Good morning, and welcome to breakfast at the Paradores.
The buffet is pretty amazing, Lots of meat and cheese options.
Various fruits.
These are mirabelles, a locally grown plum preserved in syrup. I only ate part of one bowl, certainly not all of four bowls.
Pastries, plus there was an assortment of breads.
Not only did I choose from the buffet, but I also could order anything from above cooked breakfast,
I ordered an omelette and churros. The churros came out sizzling hot and were so good! YUM! As I have said many times, you could fry up an old tire and it would taste pretty good. I am accustomed to the Mexican churros, which are typically coated in sugar and cinnamon. The Spanish ones are not sweet at all. I added the faintest sprinkling of sugar, and my stomach and my mouth agreed they were a hit.
It was really foggy on the water this morning. There were several sailboards already out on the water. I met a woman last night, and she was sailing around Europe, and they were stranded here due to high winds.
Looking back at the Paradores.
This would have been a lonely post back in the day.
A map with the ships that discovered America. Baiona's sailing history is significant, marked by being the first European port to receive news of America's discovery when the Pinta arrived in 1493.
A replica of the Pinta. Not very big for a crew to live on for months.
This peregrine needs to eat at the Paradors. Then he wouldn't be so bony-looking.
The perfect fall cat. I am really starting to see red and yellow leaves. It is fall in Spain, too.
I am trying to translate this. It is a direction for Do Monte de Belesar, which translates to "Of the Mount of Belesar," referring to the mountain area near the Belesar reservoir in Galicia, Spain. The phrase likely points to the elevated, mountainous geography around the Belesar dam on the Miño River, which created the large reservoir. Puta Mafia would translate as Mafia whore. Must be more to this story that I don’t know.
Iglesia de Santa Christina
The legend of Saint Christina de Mineore recounts the story of a young Christian virgin who defied her pagan father, a Roman magistrate, by destroying his idols and giving the pieces to the poor. Her father subjected her to a series of tortures, including being scourged, burned with an iron wheel, and being thrown into a lake with a millstone around her neck, but she was miraculously saved each time by an angel. After her father’s death, she continued to endure further torments under his successors before being finally killed by arrows.
It was a small chapel with an image of her in the center of the main altar.
Saint James
About the time I ws desperate for some caffeine, I came to this little bar.
It was beautiful and modern on the inside, and I had my Coke Zero. As is common on any Camino, they provide something to accompany your drink. This was ham and cheese on a freshly baked, warm croissant.
Initially, when I reviewed my itinerary, I had about an 8-mile day planned for today and 27 miles for tomorrow. Oh, no, that won't work. I split the difference, and my taxi driver had no problem with that. What? A taxi? There were no accommodations in the middle, so it is common to get a lift to the hotel and then the next morning, the taxi driver takes you back to where he picked you up, and you continue on the trail, skipping none of it.
I have gone from luxury to basic. Dang. I am staying at a very basic Pension. I always have my own room and bathroom. The fall to the bottom is not for the faint of heart.
The Spanish version of the Little Library.
As I was checking in, I met Mark from the Napa Valley area. Very nice man on his first Camino. I went to gather supplies and saw him sitting outside at a bar. He invited me to join him. We had lots to talk about, and we solved all the world's problems. It wasn’t supposed to rain today, but as we were enjoying a glass of wine, the wind picked up violently, and it blew heavy chairs from the patio down the street. We were sitting outside, and fellow customers chased them down the street and returned them to the bar. It rained hard for about 10 minutes and then stopped as if it had never happened. One of the strangest things I have ever seen.
Mark went to Mass, and then we ended up in the same restaurant. He has a wife who dislikes traveling and three daughters. He sold his startup tech company and is now retired. It felt like a real Camino, meeting a fellow traveler.
You'll just have to take my word for dinner. My camera died. It was on its last leg since I fell on it during my trip to England. And I cannot get my phone and computer to communicate with each other. Dinner was good. I had chicken skewers accompanied by rice and fries. They love their carbs here.
I skipped restaurant dessert and had a couple, or three, maybe four, Filipinos for dessert, and now it is off to bed for me.
God night and God Bless.
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