Ladies and gentlemen, today’s the day. At last. We’ve done it. We have crossed the border: we’re in Portugal! We still can’t believe we have crossed Spain from end to end. Shortly after leaving Badajoz, we saw a sign announcing the entrance to the neighbouring country and then… one small step for a pilgrim, but one giant leap for this pilgrimage! We celebrated our foray onto Portuguese soil by shouting ourselves hoarse, and then we kept walking, which is what we came to do.
The first surprise Portugal had in store for us was the town of Elvas, a spectacular fortified city that is a World Heritage Site and which we crossed from one side to the other. We weren’t too keen on the slope, but the views were worth it. We had breakfast next to a pretty impressive aqueduct, where Álvaro Peregrín tried out his skills as a photographer.
The welcome in Vila Fernando, our first home in Portugal, was incredibly warm. They made us a lunch of sandwiches and, as a second course, a delicious rice soup. The order was original, but the end result very positive.
This village is gorgeous: all the houses are white, with whitewashed walls and yellow or blue stripes. The little church matches too, and there we celebrated Mass, for the first time in a language that isn’t our own.
The parish priest, Don Marcelino, read the Gospel of the hidden pearl, and told us that we are the merchant in the parable. Unlike so many young people we have seen these days in nightclubs and bars as we walked in the early hours, we are the ones who have sold everything to buy the only treasure worth having: Jesus. At the end, they gave us a holy card of Our Lady of the Conception, who is venerated here; they had it printed specially in Spanish for us. You couldn’t ask for more thoughtfulness!
Dinner was a feast of empanadas, croquettes and quiches, and lots of sponge cakes and sweets for pudding. At the get-together we practised the WYD anthem (it’s about time we learnt it…) and then sang a few more songs.
The women of the village, led by Anna, presented us with two super-special gifts they had been preparing for 6 months, ever since they found out we would stop in Vila Fernando: handmade rosaries and little cloth pouches (the prints are gorgeous) to carry our phones in. They told us they felt very blessed that we had chosen to stay in their village, and the truth is the feeling is mutual. They are the first Portuguese people we have met and they have set the bar very high… Let’s see what tomorrow has in store for us. Tired but happy, we’re off to bed. Good night!