Yesterday we walked on the Camino dos Faros northeast of Muxía. Today we walked in the other direction from Muxia, to the southwest. We walked a total of about 5.5 miles but were about as tired as we were after walking 6.7 miles yesterday. There are no towns in the direction we walked today and at the point we turned around, it was a narrow, rough, rustic, thrilling, and slightly scary trail.
About 2 miles along, there is a parador, the only service in that direction. Can’t complain! A parador is a fancy hotel supported by the Spanish government. They are usually in historic old buildings, but this one was newly built and modern and quite fancy. We ran into a delightful Irish man walking on the long beach that the Faros path had taken us across. He told us the parador just opened for the season today (April 1!). So we decided to stop there for coffee. To get there did require going off the trail a bit and a rather steep climb, but it was worth it. They had excellent coffee. The most expensive we’ve had on this trip. But still only 2.20 euros each.
We asked about the restaurant in the parador and decided we’d walk a while and then time it to return there to eat before they stopped serving lunch. The rest of the walk was along cliffs above the ocean. Very dramatic. But as mentioned a little nerve wracking, partly because it was rather windy. We couldn’t imagine feeling safe walking there with heavy backpacks. And the path ahead looked even worse so we turned around. So, now we are having some doubts about ever doing the whole Camino dos Faros. It might be for younger, braver sorts. On our walk yesterday, there was one path the Faros wanted to take us on that I said “no” to. Very steep and narrow and possibly slippery (it had just started to rain). Luckily there was a quiet road path that got us around that spot. (Thank goodness for Google maps.) And today there was a similar straight narrow downhill path that I said no to, and again, we found another slightly out-of-the-way path but less scary. So, maybe the Faros isn’t for me. But so glad we have been able to experience it. It certainly is dramatic and beautiful.
Back to the walk today. Near the point where we decided to turn back, we still had time to make it back to the parador for lunch but I spotted some rocks we could sit on, there was a wind break, the sun was out, so I suggested we just sit there and eat the snacks we had brought instead of going back to the parador for lunch. I’m sure that saved us a lot of money and we quite enjoyed it.
After we got back to Muxía we detoured by the grocery store and bought some frozen mussels and salad makings and went home and made lunch (by then it was more like supper). Those mussels were so good. We thawed them in the microwave and then sautéed them in a skillet with garlic and butter and olive oil. Very easy and pretty much as good as any fresh mussels we’ve ever eaten.