# Pasteis de Nata: 2, Distance Walked: 19.5km, # Floors Climbed: 148
Today was supposedly only an 18km walk but the route has been recently updated to take a big detour inland at one point where the cliff edge is deemed too unsafe. It was actually closer to 19.5km from the starting signpost to finishing one and then another 1km uphill (!) to my hotel. Below is a photo of the town of Odeceixe. My hotel is in the hills above the mill (top right).
When I came down to breakfast this morning I met up with the 5 American men from yesterday, along with the 4 Germans plus a group of 4 Italian women I'd met on the walk. There were also several couples I vaguely recognised from the hike yesterday. I think everyone staying at the hotel was a hiker.
We descended on the breakfast buffet like a plague of locusts. An English couple foolishly turned up 15 minutes after breakfast started. There wasn't a free seat in the room and several dishes on the buffet already needed repleinishing.
After breakfast I headed out at around 8:45am to a nearby supermarket to buy bread, cheese and water for lunch (I don't like the taste of the local tap water). However, it is Sunday and nothing was open. The supermarket supposedly opened at 10am but it wasn't clear if that was 10am Sunday or Monday. In any case, I didn't feel like sitting around waiting to find out.
I wandered around town and eventually found a cafe that was open. It was also bursting with hikers, who must have been staying at places that didn't supply breakfast. There were also a few sad locals trying to get their morning espresso. The queue was long and moved very slowly as all the hikers seemed to want freshly squeezed orange juice and fancy coffees. I was tempted to give up but I needed water (and pasteis de nata).
I eventually managed to get supplies and headed off. The weather was good today - clear, sunny skies and the scenery was as spectacular as always. However, there was a lot of climbs and descents today. I was glad I packed my hiking poles. I haven't needed to use them before today.
The terrain today was about a 50/50 split between firm, dirt track and loose sand dunes. I came across this sign early on. Someone else isn't a fan of sand dunes. The green and blue stripes are trail signposts.
I finally made it into town around 3:30pm only to discover I had about another 1km uphill to get to my hotel. It isn't actually a single building but a bunch of houses on the street leading out of town from the mill.
The building I'm in has 4 rooms - 2 up and 2 down. I'm upstairs in Trigo (which is Portuguese for wheat). All the rooms have cereal names. The receptionist kindly offered to make me a reservation at the only restaurant in this part of the town. It specialises in local food, particularly seafood. I smiled politely and lied through my teeth saying I needed to wait and find out what my friends wanted to do.
For dinner I staggered downhill again and had another pizza with tiramisu for dessert. The base of the pizza tonight was better than yesterday but there was, strictly speaking, too much topping. Tonight's tiramisu had a better ratio of cream to biscuit but no trace of marsala, unlike yesterday. However, the owner complimented my Portuguese so all in all it was a Good night and I rate it better than yesterday.
Tomorrow I have 2 options for getting to Aljezur. I can walk the inland Historical Trail the whole way which is officially 19.5km. Alternatively, I can take the Fisherman's Trail to Rogil (the halfway point) and then the Historical Trail the rest of the way. This is a distance of 23km. Before starting this walk I was convinced I should be a purist and take the longer option. However, my knees and ankles are suggesting the shorter option might be a good idea. I have 4 more days of walking after tomorrow to admire the coast. Plus, my hotel is on the Historical Trail so I've already cover 1km of that path just by being here.
Definitely the shorter option!!!
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