This is my last day on the path. It starts as most do, with breakfast at the hotel to start the day.
I need to backtrack about 300 meters to the path which winds through the small town. I find some interesting sites along the way.
Incredible art on these rocks! 
Just waiting for a reason to party! 
The Sailor Man! 
Near a small beach on the outskirts I see two women stopped on the bridge. There is a horse (not the ones in the picture above) lying in the sand where a stream comes out to the ocean. It seems that the horse is struggling and hardly breathing…we don’t know what to do. Then suddenly she rolls over…and scratches her back in the sand, then stands up. Phew…
The two women are from Nova Scotia. We chatted for a while, then I headed out on my own. Back on the path – beautiful yet rugged coastline. A few kilometers later I decide to stop for a coffee. The two Canadians (Anne and Cheryl) also come in and invite me to join them. We had a great chat and headed out together – as it turned out – for the rest of the way to Baiona.
Still finding windmills and campervans! 
Found this workshop just after the café. No artisan in sight. 
We will be walking on a trail above the lighthouse on the hill 
We will be walking on a trail above the lighthouse 
A short walk along the highway to find the uphill trail
Soon we are leaving sight of the coast and heading uphill. I had read that you can see the deep ruts in the stones from the carts going up to the villages on the hills centuries ago. We found evidence of that. Some nice views on our uphill trek.
At the top of the uphill climb, we had a little rest. I saw the Australian couple, and the woman was still struggling. They had another 5 days to go. Anne was suffering from sore feet and some blisters. I offered to give her some of my “Hikers Wool” to use on her hot spots. This is a great product from New Zealand. Because it is natural sheep’s wool, the lanolin soothes the sore spots on your feet. Anne said a little later that her feet felt better.
The downhill toward Baiona was not steep and followed roads through a couple of neighbourhoods. We found an interesting water fountain, encased by a structure made of diagonal slices of wood. Amazing craftmanship Then a building with scallops shell decorations in tribute to the Camino.
When we saw the big church, we knew we had arrived in Baiona. The hotel (El Mosquito) was easy to find. The three of us decided to have lunch together, then Anne and Cheryl would continue for another 3 kms to their accommodation. Found a nice restaurant and ordered some tapas. Neither of them had tasted octopus, so that was one of the dishes. Cheryl and I enjoyed a beer as well. I gave Anne the rest of my hikers wool, as she could make good use of it over the next few days on their way to Santiago de Compostella.
We saw a cute shop on the way to the restaurant that Cheryl wanted to go back to. They had some scarves and clothes in her favourite colours – orange and green. Unfortunately, the shop was closed when we went back. So we said our goodbyes and promises to keep in touch.
I checked into my hotel, had a little rest and booked my train ticket from Vigo back to Porto online for the next morning. My first order of business was to buy a plug adapter to replace the one I left behind in A Guarda. The young man at the desk gave me some directions to a store, so off I went! Unfortunately, that store didn’t have the correct adapter, but they did direct me to another store just two blocks away. Success! And I was so glad to have Google Translate on my phone because the woman in the store didn’t speak English. I am not sure how I would have asked for a plug adapter without the app!
Now it was time to explore the town. The most prominent attraction is the Fortaleza de Monterreal. The site has been a walled enclosure for over 2000 years and is over 18 hectares but the construction of the fort started in the 12th century and took 4 centuries to complete. It is one of the largest fortifications in Spain. It has a rather dark past (as many forts do) with stories of mass murders and horrific jail conditions. But an interesting fact is that Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon in Spanish), sailed the La Pinta into this harbour, so Baiona was the first place in Europe to hear about the discovery of the Americas. There is a replica La Pinta in the harbour.
The walk around the fortress is beautiful. I walked along the ramparts and past some of the towers. In the centre of the “fort” is a beautiful high-end hotel called the Paradour. Rosie and Terry were staying there. We had hoped to meet for a drink, but the timing just didn’t work out.
By the Tourist Centre 
Admiring the view 
There was a “seawall” around the fort and lovely views of the Cies Islands 
The Parador Hotel 
Looking back at Baiona 
View of the Baiona Harbour – La Pinta replica in the background 
Grand Entrance 
Cies Islands on the left 
After exploring the fort, I walked along the harbour in search of a light dinner. I chose a restaurant just behind my hotel and sat on the street patio. Delicious seafood soup and a glass of Baiona white wine. Suddenly, we could hear thunder and within a few minutes there was a torrential downpour. I had finished the soup, but ran inside with my wine!
Replica of Christopher Columbus’ La Pinta 
Not sure who this dude is! 
My delicious dinner – before the storm
Later in the evening, I walked down to the beach to capture the sunset…the last one on this Camino. Such a beautiful evening for my last night on the path. I felt sad, and wished that I was continuing on. Perhaps on another trip…
Expected distance for the day: 17 km.
Actual distance: 21.8 km – 31,986 Steps
