Camino Portuguese - Part 6

Welcome to Spain - Caminha, Portugal to A Guardia, Spain

It's around 7am, and I'm travelling with my hostel mate Reina to the ferry port to take us across the River Mino. It's about a 10-minute speedboat ride from Portugal to Spain. Staring in front of you is Mount Tecla, a massive hill that must be traversed. After reviewing many guidebooks, I found a way around the peninsula but adds an additional 4 kilometers to the walk. A way that goes along the coastline and into a wooded area.

It was a perfect day for a stroll. Bright blue skies as we made our way through the sandy path and North Atlantic coastline.

As we round the tip of the Galicia peninsula we pass remnants of an old salt mine. Continuing on the boardwalk, a magical pine forest appears. A placed known as Pineiral Castrexo. A forest whose trunks are painted in a Celtic motif. As you change your viewing angle, the patterns begin to separate and reemerge. In just the right spot you are able to see the complete work. These 20 motifs are replicas of the originals found in the archeological museum of Monte Tecla.

A Guardia is the first Spanish town we stop in on the Portuguese Costal Route. It's a contrast in styles from an abandoned castle and churches, yet it has a modern feel. It is a seafood haven specializing in lobster, oysters and mussels. I met up with several pilgrims and we splurged for lunch on lobster risotto in a restaurant overlooking the ocean.

In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks