The rain seemed to have exhausted itself overnight, and next morning the skies were blue and the sun was out for our walk to Muxia.
At last the trail started rolling downhill and out towards the coast, and we’d have loved to keep looking for Muxia in the distance, but it was best to keep the eyes firmly on the ground – Don’t walk and gawk! Soon as we got to sea level though, we could enjoy seeing the town on the little hill on the headland.
We followed the boardwalk along the water’s edge and into the centre of Muxia, with its sweeping promenade, quiet harbour and busy cafés, to find our little compact flat for the evening. It even had a balcony with a sliver of sea views! The whole town was so pretty and so peaceful, I was really happy I’d come out to the coast again to experience it. I’m not one for collecting compostelas and certificates (anymore) but I would have liked a Muxiana, their version of the Santiago Compostela, to remember this walk by – but you need to show your pilgrim passport with stamps all the way from Santiago, and we’d started in Olveiroa. Next time!
This was May 1st, a holiday in Spain, and the bars and restaurants along the promenade seemed to be full of locals and pilgrims. We found a little restaurant near our flat with a special May 1st menu which we happily tried. All the seafood is fantastic on the Galician coast so we treated ourselves to a portion of zamburiñas each, with local albariño white wine. One of pilgrim life’s great pleasures.
We also went out to the headland and visited the lighthouse, the iconic church of Our Lady of the Boat, where the Virgin Mary supposedly appeared to encourage Saint James in his efforts to christen the land. It was originally a pre-Christian Celtic shrine and sacred site, so people have been coming here for centuries to venerate. The nearby stone statue with the deep wound is a memorial of the huge oil spill which damaged the coastline and wildlife for miles. Visiting families walked around taking photos, pilgrims explored the rocks or just sat in quiet contemplation with eyes closed and their faces to the brilliant sun. Worshippers and daytrippers entered and exited the church and the glittering waves washed gently against the stony shore.
It was so, so beautiful. We lingered a bit and marvelled at our good fortune, being there, with good company, good weather, and more adventures to come. We did regret not planning for a rest day there, but we hadn’t – and we didn’t want to miss out on our visit to Lires, so we made the most of it and got ready to carry on along the coast the next day.
Somewhere Slowly 