Muxia to Lires 11/25/23

What a beautiful day. It was clear but chilly. On the way to the trail, I watched seagulls perform in a dazzling air show worthy of the blue angels. They swooped and swerved, narrowly missing each other, screeching in delight. 

Dennis and I returned to the Santuario da Virxe da Barca to start today's walk. 

 Even though this marker says point zero, we had to walk almost back to our hotel to find the start of the trail.  That cost us about a mile and a half.  It was smooth sailing after that.

The area is famous for gooseneck barnacles. To the best of my recollection, I have never eaten a barnacle.  Are they actually edible?  I have been scratched up a few times by them while riding a wave too close to the pier in Florida.

This is a pretty prime piece of property for a soccer field.

Just like Willie Nelson, we were "on the road again." The first half of the day was uphill.  Pant-Pant.  Bah - humbug.  I don't care what anyone says; I would rather go downhill. 

We had a gorgeous section through a forest.

Someone, a farmer, I suppose, took a great deal of time and pride in making this gate, with the perfect angle cuts at the top of each board. Impressive.

OMG - a bar.  This and a house were the only things in  is tiny village.  Coca-Cola Zero!  Such a pleasant  surprise. 

Speaking of surprises.  We rounded the corner, and suddenly we were face to face with three goats.  They were as shocked as we were.

The front two seemed pretty friendly, but the third one jumped on the wall. He was bashful.

And bringing the rear was a very friendly one. And she clearly had been friendly with a ram.  I think she was ready to hatch a little kid any second.  We hurried by since neither of us knew how to deliver a goat baby. I was the baby coach (different kind of kid) for my California friend Cindy, but there were doctors and nurses there too.

And at 11.2 miles, we arrived at the As Eires Hotel in Lires on the Costa da Morte, population 141. If it looks familiar, it is! I stopped here for a Coke Zero on my long day to Muxia.  Last Thursday I walked from Finisterre to Muxia. Today, in reverse, Dennis and I walked the first half of the same trail, and tomorrow we will walk the second half. I have to say that it was much more pleasant knowing it is a short day and even better, today was the first day that I have felt 100%.  Now I am lean, mean and ready to roll.

I was hungry when we got to the hotel so Dennis and I ordered Croquettas. I love Croquettas. Croquettas are really creamy, seasoned mashed potatoes, rolled in coating and deep fried.  There were about 12 when we started and there were none when we left. These were incredible. And just to eat them as the Spaniards do, we had a little wine. We certainly didn't want to break any customs. 

We got to eat dinner at 7:00  Whoohoo! Dinner was at 8:30 in Muxia - way too late for hungry Pilgrims. For tonight's dinner, our first course was an ensalada mixta which had lettuce, tomatoes,white asparagus, incredible Spanish tuna, onions, olives, carrots, mushrooms and something crunchy.  We both voted this the best salad of the journey.  I know all you carnivores will disagree, but my favorite course is the salad course.   

They give us too much food here so I just got Galacian Soup which I love.  It tastes better than it looks.

Dennis went all carnivore and got the meat platter.  Although it is hard to see, he liked the sausage best.  He did not clean his plate which is highly unusual. His mother told him there were starving children in China.  I suggested to my Mom that we send it to them.  Truthfully, as a kid, I ate everything in sight and even as I child I never met a vegetable I didn't like.

Lastly, we couldn't resist the ice cream cake.  There is no cake in it so not sure why it is called that but it is scrumptous.

So another day, another kilometer.  Prayers for you all!

 

Muxia Day Off 11/24/23

 

Hola! Greetings from Muxia, pronounced Moo chee ah.

Dennis and I were lazy this morning, both of us woke early, but it felt so good to lounge in bed after so many long hiking days. We walked out to the end of the Port this morning and then decided we were hungry.

We went to a little bar near the hotel and each had a chicken bocatilla completo. This is half of it. It was so good.  Good bread makes for a good sandwich and this was excellent.

There was just something interesting about this house.  It is stone but put together in a unusual way.

After lunch we walked along the coast, headed for the other end of the world.  

Beautiful!  There was a guy out there fishing.  You can see how big these rocks are by how little he is.

Those white things amounst the green leaves are wild calla lillies.

A close up of the lillies.

From the Muxia Townhall "The cultural history of this town is linked to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of A Barca (santuario da Virxe da Barca) and the Stones (pedlars) within its surroundings. Throughout the centuries, it has been a magical-religious object of worship and of veneration for thousands of pilgrims that travel the Way of St. James from Santiago to Muxía – Fisterra. The arrival at the Sanctuary becomes the expected reward for the effort made to reach the end of the Way, the place where the Virgin arrived in a stone boat to inspire courage to the Apostle James."

I have a little amount of shame to admit here.  I was annoyed (on the inside) because this red car was parked here messing up my photo op.  These was a designated parking lot near by.  After I had toured all around, I went back in hopes that the inconsiderate person had moved but no.  As I got closer , I realized there was a woman sitting on a stone step, holding a younger woman (daughter?) up against her and the daughter was paralyzed from the neck down and mentally challenged.  I am ever so glad I didn''t grumble out loud.  All of my little petty aches and pains are nothing.  God reminds me of this periodically and shames me.

The church was closed but you could look through the door and take a photo of the chapel.  It was really pretty.

A second set of church bells.

The minute I saw this ancient church build out on the rocks, this bible verse "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" popped into my head. It is Matthew 16:18,

This girls was so still that I thought she was a statue.

According to A Ferida, "Next to the Sanctuary of A Virxe da Barca in Muxía, we find one of the most famous sculptures of the west coast of Galicia, A Ferida. Translated as "The Wound" it is a sculpture composed of 2 large stones of gratin that was inaugurated on September 12, 2003. Considered the largest sculpture in Galicia, and even in Spain, it is a work that symbolizes the bitter oil spill that occurred on the Galician coast due to the Prestige. This accident occurred at the end of 2002 caused a great catastrophe along the Galician coast, causing thousands of people to arrive as volunteers to help minimize the damage. This sculpture is a tribute to all these volunteers."

Faro de Muxia Lighthouse

Dennis and I have been looking to see Bottlenosed dolphins.  They live in this area.  The closest we have come are these rocks that look like dolphins.

The earlier restaurants here open at 8:30 or 9:00 which is really late for tired hikers.  We decided to picnic on the supplies we had.  We went to the market and bought the last caesar salad left. We each had a half chicken bocatilla left from lunch, some potato chips and some olives.  We also had these incredible Milka cookies which are like the gormet KitKat only foil wrapped and round with better chocolate.

To drink, we had this expensive box of white wine that I paid 1euro 29 (About $1.45 in dollars.)  Now I usually spring for a little pricier wine, you know $2.00 or so, but I needed a screw top to be able to put in my suitcase and this was all they had.  Actually, there was one for 99 cents so I did go for the good stuff.  LOL.  Surprisingly, it was pretty good.

Dennis will be hiking with me.  Always glad when we get to make the hike together! We are headed for Lires.

So I bid you good night and sweet dreams - until tomorrow!

Finisterre to Muxia 11/23/23

 

My first Muxia signpost. Right at the edge of town. Things were looking good.

I had lots of forest and trees in the beginning - Picturesque but not photo-worthy.  

My first sighting of the ocean. 

I was adjusting my backpack when I saw this group top the hill. The lead guy was waving a white flag, and all I could think of was the play Les Miserables. The rebel students sing "When You Hear the People Sing" as they prepare themselves to launch a rebellion in the streets of Paris during the funeral procession of General Jean Maximilien Lamarque. They are marching in tune with the leader waving a flag.

The song is a revolutionary call for people to overcome adversity. It is a powerful song, and it is one of my favorites.

"Hey, Fred! Wanna watch the crazy pilgrims walk by/."

At almost halfway (10 miles) I stopped at this bar for a Coca-Cola Zero. It was a welcome rest.

The coastline here is magnificent. I could feel the ocean breeze, and it smelled so fresh.

My dogs were whimpering and howling, , and I was pooped when I saw this sign. I am pretty sure I was unable to go 50 kilometers per hour. No speeding tickets for me. I was trying to find the hotel when I see Dennis coming up the street. YAY!

We ate inside this restaurant which was quite elegant with white table cloths and crystal goblets. Dinner was incredible - the kind of dinner you dream about and talk about for years to come. We started with an excellent wine - red for Dennis and white for me. We are a mixed marriage. Viva la Difference!

Our amuse-bouche was a simple square of potato topped with a Romanesco-like sauce. It had an ingredient that our waiter described as a "jam but not a jam," adding a touch of sweetness. On the top were finely grated bacon pieces. Ummmmmmm.

We split a "Warm Salad" with mesclun, mushrooms, chestnuts, asparagus, nuts, goat cheese, sesame, vinaigrette, and Modena vinegar. So different. The local mushrooms were warm, and the rest of the salad was cool. We came close to licking the bowl.

But the pièce de résistance was the seabass, caught today in the bay we were overlooking. This was the best fish I have ever had, and it was cooked to perfection. I forgot how tired I was and just savored every bite.

Accompanying the fish was a dish of sliced potatoes with onions and peppers covered with a velvety butter sauce and herbs. I am convinced the chef was French-trained.

For dessert, Coulant with vanilla ice cream. Coulant is a French dessert translated as flowing. We looked like two fencers armed with forks fighting to the death. Death by Chocolate. LOL  Not a smidgeon left.

Off we waddled to our room for a good night's sleep.