Oia Monastery to Baiona
Walking Day 22: 17 km, 4 hrs
We saw a very interesting small house on the coast either made from, or made to look like, a ship’s superstructure / pilothouse.
Paul chose the steep old Estrada Real option. (In 2016, I walked the more level coastal route into Baiona) The hills were brutal but there were nice views on the way to the top. The stones in the old road had cart/wagon ruts in them.
After descending into Baiona, we stopped at a 13th century Ogival Romanesque church (Santa Maria de Baiona) for a passo. The priest led us across the sanctuary to the sacristy, dug out his ledger, and interrogated us for 15 or 20 minutes before stamping our pilgrim passports. It was funny to see Robbyn MacDonald’s blog account, complete with photos, of a similar interrogation just a few days later.
The Castle of Monterreal that guards the harbor is quite impressive, with 3 kilometers of walls surrounding it. Many additional photos of the castle can be found here. There is also a replica of the ship "Pinta" here since the original landed here from the New World, the first of Columbus's ships to return to mainland Europe.
Next: Baiona to Vigo