Back to Baiona
Chiscos - Atlantic Cruise
John Simpson
Sat 27 Aug 2011 21:51
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After less than 24 hours at home, and even fewer
hours in a hotel at Stansted Airport, I am now back in Baiona. Alex flew
out to Spain from Stansted on Thursday morning and is now living in Pamplona for
9 months whilst she does a work placement with the University of Navarra.
I flew back to Vigo for Baiona later that same day.
John and I have continued our trend of walking in
the heat of the day whilst the rest of Spain siestas. On Friday we walked
from Baiona out towards the Silleiro lighthouse (about 5km from Baiona), from
where you can look down the coast to the border with Portugal. We visited
the Virgin of the Rock, a huge statue that stands on a hill overlooking the
rocky entrance to Baiona. There was a great view of Baiona and the bay
from the top.
 John gave the statue a helping hand!
 The weather had been quite rough whilst I was in
the UK and the sea still had a heavy swell despite the bright sunshine and lack
of wind onshore. The waves were impressive and John made a note to keep
well off the coast when leaving Baiona!
 We could see in the distance what we thought was
a bench strategically placed on a hilltop and decided we would walk that far
before turning back. We were quite surprised to find it wasn't a bench but
a leather sofa! There is a certain untidiness about Spain, but we'd seen
nothing quite like this.
 Today (Saturday) we tried out the Spanish
transport system by taking a day trip to Santiago de Compostella. We went
by bus from Baiona to Vigo and then another bus to Santiago. On the way
back we caught the train from Santiago to Vigo and then the bus back to
Baiona. Transport seems very reliable, as well as being cheap - the 45
minute bus ride to Vigo costs just over 2 Euros. We enjoyed Santiago; it's
a beautiful place and it was great to see the pilgrims arriving in the square in
front of the Cathedral on foot and by bicycle, all cheering as they got
there.
 We walked around the Cathedral as a service was
taking place, which was an odd experience as it was absolutely packed with
people. It was almost impossible to tell who was taking part in the
service and who was just watching. In the midst of all the chaos priests
were hearing confession too!
 John managed to walk miles around the narrow
streets, despite apparently having lost one leg during the day! He may be
taking preparations for the Long John Silver fancy dress competition too
far....
 Susan
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