September 21, 2025
Camino Portuguese
Last night after I posted we proceeded to have a most exciting evening. We chose an Italian restaurant called La Salumeria. After winding our way through lots of twisty tiny streets we found the place. But alas they were full and of course we didn’t have a reservation. We were starting to turn away when a man whom I took for a waiter said, “Come with me. My restaurant is about 100 meters away. It’s the same restaurant as this with the same name, same menu. We just opened yesterday.” So we followed this guy. I think it was more like 200 meters and we ended up walking down this little street with not too much lighting. And there it was…La Salumeria…empty. But that’s ok, we went in anyway. The owner was very gracious. He got us settled, told us all the recipes on the menu were either his own, his mother’s, or his grandmother’s. Then he smiled and said, “I’m off to find more customers”. The wait staff was courteous, professional, and discreet (not overly chatty). By the time we ordered Gustavo was back with another couple and then away he went to find more customers.
The food came quickly and it was delicious. Glen had the chicken caccitore (grandma’s recipe) and I had the lasagna ragu (mom’s recipe). We ordered the Riserva red wine (the most expensive one on the menu at 32 euros); it had a bold flavor and really complimented my lasagna.
By the end of the evening the main floor was full and Gustavo was escorting customers to the upper and lower levels.
We were so happy with our meal and the experience.
Today we were not as fortunate. Anthony Bourdain has visited many restaurants in Porto and the surrounding area. So we decided to head to O Afonso for lunch where they are known for their Francesinhas. I think it’s a Portuguese twist on the French Croque Monsieur, covered in a tomato beer sauce. Sadly we arrived 40 minutes before they closed for lunch service and there were at least 30 people in line ahead of us. At any rate we found another little cafe and had a very good lunch, and the rest of our day was productive.
We made our way to the Se Catedral for a visit and to pick up our credentials (Pilgrim passports). This is one of my favorite aspects of the camino. I love collecting the stamps and sharing them with all of you.
So now we are preparing to leave tomorrow to begin our camino journey. It will be a short day, only 7 miles as we divided up the first stage. The second day will be 13 miles to Vila do Conde.
Bom Caminho
One day I decided to go for a walk... 