Day 10
We set off this morning for the first time without any real breakfast. It was not included with our accomodation and there is nowhere in this village open at this time.
It is another perfect morning for walkingā¦ a cool 17Ā° but the sun is out which makes me very happy as the water always looks so much more beautiful when the sun is out. Itās a wonderful quiet trail much like when we started yesterday. The path is easy and well-markedā¦
ā¦ and we walk between dry stone walls, passing cows and horses, and fields awash with wildflowers.
Several times today we end up back on the yellow brick roadā¦
ā¦ and we have glorious sweeping views of the coast and the headland!
The arrows lead us onto quieter residential streets and greener trails. Along the way, we pass a cool art installation of painted rocks and pebbles.
From a distance we see a windmill and of course I take lots of pictures of it sitting above the stunning coastline.
When we finally get to it, we are very relieved to find it is part of a campsite including an open cafeā¦ with food, drinks and bathroomsā¦ perhaps the only one we will find all day. For a route dotted with small coastal communities, services are sparse. It is nearly lunchtime and we enjoy fresh squeezed orange juice and a bread roll. And it is always a thrill (particularly for Anne) to have access to a real bathroom.
My app shows there is two options for the next couple of kilometres and we decide to follow the coastal one. We find a lovely peaceful place to sit staring out at the blue horizon and feeling the peace and refreshing the ocean brings. There are hundreds of rocks and boulders smoothed over time by the power of nature and we have great appreciation for the ocean’s vastness, power, and beauty.
The only negative here is that the little path to get here is lined in toilet paperā¦ which is a common issue on the trail as there are very few facilities. I carry a little plastic bag for paper any time I need a bush weeā¦ and I wish everyone else did toošš¤·š¼āāļø
Eventually we continue on one of my favourite paths of the whole trail so far. Walking along with the ocean on our left there are wildflowers lining both sides of the trailā¦ sometimes quite high. It is totally enchanting and I am completely delightedā¦ and of course no photos could ever do it justice.
We arrive back at the road and find we need to climb a mountainā¦ or at least it feels like it. Itās actually our introduction to the Gallacian hills and the arrows guided us up and over the headland along a rocky trail with incredible sweeping views of the coast.
The path begins with a soft trail underfoot, but it quickly turned rocky as we climbed higher. We just took it slowly, taking a moment to soak up the views and realise how far we had come. This really was a glorious little path but it is steep and challenging. In some areas it really reminded us of the Australian bush with lots of gum trees and eucalyptus.
On the way down, we meet and chat with a lovely breast cancer survivor from Florida who is actually running her CamiƱo. I think that gets my hero of the day.
We make our way back down past some dry stone walls, and into a village. Keeping an eye on the yellow arrows as we end up on the yellow brick road again and on another big hill. Itās a long climb and left us puffing a little, but we did really well and from the top, we had a great view of Baiona, where we are staying tonight. And from here it was all downhill.
One of the main reasons I had chosen this route coming back to the coastal area was because I had heard about a sea-glass beach between Oia and Baiona and was really looking forward to seeing it. This area of coast used to be a landfill site but over the years pieces of broken glass bottles have been smoothed and rounded by the sea. The tide has pushed these colourful crystals onto land and created a green hue to this tiny, gravelly beach. But I only realised when it was too late, that to do that, we would have had to go off the Camino trail where we headed up the mountainā¦ and instead continued on a cycling path at sea level which would have taken us past a lighthouse and to the beach. But our mountain trail completely cut across the headland and didnāt surface again until we arrived in Baionaā¦ which was about 4km too late. And in a 20+km day- going back another 4km and then back again was not an option. š©
But I have realised that happiness is not about reaching a particular destination but finding a way to embrace the moments that make up every day. If I judge an experience only in relation to whether I get the outcome I want, I completely miss the opportunities for joy in front of me. And so I missed something I really wanted to see but also experienced a wonderful and beautiful challenge that was perhaps more valuable in the end.
āThe last 4 kilometres of any day always seem the longest, and the walk into Baiona was no exception. We meandered down the big hill that weād just climbed, making our way back to sea level, walking through residential streets. When we reached the bottom, I looked for details of our accomodation and put it into Mapsā¦ and yes, you guessed itā¦ it was back up that hillā¦ as if we hadnāt climbed enough hills today.
After a bit of a rest and a shower we head out to do a little exploration of the town. It is a medieval port town and is much bigger than our tiny village we loved so much last night.
We visit the Capela de Santa Liberata and the Colexiata de Santa MarĆa de Baionaā¦
ā¦ leading us into the narrow streets of the medieval quarter filled with well-preserved small buildings, cobbled streets and Galician-style terraced houses.
The area is filled with restaurants, bars, and shops. Being a port city, many restaurants serve a menu focused on the local seafoodā¦ which we did eat later for dinner.
We stroll around the old town and then find ourselves at the main harbour and wander the waterfrontā¦
ā¦ with lovely views of Baiona’s most prominent buildingā¦ the 12th century Monterreal Castle which dominates the promontory perched dramatically overlooking the sea.
Its impregnable defensive walls once repelled the attack of the English, who disembarked here in 1585ā¦ and still stands, though there’s not much old left inside it now.
Within the precinct today is the luxurious, medieval-castle-style Parador hotel Baiona. We walked around this impressive place and I climbed the ramparts for excellent views of Baiona and the surrounding coastline from its elevated position.
They say it takes a while to get your ācamino legsā and sadly that doesnāt mean slim, shapely ones. It refers to the physical adaptation and resilience of your legs after walking long distances on the trail. It encompasses the physical changes, like muscle strengthening and increased staminaā¦ and I am very proud of us both todayā¦ by far our longest walking dayā¦ and I still had the desire and energy to climb the rampartsā¦ very different from some of the earlier days when I barely had the energy to shower and dress after the days walk. Thatās progress.
Dinner and the long walk back up the hill to our home for the nightā¦ and bed. But always blogging first.
Steps today- 38,374
Kilometres today- 26.27
Flights climbed- 33
Temperature- 21Ā°
And I think to myself what a wonderful world 