Beautiful day for a walk! Susie and I headed out at 7 am to get an early start on the day. Due to the time change in Spain sunrise is at 7:28 – but we were guided out of town by a bright, full moon along the coast.
The air was cool and crisp. No need for a jacket though. Just perfect.
Susie is still under the weather but braved the hike today. She’s putting together a plan to courier her pack the next few days so she can still hike, health permitting.
Susie’s app saved us a few gratuitous turns off the road. Sometimes the arrows lead pilgrims off to scenic neighborhoods or to a cafe – then we find ourselves back on the original road further on. Sunday mornings nothing is open and I’m glad we didn’t walk off course.
At one point though we found ourselves guided off the road and up and over a rocky mountain. Several pilgrims were stopped for rests along that path. The view from the top was spectacular.
On the other side we started our walk eastward. Until now we’ve been going north along the coast. Now it’s time to head into the sunrises.
On the decent from the mountain we passed through several towns, all quiet for Sunday morning. No shops or cafes were open. First Coffee wasn’t until about 10:30 in the town of Baiona. First Coffee is always a treat – but especially when one has to walk over 3 hours for it. We sat in the shade outside the cafe and watched a little Jack Russell guard the patio. She’d sit in the windowsill and when the pigeons got too close to the tables she’d dart out and chase them away.
Across the street was the church Parroquia de Santa Maria de Baiona. Service was just finishing so we wandered in afterwards for a pilgrim’s stamp. Unusually, there was a small queue of pilgrims at the rectory waiting for stamps. We were delighted to find out why. A sweet priest was giving stamps and then recording each pilgrim’s details in a log. It’s for an official record but I think they also pray for pilgrims this way as well. I was also personally flattered when he was writing down my age and, when I told him, he thought it was a Spanish error and tried to shave off ten years. 💕
Further down the coastline at low tide there was a natural wetland. Seagulls, storks, and pipers hunted for lunch in the mid and shallow waters.
Our room in Hotel Miramar faces the beach and has two windows for a lovely cross breeze. The beach was packed with families enjoying an afternoon in the sun. I got my suit on and went across the street to cool my feet in the surf. Then laid down on a shawl on the sand and think I might have actually had a siesta. It’s wonderful to be moving at the Spanish pace.
More later…
https://www.charitywater.org/marilyn-peterson/marilyn-s-camino-for-water-2025