Farewell Portugal, Hello Spain : Caminha, PT to Oia, SP

 Camino Portuguese enters Spain

The Camino Portuguese today marked a first for us: crossing an international border by boat. Previous walks, such as the Camino Francés and Via Podiensis, had seen us trekking over mountain ranges, while the Camino Portugués route took us across the bridge from Valencia to Tui. But today, we would cross the Minho River by ferry, an adventure that was a bit more unpredictable than usual.

Evening Distracts and Early Wake-up

 “I had a dream last night that I was asleep and I dreamed it while I was awake!”

Hawkeye Pierce, M*A*S*H

There is no denying that our time in albergues on this Camino – for whatever reasons, whether fate, chance or simply bad luck – has been tough.  Last night was similarly far from peaceful making getting any sleep challenging.   From 11 PM onward the sounds of people talking outside predominated until they were replaced at 2 AM with the familiar noises of sex in the albergue.  In what must have been an act of youthful enthusiasm or profound stamina these activities lasted until 5 AM at which point the local traffic began to roar through town outside. So while our alarm was originally set for 7 AM the reality was that by 5:10 AM we were ready to get going.

Unfortunately, the reservation for our boat ride to Spain was not until 9:30 AM so instead we lay in our bunks and essentially stared at the walls before heading downstairs for Breakfast at 7 AM.  Sitting on the patio we each enjoyed a coffee and croissant as the typical melee for food at the buffet raged inside.  Tired we finished up, packed our gear and were ready for the day ahead by 7:30 AM.

Exploring Caminha

With time to spend, we took a short walk to explore Caminha.  With the streets relatively empty of people we enjoyed a stroll through the old quarter and photographed the city walls, as well as the Igreja e Convento de Santao Antonio in the morning light.

In our meandering, we also came across a couple of pilgrims packing up their tent after staying in a quieter spot outside the city walls.  We had little doubt that this duo had enjoyed a far more peaceful evening than us.

Ferry Chaos and Camino Commercialism

Returning to the albergue, we found ourselves surrounded by long lines of pilgrims and taxis. Despite having a reservation on the Xacobean Ferry, rumours of cancelled services spread quickly as taxi drivers informed pilgrims that the ferry wouldn’t run today.  Telling anyone who would listen that the only way to get to A Guarda on the other side of the Minho River was by taxi.  Ironically both our guidebook and online forums that we had read before setting out had warned the ferry service in this area was unreliable as it was chronically undermined by a combination of misinformation (spread by taxi drivers) and competition (of other boat operators).

The daily routine seems to be that taxi drivers arrive early to the albergues and inform pilgrims that the boats are not running to get people to take expensive rides to either A Pasaxe at the border between Portugal and Spain or to A Guarda.   Despite being forewarned, the odd thing is that in these situations – where everyone else is excited and race off in a panic – you in turn begin to wonder if taking a taxi was our only real option.  Now uncertain, we refused the offer of a 50 euro taxi ride and walked to the dock to find a ferry boat dry-docked.  Increasingly less certain of our choice we went inside where two people from TaxiMar inspected our online reservations and with a great performance informed us that the ferry company on our tickets, Xacobean Ferry was no longer operating.  Now definitely nervous we went back outside where we met another boat operator who – after also inspecting our tickets – told us that while Xacabean Ferry was still in operation it was nonetheless not reliable and may not run today.   Clearly, the schemes were not limited to the taxi drivers of the region. 

Frustrated and tired of the games we walked back into the ferry terminal and purchased two new tickets (6 Euros Each) from TaxiMar which was listed as departing in just a few minutes.

Then, before we even had a chance to sit down, we were called to board.  The same young lady who had just sold us our ticket led us outside, down a rocky pier, around a corner, and across a sandy beach … to a small boat propped against a stack of yellow milk crates.  Here a large but friendly Portuguese fisherman helped us up into the small metal motorboat.

Sitting on the sideboards more and more pilgrims, with their backpacks were piled in.  Almost everyone looked unnerved by the dodgy nature of the watercraft.  As Sean put on his rain jacket to break the wind on the river I grabbed my binoculars having just spotted a group of Common Ringed Plovers run past.

Then, before we knew it, the motor roared to life and the tiny boat whisked us across the river estuary from Portugal to Spain.  En route, we felt as though we were being transported between countries under the radar. 

After only 10 minutes we were soon in A Pasaxe on the Spanish side of the Minho.  Though we had crossed an invisible boundary upon entering Spain our arrival was no less significant a milestone as we have now officially walked from Faro and Lagos on the southern coast of Portugal along the Rota Vicentina to the nation’s northern boundary on the Camino Portuguese!

Spanish Time Changes

Our boat was pulled into a harbour in A Pasaxe and we were helped out onto a moss-covered stone pier before the boat and its captain sped away.  Once we were all on terra firma we realized that we just gained an hour with the time change – it was now 10 AM.   Since we are walking north and not east the time change didn't really make sense.  A quick search revealed that apparently Spain despite its geographical proximity to Portugal adopted Central European time in the Second World War, when they synchronized their clocks with those of Germany.  As most of Spain is more than 15 degrees east of the Greenwich Meridian, this choice somewhat makes sense,   By comparison, Portugal, located right on the coast, is not, and so it has opted to keep 'actual' time.

Celtic Forest Walk and Important Bird Areas

Now in Spain, we had an option of hiking across the isthmus directly to A Guarda or walking around Monte Teclas along the coastline’s slightly longer Litoral way.  

As it turned out the coastline in this region is an important birding area the 'Rede Natura' on the Ruta Ornitoloxica da Desembocadura do Mino - "Ornithological Route of the Mouth of the Mino" which is designated as a ZEPA (Special Zone of Avian Conservation), LIC (Place of Community Interest), and ZECVN (Area of Special Conservation of Natural Values).    Signs near the Monte Teclas and nature reserve indicated that it would be possible to sight species such as the Great Cormorant (Corvo Marino - Sea Crow), Red-breasted Merganser (Mergo Cristado), Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), Grey Plover (Pillara Cincenta), Mallard (Lavanco Real), Bar-tailed Godwit (Mazarico Rabipinto), and Common Greenshank (Bilurico Pativerde).  As such our decision was essentially a foregone conclusion and so we walked along the coast.

The pavement soon gave way to a boardwalk which continued along the coast.  Nearby we found more signs for birds in the region and spotted large flocks of Yellow-Legged Gulls and several Plovers in the water.  Walking along Praia Munino and Praia da Lamina we had great views south of Portugal as we approached the tip of the peninsula.  

Here we found amazing Celtic symbols on the trees that made patterns when you stood in the correct place on the boardwalk to line them up properly. 

We followed the boardwalk through the pine forest we saw a family of Black Redstarts as well as a group of Cirl Buntings but failed to sight any of the “exciting shorebirds” that the local signs had suggested.  Continuing along the coastline we soon passed several crosses and windmills as well as terrific spring flowers.

Fortalez de Insua

Off the shore, we could see the stone walls of the Fortaleza de Insua which sits on a tiny pile of rocks about 200 m off the coast at the mouth of the Minho River.  Fortaleza da Insua is a Portuguese Fort that was designated a national monument in 1910 and is one of only two Portuguese forts that combines a monastery with a modern bastion fortress (the other is Fort Berlengas).   

Originally intended as a place of worship with a small chapel to Our Lady of Insua in 1392, Franciscan Friars from Galicia built a monastery on the island.  At the same time, fortifications were built by the order of King John I, to protect the river mouth and the religious congregation from pirates.    The monastery was renovated in 1471, and again after Manual I of Portugal (1495-1521) saw it while on pilgrimage to Santiago and determined that further improvements were necessary.  The current structure is from the War of Restoration (1640-1668) and was built between 1644 and 1652. During the Peninsular War, the fort was occupied by Spanish and French troops, and afterwards, it was used exclusively by the Portuguese Army.

Roman Ruins

Walking on we reached the tip of the peninsula and headed northwards along the coast.  Here we passed a sign indicating old ruins and the Roman salt collection was nearby.  Apparently, the A Guarda coast features a usually high concentration of Roman salt works, indicating that life in this area was dedicated to salt collection. 

Walking slightly off the trail we could see the remains of the small, shallow, pits dug into the rocks known as salt pans.  To use them water from the Atlantic was transported into the pans, where the sun and wind evaporated the water until the concentration of salt was high enough that it could be collected.  These practical spaces were used from the 1st to the 4th centuries and the salt was mainly used to preserve fish.

Back on the wooden boardwalk, we walked onward towards A Guarda.  Just off the coast, we spotted a European Shag drying itself on the rocks.  European Shags are a species of cormorant though are distinguished by their smaller size, thinner bill, and the metallic green ting on their feathers.  They have a large range, breeding on the rocky coasts of western and southern Europe, northern Africa and southwest Asia.  Interestingly they are one of the best divers among the cormorant family used this to feed on small fish known as sand eels (which are not actually eels).

Spanish Seaside Town of A Guarda

By late morning we arrived in A Guarda, a charming seaside town with brightly painted buildings that arose up the sloped hillsides encircling the harbour.  Every classical colour stood out amid the lush green landscape – whitewashed buildings with blue, pink and red trim along with terracotta roofs.

Entering town we followed a pedestrian walkway around the harbour that was lined with homes, restaurants and cafes.  

Perhaps most predominant in this space was a large mural spanning the huge breakwater protecting the town from the Atlantic Ocean.  The background of the mural was painted a deep sky blue and was covered with colourful outlines of stars. Across it are depictions of fishermen and mermaids, sea creatures, fish and birds.  In addition, the mural also includes verses of the poet, Feliciano Rolán, from a fragment of his book "From Sea to Sea".    Apparently, this work was created by artists Nuria Villa and Alberto Brandon in 2018 and is named "A Guarda Escrita nas Estrelas" or "a Guardian Written in the Stars".

A Guarda would be an amazing town to spend a day or night in; unfortunately, we lacked the time to do so.  And so, after briefly stopping to enjoy a café con leche, we rejoined the Camino Coastal further into Spain.  Heading out of town the path skirted around another tiny crescent of white sand and followed a white gravel track along the coast. 

En route, we spotted Eurasian Linnet, Yellow-legged Gulls, and House Sparrows playing in the rocks along the shore.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Santiago

Passing a small rounded castle and historic laundry building we continued our walk along the rocky Atlantic coast. Here we came across our first Galician stone markers for the Camino, a sure sign that our pilgrimage was near to its end.  These waist-high concrete markers with blue and yellow shell tiles are beautiful but are also ridiculously accurate counting down every 100 meters on the way.

Around us, the landscape began to look different.  Steep hillsides, fields with stones scattered across the ground, and stone walls divided overgrown pastures.  Walking on we followed footpaths, gravel tracks, and wider pathways passing pastures with with horses, goats, and sheep.  In many ways, the region felt more like hiking in the United Kingdom than venturing across Portugal or Spain.

En route, we discovered ancient shellfish tanks and Roman salt tanks as well as spotting a few lizards that darted across the trail.

After an hour or so along the coastline, the trail led steeply up to the roadway where there was a wide yellow pathway painted.  The sight of a yellow path weaving off onto the horizon immediately reminded us of the concept of the “yellow brick road” in The Wizard of Oz and a comment also often attributed to the Way on the Camino Frances.

Proceeding on, the Camino followed this vibrant yellow walking and cycling path alongside the highway occasionally meandering inland, through a tunnel of trees and shrubs or through a small community.  Invariably however the trail returned to the yellow path and busy roadway that it paralleled. 

Throughout this stretch the views down the coast were beautiful, and the 'Miradoiro da Punta Bazar' lookout provided an excellent preview of the coast ahead.  Here long fingers of rocky coast stuck out into the ocean and reminded us of being on the East Coast Trail in Newfoundland years ago.

Portecelo

Around 1:30 PM we came to the Explanada do Horizonte in Portecelo, or Horizontal Bar, a coastal establishment with food and drinks. We arrived to find that a large number of pilgrims were here sitting and relaxing.  One young amorous French couple even going so far as to be “very engaged” on a picnic table while only a few feet away a group of elderly ladies sat watching in disagreement.  Each person (or couple) fill their days on the Camino in a different way.

Finding a place to settle in we ordered two glasses of orange juice and were shocked when they cost 22 Euros!  Tourist prices in the extreme!

Finishing our juices we spotted a White Wagtail and Zitting Cisticola – two wonderful species of birds.  In addition to this we also caught sight of Old World Swallowtail Butterflies and Speckled Wood Butterflies.

 Jose and his “life-changing” Massages

The Camino journeyed along the coast weaving between quiet country lanes and the walkway along the side of a highway.   From time to time the official route would dip down into local communities and the coast – though many pilgrims simply continued to follow the yellow sidewalk along the main roadway. 

Purportedly at one of these ventures into a local village, there was a beautiful meditation garden, built just for pilgrims.  Apparently, it is a spot that many people stop and rest at. Having had problems in finding accommodation tonight we quickly looked it up and were fascinated by what we discovered. 

 The creator of this pilgrim refuge is Jose Mateos Juarez.  For those staying here, he offers morning meditations in the garden and physical massages which reviews describe as “life-changing”.  Those who join him report that the experience has left a mark of deep love and peace in their hearts.   Walking on we didn’t know if we were missing out on the experience of a lifetime or avoiding overly sexualized commune. 

Though curious we walked on and soon passed a small stone building by the name of Ermida de San Sebastian, which was built in the 1700's.   The door was open and we took the opportunity to set out of the sun.  The inside of the chapel was a simple white interior and a bank of votive candles was lit giving off the smell of warm wax.  In addition, a self-serve stamp was provided, and we gave a small donation and added the mark to our credentials.  Continuing on the Way of St. James followed a narrow, paved laneway at the end of which we could see red roofs of Oia ahead of us.

Arrival in Oia Spain

For another hour or so our route wove on and off the roadway and through coastal forests.  Along this stretch, we would spot several Great Tits, Eurasian Blue Tits and Coal Tits bouncing between the branches.

After a long stretch along quiet roads and coastal lanes, we reached Oia, a small town on the Galicia coast. Arriving into town we followed narrow, winding cobblestone lanes past thick, rounded stone buildings. 

While the guidebook suggested that pilgrims should end this stage in Mougas we had phoned ahead and every bunk, bed and room were already reserved for the night.  Apparently, this stage is a bit of a crunch point on the Camino Coastal with several towns in a row that don’t have many spots for pilgrims.  With no energy to walk a double stage to Ramallosa today, which is tomorrow’s destination, we opted to splurge for a small B&B in Oia at the economical and highly rated Casa Arrabbal.

Located near the centre of this coastal village, the Casa Arrabbal is a quaint old stone Galician Building – the sort I have always wanted to see inside of.  Outside a historical plaque indicated that this used to be an old woman’s prison though inside was a beautiful and incredibly cozy living space.  When we proceeded to enter we discovered that this accommodation used a self-check-in process.  Thankfully we navigated it without either a hitch or extra fees but we were left feeling a little sad at the lack of human connection.  Especially as part of the reason we are walking Camino this year is to escape the automated, dehumanized self-serve world that we live in at home. 

Regardless, we were grateful to have beds for the night and glad to have safely completed another day on the Camino.  Entering into Casa Arrabbal we found that our room was perfect being more than anyone really would need at the day’s end. 

Exploring Oia

Half an hour after arriving we had both taken long cool showers and settled in.  Leaving our backpacks in our room we went and sat down on the nearby seawall and had a beer.  Here we spotted Cirl Buntings and White Wagtails in the surf below us. 

Sitting here we watched as an almost endless stream of pilgrims walked by.  Many were discovering that there were no available places to stay in the albergue in Oia or in the next few towns including Mougas.  The result was that they still had another 20 or more kilometres and another stage of the Camino to go before the end of their day’s trek.  A challenging prospect at 3 PM after an already long day.  Nearby a taxi driver was repeatedly approaching tired, sore and half-panicked pilgrims offering them what he termed ‘the perfect solution’ to their problem. 

Listening in we gleaned that the taxi driver was explaining to pilgrims how it actually made more “economical sense” for them to take a ride forward on the Camino to get a place to stay for the night rather than to keep walking.  Given how many people he drove off in the hour that we sat there his offer clearly worked on several people.  To us, however, the argument seemed more like fast-talking than actual common sense.  Perhaps this was just an example of 'the Camino provides', but it felt a bit like seeing the devil at the crossroads - sometimes it is hard to tell the difference when you are tired and desperate.

Ready to wander and explore Oia we made our way around the tiny harbour to the large and imposing historic Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Oia.  Hoping to visit, and were delighted to find the door open. As we stepped into the cathedral, its interior coolness washed over us and felt wonderful.   Inside a volunteer offered us a stamp and information about the monastery.  He was excited and tried to impart details about the church and its history.  However, our lack of Spanish made it difficult to understand the details – a failing that was entirely ours, not his. 

Out of the searing heat and blindingly light of the outdoors we took our time in the cool darkness of the church.  As Sean walked around exploring and photographing I sat on the stone bench which rested against the wall smoothed by centuries of use.  Whether because of their peacefulness or their cool interiors I have come to love these historic churches and their shaded cloisters.  

Finding Food, Doing Laundry

With evening setting in the hosts for our accommodations emailed that today the restaurants in town would be closed, but highlighted that there was a small supermarket nearby.  Hungry we set off to purchase bread, cheese and tomatoes to make sandwiches for dinner.

In our wanderings, we discovered that there was a public washer and dryer with a vending machine in an alcove along the street. Excited by the prospect of more thoroughly cleaning our clothes we sought to put our hiking attire into the washing machine.  Having already deposited the fee in the machine we were promptly told off by a local lady who loudly proclaimed that it “was only for her” as she was about to wash the sheets from her own albergue. Somewhat shocked by her attitude we returned to our lodgings to hand wash our things in the bathroom sink with the hope of then using the public drier. 

With our clothes now in the drier we walked to the centre of town and enjoyed another bottle of beer as the sunset over the harbour.  15 minutes later, we returned to the laundry facility only to find that our wet clothes had been dumped onto the floor and the same lady had put her albergue towels into the drier.  Besides our clothing was another pile also dumped on the floor – the clothes of a German pilgrim whose gear had been taken out of the washer.  She also appeared shocked and frustrated by the situation as she picked up her entirely sodden and soapy clothing.  As we all rung out our clothes the offending lady returned and alternated between acting confused and snide about the situation.  Somehow we as pilgrims had clearly overstepped the regional expectations of this establishment by paying to wash and dry out our clothes.  Ultimately we were too tired to argue and simply took our wet laundry back to our room to hang up and put the odd series of events behind us.

Reflections on the Camino

As night fell we reflected on a tiring day on the Camino.  This was the result of having gotten little sleep last night, navigating the commercialism of the ferry system this morning, and following a long day of hiking. 

While the evening’s challenges were frustrating we soon realized that such minor inconveniences were part of the wider experience.  Some moments are peaceful while others are filled with the unexpected.  In the end, however we had completed another day on the Camino, we were healthy, sheltered and fed.  Everything else was just details. 

Accommodations: Casa Arrabbal