A Guarda to Oia (Spain)
The day didn’t start as well as most other days on the path. The person at the hotel desk the day before indicated breakfast was offered at 7:30 am so I was packed and downstairs at that time. At 8 am, a woman showed up and offered a piece of cake and other sweets that were pre-packaged. All other accommodation offered a variety of food for breakfast including fresh fruit, juice, meats and cheeses, fresh bread. At least the coffee was good! And the room was fine – clean, comfortable and lots of hot water.
So off I went, planning to stop at a café down the path. Walking through the city to the coastal path I stopped by a church with an interesting statue outside. I found a camino marker that was pointing the wrong way! Perhaps it was for an alternate path. Walking by the camper vans parked along the beach, I thought “What a beautiful view to wake up to”.
The coast is very rugged along here, and parts of the path quite rugged too! You can see the salt water pools built into the rocky shoreline.
I stepped carefully along here 
A salt-water pool among the rocks 
The path continued uphill for a while, past a little picnic site, through the trees and beside a meditation garden.
When the path led back to the coast, I was mesmerized by the group of fishers (?) standing on a rocky island. I wondered how they got on the rock and how they would get off. How do they not get knocked off when the waves hit? I think I watched them for about 15 minutes from different vantage points. They may be hard to see in these photos.
Further down the path, I came across a man and woman sitting in chairs beside the path overlooking the ocean. It appeared that the chairs had been set out by locals for the use of pilgrims. This Australian couple who were probably in their mid- to late-60s were resting. During our chat, the man commented that this was their fourth Camino, then his tired wife looked at me at said, “And it is my last!”. I saw them a few times over the next two days…she didn’t look very happy. I think she was struggling with the physical demands.
A little section along the roadway
Slowly the coast views changed to residential and farm views as I neared Oia, the stop for the day. The weather was very warm, hovering about 26 degrees with just a light ocean breeze. I made sure to drink lots of water.
The pool was very inviting 
Apparently on the hills above this area are many wild horses 
Thinking… 
Entering Oia, I walked through small streets with houses and restaurants, then it opened up to a small harbour with the large monastery of Santa Maria Real built in the 12th century. It was not only a monastery, but also been a school, a palace, and a jail during civil war. It has been designated as a National Monument.
The path continued by the ocean, through farmland. At times, you could see the stone fences from centuries ago. And the little hut by the beach is actually a grainary storage, likely for livestock feed.
The hotel was actually in the next little town, which required walking along the road for a couple of kilometers. I walked past a hotel with two beautiful pools…hoping that is where I would be staying, but it was not to be.
After checking into my hotel, I noticed that I left my converter at the previous hotel. It was going to be difficult to charge my phone, although I knew I could use the USB at the back of the TV. I asked the young woman at the desk if they had a North American – European converter. She thought that would be a great idea, however, she didn’t think they had one. I told her I would make do.
I went to a local café for some lunch (never did stop at a café along the way for breakfast) and enjoyed a cold beer. After, I walked through the little town and back along the coast for a while. When I returned to the hotel about 2 hours later, the young woman at the desk had a big smile on her face. She had located a converter for me to use! Yay!
There were not many eating choices in this little community, and I had missed the grocery store’s open hours. After a rest, I went back to the same cafe for a light dinner and a glass of wine. The people were very friendly there.
I was starting to feel a little sad as tomorrow would be the last day for me on the path.
Expected distance today: 12.6 km
Actual distance walked: 24.7 km 33,637 Steps
