Alte Journal 17

This morning we started some exercise other than walking.  I spent some time in the exercise room and then both of us went to the inside pool.  I did a few lengths of the pool but put to shame by some guy who must have done thirty lengths.  

After lunch we decided to head to Alte.  We haven't been there since 2018.  Alte is a lovely little town just inside the first row of low hills but about 40 km east of us.  We drove up past Silves and headed east on what I thought was N124 but ended up on N269 and going through Algoz.  Algoz is a good sized town and bloody confusing if you get lost.  Fortunately the signs were good and we headed north out of the town.  Algoz was out of our way but we still managed to see some good scenery.  At this point we were just at the edge of the mountains as we passed Carrasqueira and slowly climbed up to Sao Bartolomeu de Messines where the hills are steep and the valleys very deep.  The road was good however as we passed under the A2 viaduct where it skims by Messines.  Eventually we arrived at Alte and as always amazed at the tourists who manage to find this little gem so far from the coast.  

We have been here several times over the years and we always have coffee in the same place.  It was my first opportunity to use my horrible Portuguese but the lady behind the counter beamed as I blurted out "I would like an iced tea, a galao and two custard tarts."  They always love it when you make the effort.  It' not hard.  Just say "Eu gostava un cha gelado et galao et dois pastel de nata."  I have several versions and they always understand me.

While ordering our food we met a couple doing the Algarve Viana walk from Alcoutim to Cape St. Vincent.  They were around 60 and from Ottawa.  This is a 300 km walk through the mountains.  Amazing.

There many other walks in Spain and Portugal.  The main one is called the Walk of St. James, otherwise known as the Camino de Santiago where you leave from the southwestern corner of France walking across northwestern Spain to the cathedral at Santiago.  About 500 km.