This morning we set off from Oia to Baiona, continuing northwards up the Galician coast.
This was apparently the last night of a week long festival. Some nights the concerts finished at around 5am, I guess we were lucky that the last night finished early at 3am.
Construction of the Santa María de Oia Monastery began in the mid-12th century, during the reign of Galician King Alfonso VII, gathering monks who previously lived in various parts of the region. In 1185 it joined the Cistercian Order. Thanks to its strategic location it played an important role in defending the coast. In 1624 the monks managed to thwart an attack by the Turkish fleet, for which Philip IV granted the monastery the right to use “Royal” in its name. Following the 1835 Disentailment Act it passed into private hands, although the church serves as the parish church.
The sun decided that is would hide behind a pretty persistent sea mist this morning, making walking much more pleasant. This was not the first time we had seen part of a boat in someone’s garden being used as a “man hut”.
The sun was trying hard to beat the mist but was succeeding in making for an atmospheric environment. One of the walkers her we passed said it reminded her of the horror film “The Fog”. We could partially see the Farol Silleiro (lighthouse) which was built in 1866 and only converted to electricity in 1960.
Finally the sun came out as we arrived into Baiona where the Igrexa de Santa Maria marked the end of our days hike. On the way we saw the Virxe da Rocha, a statue of the Virgin Mary holding a boat, on the hill overlooking the town.
After a freshen up in the hotel we visited the Fortaleza de Monterreal, a 12th century fortress. The earliest record of a castle on this location was from 60 AC when Julius Caesar conquered Baiona.
Tomorrow is a longer day as we head up to Vigo.
