchanging information on personal live, Bionanotechnology, Astrophysics, and the recent developments of students enthusiasm for research and other hobbies and ambitions in general. After that to the Cathedral and the pilgrims office were I got my certificate, my compostela. A bit difficult to transport such a document on a bike. So when I went to lunch, I asked for some cardboard to protect the document. Now it is safe.

To many people in Santiago, so I left for Pontevedra to a hostel that I visited a year ago.

End of the World

Cabo Fisterra,  another end, like e.g. Ushuaia two years ago... I had a coffee, cycled to the end, made a few pictures and after 500m back from the end the rain started. Albergue again, this time in the middle of nowhere, about 25km west of Santiago. Will get a pilgrims dinner tonight.

Muxia

Another very cloudy day with some rain and since for tomorrow morning there is a very rainy forecast, I stay again in a Pilgrims hostel, this one is actually associated with Youth Hostel International,  I am a member for decades. Big kitchen and even free soup cooked by the hostel. Extremely steep hills and many of them, never more then 300m high but so often...