A week following the Alva River on foot, on the Grande Rota do Alva (GR51). On the map it is 75 km — we did almost 100. Between river beaches, morning fog, brutal heat inland, nettles, and dubious “shortcuts,” this trail was much more than just scenery: it was a string of unlikely encounters. A gate that opens on an uphill climb, a beer that appears when the water runs out, a 92-year-old party in the middle of nowhere... and, in the end, the Alva meeting the Mondego.