This morning it was a brisk 10 degrees when I left Albergue O Bras. Once again I was the last to leave. When the church clock tower sounded its first Ave Maria at 6am, the others in my room were heading off. No wonder I see few others walking through the day .

Today is ANZAC day in Australia, when we remember the sacrifices of those who served defending our peace. Everytime I saw poppies, symbolic of the battles in Flanders in WW1, I remembered my Grandad who was mustard gassed twice in 1918

Today is also a holiday in Portugal, and it’s the 50th anniversary of the ‘Carnation Revolution”, when in 1974, an Army coup ended more than 40 years of dictatorship in Portugal.

Lots of people were out cycling and walking .

Early in the day I passed a very large example of what I call fantasy gardens.

I hadn’t brought any picnic lunch today as I thought it would be a bit cold sitting under a tree. So it was a cafe lunch, and there I came across the only other pilgrims for the day, two amusing Cockney brothers whom I’d met last night.

It was another 30km today. The designers of the route try to keep walkers away from busy roads, which often around here means climbs up into the hills.

But there were also pleasant tracks .

Coimbra

Mid afternoon I arrived at Coimbra, an ancient town of around 150,000 population.

Just outside of town , the road cuts through a Roman acqueduct.

Coimbra was alive with people enjoying their holiday, including a band outside my window! They have a lot of energy and have been playing on and off for 4 hours as I write these words.

Most of the historic sites were close to closing by the time I’d had a shower and done the washing, but I had time to visit the old cathedral.

The old cathedral has a fortress-like appearance, reflecting the unsettled times when it was built.

It was built in the 12th century at the instigation of Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal, and is a rare example of a reconquista era church that hasn’t been heavily modified over the centuries. At the time, Coimbra was the capital of Portugal as Lisbon was still in Muslim hands.

The cloister dates from the 13th century.

Tomorrow I’m back to a shorter walk of around 23km. The pastry shop next door looks very promising for breakfast .

Here’s my video of the day’s walk.