I had a short look around Vila Pouca before leaving; not that much to see but the roofline of this building was exceptional. The church was,, sadly, locked.
Soldiers on the roof
At this point one is leaving the more mountainous territory and the descent over today's 20-odd kms was about 300m.
The way ran alongside the N2 so was due to miss all the cafes on that busy road. However thanks to Google I was able to leave the path briefly to get second coffee at the ENE 2 Cafe Snack Bar, a venue that was popular with the local police. This was still the old railway line, a point underlined by the occasional railway sign telling you not to cross the tracks.
A snack and a coffee followed at Cafe Avenida in Pedras Salgadas and then it was a very easy walk into Vidago. Vidago is a spa town and also has a plush and expensive hotel with a golf course.
A quick drink at Tasco Telma on the outskirts of town was much needed. The place was closed and undergoing some work but when I explained that no food was required, just a drink, they smilingly opened up.
A little later one passes a most creepy building, the Hotel Salus. It was built in 1918 as a luxury spa hotel, was a centre for socialites in the 20's and 30's and then was badly damaged by fire in 1967. But it was never restored so now stands as an overgrown ruin.
On a more cheerful note, on arriving in the town one comes across the parish church for Vidago which looks new but has been built in the Romanesque style.
Modern Romanesque
Construction work is the name of the game in Vidago. The roads in the town centre were all dug up. Perhaps this had damaged tourism because virtually all the restaurants were closed. O Reineiro on the main road (the N2) was open and served an ok meal.
I can't help but wonder about the tourist season here. This should be coming up to the busiest time of the year but one gets the impression that this is off-season. I stayed in a room-only lodge which was fine but it was curious that I was the only guest. Nonetheless, it meant that I could sprawl across the communal balcony and take pictures of the new moon on the longest day of the year.
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