To Oia

Our small beach house last night in Vila Praia de Âncora sounded like a bargain but in reality it wasn’t because we didn’t sleep very much- there was a party all night under our windows and when the revelers left, the clean- up crew showed up. What a night! We left this morning under semi-cloudy skies and with fingers crossed that my blisters and Luke’s stomach would behave. Thankfully we were on soft paved paths as we continued up the beach leaving the early morning surfers and their beachy vibe behind us.
We passed the harbor and the impressive Forte da Lagarteria, built in the 17th century that along with w Forte da Cão made up a solid defense against the wicked Spanish Armada. As we walked along, the waves crashed the rocks below us sending up sharp sprays - quite a show and one I’ll never tire of seeing. There were lots of horses out grazing and a donkey who brayed at us but no goats wandering the path like I’ve seen before. We crossed over the railroad that was up to the right of us and entered the town of Moledo
where we had a good view of Mount Santa Treva and the Forte da Ínsua in the distance. There were several forts in the last few days!
Meeting different people is one of the pleasures and gifts of the Camino and today we met a man named Carlos who sits up on his balcony which is directly on the path and speaks to all pilgrims who pass through. Today was no different- he was there and I was so happy to introduce Luke to him! He’s eccentric acting but so friendly that it’s easily worth a few minutes to chat with him and also he stamps your credential with his personal stamps! No end to the surprises on the Camino da Costa!
Our next town was Caminha, a small town located at the left bank of the Minho River’s mouth and we can see Spain just across it! The main square has such a fun energy from the cute café terraces along the border, the monumental fountain (chafariz)in the center, the Clock Tower (Torre do Relogio) which is a remnant of the original city walls and the Church of Misericórdia which celebrates its 500 year anniversary this year! It was so lively with carved and gilded elements and statues. We had a lunch of burrata and tomatoes and vegetable soup and then things started going haywire for us. Luke is sick (possibly with heat exhaustion) and so we’re not going as fast as we have been along the route. We managed a visit to another church on the way out of town- this one was started in 1428 and Masses were held very quickly even before the church was completed- it’s called Our Lady of the Assumption or Lady of the Angels, Matrix of Caminha. It’s again just as lovely, just as breathtaking and such a holy place to rest a bit and offer a prayer. We made our way down to the river, bought tickets for the water taxi, met our captain and hopped on board headed across the river to Spain! The ride was in a small boat but we had faith in the captain- he told us he’s brought a million pilgrims over the river! Once we landed we headed out and tried to get up the coast but it wasn’t long before both of us were dragging. The walk to A Garda is long and flat along the sea and since we had to be in Oia because our host was leaving we jumped in a taxi to arrive in time. (We lost an hour when we crossed into Spain). Luckily we reached Oia with time to spare we hurried over to the Mosterio de Santa Maria de Oia to visit this spectacular ancient (from 1137) monastery. It sits directly on the sea and gives off an authoritative tone- it’s still used as a church for Mass which is a treasure for the people of this village. We really loved seeing the statue of Our Lady of the Sea in its own special altar up front. After our visit we checked in to our accommodation (a beautiful home) and I went to visit the inn keeper I had seen before. This is a village I would come back to visit over and over. I ran into the market for some groceries and then we were set for an early night to try and recover. I can hear the raindrops hitting the cobblestones outside and I know I’ll dream of what adventures and sights tomorrow will bring.もっと詳しく