OUR WAY

 10th Jun 2025

Rest & relaxation - Portugal

Ponte Luiz I

The train ticket was cheap – just €8.50 for a two-hour international journey from Vigo in Spain to Porto in Portugal. The journey itself was uneventful: no announcements, no checks, just gently rolling countryside slipping past the windows as we crossed into a new country without much fanfare.

Portugese rail

On arrival at the station in Porto, we followed the signs along the platform to the tram ticket office, rehearsing a few key Portuguese phrases as we went. The ticket attendant smiled and responded in flawless English. Still, we felt our linguistic efforts hadn’t gone completely to waste. With tickets bought, a short tram ride followed by a brief walk brought us to the apartment we’d rented for the next five nights. Unpacking took about thirty seconds – the usual process of opening the rucksacks, poking around to find charger cables and toothbrushes, then declaring the job done.

Soon after, we set off on foot into the centre of Porto. We came across the funicular early on – charming but surprisingly expensive for such a short journey. We decided to walk instead, crossing the Ponte Luiz I, the old double-deck iron bridge spanning the Douro River, and took in the views. On the return, we hopped back on a tram towards the apartment and stopped at a supermarket to stock up on food for the coming days – enough for breakfasts and the occasional dinner.

The next day we caught the train to Aveiro, just over an hour south of Porto. Often called the “Venice of Portugal,” it has a network of canals and gondola-style boats, though the comparison feels a bit generous. We walked into the centre and saw the boats lined up, but the atmosphere felt a little flat – touristy without much depth. After wandering about in the heat, we waited (melting slightly) for the local bus to the beach. It turned up late and was packed, so we stood for most of the sweltering journey to Costa Nova.

Aveiro center

There we saw the famous stripy houses – old fishermen’s homes known as palheiros, originally painted in bold colours so they could be spotted from the sea. They’ve since been restored for the Instagram age, but they still have a certain charm.

Stripy houses

We walked along the beach, which was long, sandy, and fronted by impressively energetic waves. The heat was unrelenting, but we found a quiet corner near the harbour wall. Gaby went for a swim while I supervised from the shade. Eventually, we made our way back – bus to the train station, then train to Porto – and were back by around 6pm for a much-needed relaxing evening.

Beach at Aveiro

The following day we allowed ourselves a slow start. We wandered through the city, visited the market, and passed by the Livraria Lello – the famously ornate bookshop said to have inspired parts of the Harry Potter series. We never intended to go inside, and the queue trailing down the street confirmed our decision. Intricate staircases and stained-glass windows might be magical, but not enough to stand in the heat for an hour and €8 for the privilege of doing so. From there, we wound our way through the old streets to a viewpoint, crossed the bridge again, and Gaby had lunch in a café while I went back to the apartment for a simple lunch and to rest up ahead of the next day’s race.

Sunday was both race day and Gaby’s birthday – a combination of priorities that meant first, I’d run the race, then Gaby would get to enjoy the beach in the afternoon. I’d signed up for the Gondomar 21k road race back when in the UK, thinking it would be a fun after the Camino walking. The forecast said 27°C, and I was starting to question my planning.

Happy it was over - too hot

As I hadn’t packed running kit, I made do. The race shirt came as part of the €15 entry fee, and I’d already picked up a cheap pair of sports shorts from Primark back in Santiago. Footwear-wise, I had no road shoes – just a battered pair of trail runners with over 800km of Camino wear. Not ideal.

We’d collected the race bib and shirt two days before the event. While there, we asked about transport to the start. The advice was to get a bus to somewhere near Gondomar, as the main road would be closed. After weighing up the logistics of multiple connections, we downloaded a taxi app instead. Thanks to a 30% new-user promo, the ride cost just €2.70 – cheaper than the bus.

From the drop-off point, we walked 2.5km to the start. The race began bang on time at 9am (with fireworks!), with both 10k and 21k runners heading out together. I was doing the 21k. It wasn’t too hot at the start, but the temperature climbed steadily. Having not run for over six weeks, I wasn’t expecting much – I just wanted to finish. It turned out to be the hottest race I’ve ever done.

After crossing the finish line and a brief rest, we walked back to the main road and took another taxi to the apartment. A quick lie-down turned into a long siesta – we never made it to the beach, but did rally enough energy in the evening to go out for birthday ice cream, which felt like a small but meaningful win.

Coffee with a view

The next day was forecast to be even hotter – up to 34°C – so we made a plan to escape to the coast. Took a taxi to Praia dos Ingleses, then walked 2.5km along the seafront to Praia de Matosinhos as the heat steadily built. We found a Lidl en route and picked up a sun umbrella and a beach chair – possibly our best investment of the trip. Spent the day swimming, sitting in the shade, and generally doing as little as possible. It didn’t feel unbearable until we boarded the tram back to the apartment, which functioned as a mobile sauna for the journey home.

The following day would be our return back home to normality.