This morning before we left Tui, Duke, Brian and Jo Ann waited in the car while I ran into the post office to mail some cards. I had a nice chat with the lady who sold me the stamps. She asked if we were on our way to Santiago de Compostela and I told her no, today we are going to Baiona. She said she was from A Guarda and that if we go through there we should really go to the lookout at the top of Monte Tecla.
A Guarda is due west of Tui right at the mouth of the Minho River. We drove to the top and enjoyed the wonderful view of the Spanish coast going north and the coast of Portugal going south.
Just below the summit we stopped at the ruins of a Celtic Castro. It’s the foundations of the Castro wall and buildings of a town of about 3000 people who lived here in the 1st century B.C.
From A Guarda we drove north along the coast to the town of Baiona. Along the way we stopped for a picnic lunch.
In Baiona we are staying at the Parador in an old castle. Baiona is where Columbus’ ship the Pinta and its crew first landed in Europe after their voyage of discovery. We played cards and then walked into town to see a bit of Baiona.
For dinner we walked back into Baiona and ate outdoors at a Taberna La Boqueria. Jo Ann had mussels, Brian had squid, and Duke and I shared cockle and shrimp rice.
When we walked back to the Parador the castle was all lit up.
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