There are so many ways to travel from Porto to Santiago. We had walked the coastal way so far. We had a choice to make today. We could take the ferry and cross over to Spain’s coastal way or stay inland in Portugal for a few more days and then cross over to Spain.

We chose to stay inland because it had more villages, cafés, and accommodations. We also wanted to keep our walking distance modest (15K vs. 20 K per day). So much for planing! We didn’t realize there was a choice within the choice–the walk along the river or over the hills. Well, guess which one we ended up on? You would be correct, “the hills.”

We started correctly by crossing Rio Coura and then finding Rio Minho, but the yellow arrows took us to the forest and hills. It was a beautiful hike with only a few unplanned kilometers of walking, but we felt like we were back on the real Camino with yellow arrows pointing our way and with a few villages offering coffee and pastries. Tomorrow we intend to stick to the river and be more mindful of our options. Here is today’s journey in pictures.