El Camino Portuguese Tui to O Porrino

 El Camino Portuguese 

Tui to O Porring 

I walked my way out of Tui in the dark.

I passed the Roman bridge over theRio Louro, a tributary of the Rio Mino although El Can=mino takes a different route to avoid some railway tracts. 

A sign detailing the the route follows the Roman road.

A granite pylon showing the route to follow and underneath the yellow arrow was the distance to Santiago, 114.140 kilometres accurate to three decimal places. It had a few stones on the top but also this was the first time that there was something other than stones left by pilgrims, in this case it was a pair of worn out walking boots. 

I reached the Cruceiro San Telmo and El Ponte des Febres, the Bridge of Fevers where San Telmo became so ill with fever on his way back from visiting Santiago de Compostela that he made his way to Tui where he died in 1251. A photo of the cross erected on the spot...

...and the stone bridge over the river, now protected from too many pilgrims tough boots by a wooden board walk.

I crossed another Roman bridge  over Rio Lour.

Shortly afterwards there was a choice of routes, either a scenic weaving route through forests and back roads or a long slog along a straight road for over four kilometres through an industrial area. You could hear the sounds of heavy industry, movements of trucks and factory machinery, a long before you saw the factories and warehouses. 

Finally I reached the centre of the city with its grand town hall which looks like a castle and although I looked for a date of construction, only the architect is recorded who lived 1876-1945

Just long the main shopping street is the Plaza del Cristo and its cross. I waited for at a cafe overlooking the main thoroughfare just in case I recognised any pilgrims that I knew. I recognised a few that I had passed earlier that morning but none of those that I knew by name.

Then it was time for lunch and afterwards, I walked the four kilometres away from El Camino up into the hills to my accommodation near Mosende.