It’s raining. And it’s dark. Goodness gracious, we have concerns here in Spain. But the good news is we only have eleven miles to walk today. And hardly any elevation. We had breakfast with our Swiss friend Richard. He decided to take a taxi, to get some new Gortex Shoes before heading back out in the rain. Not a bad plan. I’m using plastic bags to keep my feet relatively dry.

We ate breakfast and packed our lunch. A roll with meat and cheese, a pear and a little biscuit-like cookie. That’ll hold us over. George found some olives in a bag at the Super Mercado so we are covered. Once our backpacks were loaded, we headed outside.

Yep, it’s still raining. But not a crazy downpour and pleasant enough to use our umbrellas. I must say that my umbrella is the most used piece of equipment. I would never leave home without it. I’ve used it to block the sun when it was 90 degrees and it’s the next best invention since airplanes. Or sliced bread. Or down pillows. You get the gist! I love my umbrella.

George and I decided to stay on the road today. With all the water flowing from the mountains, it’s just darn right silly to try anything else but the road. It’s paved, bright yellow so easy to follow and it’s flat. We can see the ocean, and definitely hear it. The surf is crashing and pounding on the rocks below us. At times it seems to want to splash up by where we are walking, but that’s another 30 feet. If the waves make it up here, we have bigger problems!

We saw quite a few other crazy Pilgrims walking the Camino in the rain today. I think once you resign yourself to this journey, no amount of rain or snow or ice or heat is going to stop you. Even George is moving down the road without much thought of the weather any longer.

There was an obvious route that would take us up and over the mountain. We considered it because it would save us miles. As soon as we crossed the road and went off the road and onto the trail, it was a No-Go. The water was flowing down the trail like days back on the Appalachian Trail. George definitely was not trail worthy for this off-shoot and honestly, I was happy to turn around and do the extra bonus miles. This kept us out of the mud, muck and rock. We headed back to the road and followed the coastline for the remainder of the day. From the looks of it, everyone else did the same except for the Canadians. They ventured up and over the mountain and made it down alive.

Lighthouses. I have an issue with the way they place them here on the Atlantic. On the West Coast, lighthouses are strategically placed to guide boats and ships into safe harbors. At least that’s what I recall. Here in Spain, and Portugal, lighthouses are up on the hillsides and mountainsides, near the coastline. If I was depending on sailing into a harbor, I’d end up in a hundred pieces, sinking in the Atlantic. This Lighthouse was some 500’ above the ocean breakers, and miles from any safe harbor. I just don’t get it? Maybe someone can give me some insight on why they place lighthouses where they do, because I’m thoroughly confused.

After a few hours of rain and mist, we came around a corner and saw Baiona. This city has a population of 14,000 however with tourism in the summer, the city swells to over 45,000 daily. Also the Portuguese Coastal Way goes directly through Baiona and over 30,000 pilgrims walk this way yearly.

The news of the New World – 1 March 1493

The most remarkable date in the history of Baiona is the 1st of March, 1493: that day the Caravel Pinta arrived in the port commanded by Martín Alonso Pinzón and navigated by Diego Sarmiento –a local sailor. Baiona became the first European place to know about the discovery of the New World – America. The Pinta was the fastest ship of Columbus’s fleet and was sent back to Spain to bring the news. A replica of the Pinta is docked at the municipal pier in Baiona and is now part of the local museum.

I love this place. First of all, the sky cleared up and the sun came out. That’s a super great start. It is over-the-top gorgeous with a protective coastline and islands that surround it. It has a bay that reminds me of Monterey, as it forms almost a u-shape shoreline, with colorful stucco homes dotting the beaches.

I found a great little bar and bistro. We stopped for lunch and had a burger, fries and a beer for $9 Euros. More to love about Baiona. I may never leave this place!

Around 4pm, we finally found our home for the night. This was a find on AirB&B. I guess everyone else loves this place so there was nothing suitable for the Baraga’s on Booking.com. But we have a Loft Apartment that is close to town and next to the river. It’s close enough to the trail so another good find.

We unloaded our packs, George took a shower and I relaxed for a bit. Then we hit the town. George was on the hunt for some new bandaid that our friend Sheila turned him onto. He looked in the Market but evidently they don’t have these special bandaids. You can only find them at the Farmacia. I tell you, these pharmacy’s around here have a monopoly on certain items. Sure enough, there was a rack of Compeed Bandages. I had no idea but they are the Cats Meow for blisters and anything that needs a little TLC. George bought an assortment that should last him the rest of our stay on the Camino.

We stopped at a local bar, surprise-surprise and had a Beer. Then hit the SuperMercado and proceeded to have our first meal of the trip at home. Squash Soup, Pasta Salad with Arugula and toasted Sweet Buttered Bread. Nothing too extravaganza, but all that we craved. There is something quite nice about eating in our own little abode.

With the weather systems that have come and gone, we have not had a day that the sun didn’t come out for a moment or two. Whether we have rainy mornings with sunshine in the afternoon or vice-versa, it’s been easy to tolerate when you get a chance of clear or even partly clear skies. And it sure makes for pretty sunsets. So thank you Lord, for blessing us with only 50% chance of rain because we all know that also means 50% chance of sunshine!