Ups and Downs

The morning out of Mougás started perfectly. The sun was already warm and shining brightly. The relatively quiet roadway was near the coast and I made a few attempts with paths by the shore. Sometimes they went for while and other times ended in brambles. Rock hopping made the journey much slower and I returned to the way marked route. 

Which led up and over a hill... I cursed the hill and was so sad to leave the view...

Walking through the hilly neighborhoods, you catch glimpses of the sea now and then. Pastures and grapes dot the right hand side of the hills. A friendly pair of horses greeted me and made the lonely trek more agreeable. 

Continuing up, the arrows lead to a deserted road. Very few vehicles here. But hard on the psyche after the amazing coastal views!

Arriving in Baiona, two beautiful churches had St. James statues. One as the Warrior and the other as the Pilgrim. 

Continuing on the way marked trail, there is no view of ocean. A little bit of forest path and lots of neighborhood walking. 

The old bridge of Ramalossa. Legend says women having difficulty getting pregnant should come here and at midnight ask the first man walking across to "pour water into her womb and become her child's godfather". Hmmmmm. Sounds like quite the lucky hangout for men!

Our alburgue was an old 1700's manor house. 

I found that the ladies had gone true coastal, walking on the main road. They'd had beautiful views of the ocean the entire way. Apparently having not seen the arrows, they just kept straight on. There seems to be too many choices for this way. 

We had quite the lively evening with a picnic of sardines, cheese, crackers, strawberries and lots of Spanish wine. 

After an eventful night with paramedics and stiches involved, everyone was back out on the road in the morning.

 In lieu of the green arrows I had seen by the old bridge, we were encouraged strongly to follow the yellow arrows. But the marked path was up into the hills and neighborhoods. The ocean view quite far. 

 After a crossing of the major road which indicated Playa America (one of Spain's most beautiful beaches!) just 1km away, we decided to head back to the beach. Following our hearts we headed down the hill until we found signs for Panxon and Playo Plato - two locations we also had on our "coastal map". 

 

We found the green arrows as well. Back on the alternate coastal route. Beautiful beaches and shoreline took us nearly the whole way to Vigo. 

We found the perfect picnic spot, watching the divers in the cove harvest the muscles. And I found a heart!

We kept as close as we could to the sea, occasionally it was too far away. Wondering if we could take the boardwalk, a man helped us along and brought us to "the most beautiful beach". It was amazing! We spent a lot of time just soaking in the sand and sea. I found a scallops (Jacobs) shell- a rare find. I had a hitchhiker I had to persuade off (which I eventually did). 

Too soon we found ourselves in the big city. The hard walk on pavement (and the tiled beach boardwalk) had finished us off. After a glass of wine at a little cafe, wondering and waiting for the rest of our group, we made the last dash to the city center of Vigo. My little hotel, Hotel Nautico, by the harbor was so charming and welcoming. 

After refreshing and recharging, I went to visit the historical center, just minutes from my place. A church visit and an ice cream were the perfect early evening distractions. 

And then a lovely dinner with the lovely ladies.

The next morning heading out of Vigo we decided to stick to the coast. Only 17 k or so to Redondela, we knew it was our last chance for the Atlantic until Finisterre - for those that go on. 

Using a map downloaded from the Spanish website for the Portuguese coastal route and several inquiries from the helpful Spaniards, we managed to walk as close as possible. However, most of our route was spent on the major city road and then the highway. 

 

Up and down, the roads and my mood... Finding beauty and our way no matter how complicated it seemed. 

Finally we made it to Redondella. High fives and big smiles all around! 

And then we were back on "THE" Camino - alburgues and paths filled with perigrinos, yellow arrows, scallop shells and mile markers to show you way - even the Galician Camino mascot!!

In Arcade we found the most delightful alburgue and Jose Luis, the most delightful pilgrim angel ever!! 

A wonderful evening in the company of many wonderful people. A home cooked meal of spaghetti with mussels and shrimp. Meaningful pilgrim conversations, laughter and the joy in sharing brought the evening to close with a real high!