Our destination on this day was a place called Sao Joao de Madeira. The distance walked was approximately 22 km. It was a pleasant day with nothing particularly unusual or exciting to tell about.

We began our day with a nice breakfast consisting of café con leche, a ham and cheese sandwich and orange juice in an unassuming but cozy café. The buns are so wonderfully fresh here.

As we were walking on this day I was noticing how deeply imbedded the Catholic Faith is in the Portugués culture. There are signs of their devotions everywhere. It is so common to see statues, shrines, giant rosaries and tile images of favourite saints adorning people’s front yards.

It’s also so beautiful to be walking along through the countryside and to hear the church bells ringing the Ave Maria de Fátima at times throughout the day.