Porto Mougas to Nigrán, Spain

Day 7  September 30, 2026

I had a horrible sleep.  The mattress felt like a box spring and every time I rolled over my hips hit a hard spot and hurt.  Finally at 3 a.m. when I was sure no one else would show up in our apartment, I moved to another bed that was perfect!  Mirjanne was also snoring pretty loudly so I was glad to move.  7 a.m. came quickly but we waited until it was sort of light - 8:15 to get going.  The last thing I need is to trip or fall in the dark.

Today’s plan-

The ocean was pretty wild-

and we got sprinkled on a few times.

The first monument I have seen of a pilgrim who died along the way-

The Galician coast-

We did some rock climbing-

which was fine in spite of the downpour last night.  There was some logging going on up the hill-

Camino signs-

More views-

A cemetery-

Coffins used to go in the ground-

but now they are stacked-

Wealthier families have large tombs with room for all family members-

The first rat I have seen in years, maybe ever while travelling.  He may have drowned in the deluge-

The Santa Liberata church was built from 1695-1709.  It is dedicated to Santa Liberata, one of nine nonuplets - all girls! born in the 2nd century to a Roman governess.  She was sent away to escape her father’s wrath and today is a revered virgin, martyr and the patron saint of Baiona.  She is the first woman believed to be crucified-

Next door is the Colexiata de Santa Maria de Baiona which was built in the second half of the 12th century and finished in the 14th by the monks of Oia.  It is in Romanesque style-

and has a single rosette-

I lit a candle, thinking about Nico, Theresa, Karen, Jerry and Tammy.  Nico died 15 years ago but to lose three friends and a sister in law in a year and a half…-

We had lunch at the Baiona harbour- a tortilla which is egg, cheese, onion and potato in pie form and a café latté cost $10.  It was good but could have used some salt and pepper-

Across the street is the marina-

and a fort which now houses a swanky hotel-

A replica of The Pinta sits in the harbour as a museum.  March 1, 1493, La Pinta, commanded by Martin Alonso Pinzón, docked in Baiona announcing the discovery of the Americas.  This made Baiona the first European port to receive the news, three days before Columbus arrived in Lisbon-

Our hotel is the O Rincon-

My Spanish isn’t so good apparently as I asked the receptionist when I checked in if they had a kitchen.  I understood her to say yes, on the 4th floor so I went to the grocery store and bought turkey burgers for supper and lunch tomorrow.  Well, they don’t have a kitchen so I went to the restaurant and explained my situation.  The woman apparently said the kitchen closed at 4!  The owner came along and graciously cooked my burgers for me-

Meanwhile Mirjanne had already stopped at the kitchen, begging for a bowl for our salad and she came to the room with that as well as cutlery so we had a feast in our room. She is luckier than I am though because she’s a vegetarian so she just bought a jar of cooked lentils – gross and had that for her supper.

Tomorrow we are off to Vigo, a city with a population of 300,000.  The guide blog we have been following says it takes an hour to simply cross the city. More cement walking!

I had a bit of a knee problem today.  Not always but sometimes I got a sharp pain on the inside of my right knee.  If I changed my gait it helped and tonight since I’m not wearing my backpack I have no pain.  So, I’m going to have to adjust something for tomorrow.

I also set an intention - what am I going to do with the rest of my life?  I didn’t get too far- I am easily distracted by just about anything.  I will try again tomorrow!