Another day with rain in the forecast, but if lucky, only from 3pm. So despite the dark clouds I was optimistic. Hey, there was even some sunshine coming through. It was one of the longer days though, so I was fully prepared to change into rain gear. As I left, the sun hadn’t fully risen from behind the hills. I decided to stick to the path hugging the coast and was quickly rewarded with a sky of orange colors that reflected in the water.
After A Ramallosa I saw some familiar faces and had a little chat. Then I passed the first big beach, offering different views of the bay, looking back at Baiona. Towards the end there was a beautiful boulevard, which must be full of life in summer. But now I couldn’t find anything open. Around the corner, into the next bay, I found a place that seemed open. I sat down for a tea and was also offered a small piece of cake. Of course there were a few more opportunities straight after that, but I was happy.
There was a big beach where some surfers were practising on small waves. Then the trail followed another yellow path on the side of the main road, with a small detour to the tiny Praia do Portiño. I had to cross the sand here, walk up some stairs and finish with an unreasonably steep road. Then I joined the yellow road again. Some arrows tried to steer me away from the coast, but I kept following alongside the coastline as much as I could.
Where I really saw the coast again, at Praia do Xunqueiro, I was in the municipalty of Vigo. So it feels like you’ve almost arrived. But Vigo is big! I found a bench on a beautiful white beach. Who knew these Galician beaches were white as pearls! I lunched on my leftover baguette, some crackers and fried corn with barbecue flavour. It was delicious, mainly because I ate it in the sun, staring out at the Cies islands.
A little closer to the city were the beaches finishing with Samil beach. They were much bigger and absolutely stunning. It was so enticing to jump into the water. But I just stuck my hands in. I walked on the sand and over the rocks for a bit. Then I entered the big boulevard at Samil. I met some people I knew, doing their picnic on a bench. The boulevard stretched out for a while and then became a smaller path close to the road. I thought it would get worse from now, more industrial, but I still had some nice views and a good walking path for a while.
Suddenly that was over. Like you were slapped in the face by the city. From the Bouzas area I just walked on the sidewalk of a main road through the harbour. There were big buildings, like halls. Some open gates revealed boats being repaired. This road seemed to last forever and was really boring. It didn’t provide a good intro to the city. It did lead me to the old town, where I checked in right when the rain started. Ok, I got a few drops, but I would say I was very lucky today.
Vigo was my rest place. I had one extra day to relax, explore and enjoy. I started this with actually waiting for Spanish dinner time. Luckily this restaurant opened at 8pm. I had three plates of delicious tapas: chorizo, a local dish with meat and some vegetable, and tortilla. It was so satisfying. I went to bed happy.
