CAMINO TO THE SEA - DAY 2: NEGREIRA to SANTA MARIñA

 Today was a very pleasant, sunshiny day. A few hills but nothing strenuous. The only challenge with this part of the Camino so far is the near complete lack of facilities (e.g., places to get food and bathrooms). From what I understand the path to Fisterra or Muxia had gained some popularity twenty years ago or so. However, the interest soon waned. We have met up with a lot of people walking the Camino in reverse; that is starting at the coast and moving towards Santiago de Compostela. 

Today we had a wonderful chat with an older lady that we met. We said hello and she commented on the need for hats. We told her that she was wearing a lovely straw hat and that the pink ribbon was just perfect. Well, a casual compliment soon turned into a full-blown discourse (on her part) about how beautiful Galicia is, that it is the best place because it doesn't get cold or too hot, that it is near the ocean, etc. The encounter was a great view into the way that rural Galicians see themselves and their land. What fascinated me most was listening to her speech pattern. She spoke to us in a hybrid of Galician and Spanish. I fully understood what she was saying. It was a delightful encounter but she wasn't about to let us leave so we had to slowly start moving forward along the path while thanking her for her time and wishing her well. 

Here are the things that we saw...

Just as we we started up another leg of the first hill. From what we understand this is the "real Negreira." The city below known by the same name is modern and is where the business are located. Here we saw  this little church (Iglexa Parroquial de San Xulián de Negreira) and, of course, we had to look at it. The church's structure is common to the area (at least in the several that we have seen so far) with its unique open tower for the bells and capped with a dome from the 18th century. This church's layout was particularly interesting in that it did not follow the more common Latin cross but rather a Greek cross with equally balanced nave and transepts

 

Just down from the church was this view of Negreira in the valley with the morning clouds beginning to dissipate. 

Moving on we passed through some lovely forests (what else would you expect from Galicia!)...

The forests gave way at times to views of the valley below...

Jannette soon found a place where should could pause and sing her daily hymn. Today she sang, "Oh, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus." The words see especially appropriate given our destination on Saturday is the Atlantic Ocean; a place that reflects the depth and vastness of His love.

I have shown you many pictures of the woods with everything covered in moss. I thought that I would let you see the moss up close. It is very beautiful.

We walked into a town called "Zas" with this tiny church. When I say tiny, I mean tiny. It might hold 15 people at most. It is the Capela de San Mamede de Zas.

We came a little bridge and creek. When I show you these nature scenes I want you to imagine a quiet space with only the sound of birds singing in the surrounding forest.

We have seen a lot of "hórreos" (used for grain storage) during our adventure. However, we have never seen them made of stone. We lucked out seeing two!

Tomorrow we start day three: Santa Mariña to Dumbría.