Wanderings: Viana do Costello & Braga, Portugal

March 15, 2022

Off to the north today for a hike. The weather forecast called for sunny and about 70°F, so I hopped on the train (1) to Viana do Castelo, where there is a steep ridge beside the sea. Fog was visible in the valleys we passed that I was sure would burn off with the rising sun.

Upon arrival, I took the stairs up about 750 feet to the hilltop church, which offered views of the sea, the town and the river valley. Trails markers and signs pointed northeast further up the ridge. On the trail, there is archeological site of a hill-top village occupied from the iron age through the Roman Era.

Proceeding further on the well-marked trail lead to a firing range run by the Portguese military (2). I thought the trail headed off to the right into the woods, but the blazes disappeared. Wandering onto the firing range was not a good option, so I returned to the church and headed down the northwest side of the ridge toward the sea, past an old aqueduct. I then found signs for the Caminho Portuguese Costa.

A plan had formed to walk along a sea-side trail back to Viana do Costello. While the fog had burned off, the sky was quite hazy by this point (3). The weather still called for sunny skies, but there was a weather warning in Portuguese:

"Ondas de noroeste com 5 a 6 metros, podendo atingir altura máxima de 8 a 10 metros."

While I don't speak Portuguese, I got the gist of the message: waves from the northwest of 15 to 18 feet, possibly increasing to 30+ feet (4). The sea-side trail was no longer an option, so the choice was a train (arriving soon), or walking along the main coastal road (5). I boarded the train at Areosa intending to return to Viana to watch the sunset. On a whim, I told the conductor my destination was Braga instead (6). This town with a hill-top church was further inland, and perhaps away from the haze.

I was wrong about the haze; it was worse inland, so I skipped the hike up to the Braga church, and poked about the charming old town. The main site is the oldest Cathedral in Portugal, dating from 1289. Without artificial illumination, it would have been quite dark inside, with tiny windows necessitated by thick walls holding up the roof (7).

A nearby garden (Jardim da Santa Barbara) was immaculately tended and in full bloom.

(1) Not "hopped" actually. This was an international train with Vigo Spain as the final destination, and officially run by the Spanish rail company Renfe. The process to buy a ticket for a ride to a Portuguese town an hour north of Porto took 5+ minutes, including the agent getting my passport details. When I got on, it was an ordinary Portuguese train with one small Renfe sign (a).

(a) On the train waiting to depart, a young woman approached me and asked "Fala English?" She needed help finding her seat, which was No. 7 (i) As the seats were in numerical order, I was glad to help.

(i) Not that it really mattered; the train was not crowded and she could have sat wherever she wanted.

(2) The firing range was audible well before you got near the gate.

(3) A sand storm blowing north for the Sahara was responsible for the haze.

(4) I had earlier noted the roar of the surf on the roiling sea.

(5) Even in a car, Portuguese roads are not for the faint of heart, so I opted for the train. At the station, a big brown dog seemed eager to greet people, including a Portuguese woman who seemed quite afraid. I was able to distract the dog by sharing my ham and cheese croissant.

(6) The conductor seemed very concerned that I would have to wait an hour at Nine, the junction town. I told him (in rough Portuguese) that the layover was enough time for cafe com leite and a pastel de nata (Portugal's ubiquitous custard tart).

(7) Other medieval cathedrals used flying buttresses to allow for larger windows and more light.