El Camino Portuguese Barcelos to Balugaes

El Camino Portuguese 

Barcelos to Balugaes

The Barcelos Cockerel gets everywhere such as this weather vane on the local church spire seen across the roof tops.

I set off on the days walk, crossing the railway once again just as a train was heading into Barcelos.

Pyramids in someone's garden...had I made a wrong turn and ended up in Egypt or were these Aztec pyramids and I had crossed the Atlantic to Mexico?

Clearly a member of the oak tree family judging by the leaves but this acorn was unusual.

More unusual acorns.

The path crosses the Ponte das Tabuas over the Rio Neiva, the 12th century bridge replacing an earlier wooden bridge.

A view of the bridge from the down stream side of the bridge. 

I arrived in Baludaes at lunchtime and had a fish lunch in one of the local restaurants.

These would become a common sight, a granary for storing crops, the slats let air circulate and the structure sits on pillars whose heads have a large overhang to prevent vermin from getting to the food ins.

The Capela da Aparecida, the 18th century chapel and the Santuario da Senhora da Aparecido, the Apparition of the Virgin who appeared here to a devout deaf and dumb pilgrim who regained his hearing and speech.

The azulejos tiles on one of the corner towers.

The chapel was perched near the top of the hill up a long flight of steps and there were more steps to reach the cross on top of the hill behind the chapel.

The smaller chapel infant of the larger chapel, one of whose towers can be seen in the background.