European Odyssey: Islas Cíes and Baiona

After two days visiting internationally known Spanish museums and cathedrals, on the morning of October 4th we were landing at do Faro, the largest island in the Cíes Archipelago, which is part of the "Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park." Because of the lateness of the season the island was almost deserted, which suited us well. In this photo the zodiacs have begun disgorging passengers onto the dock. It was another wonderfully clear and sunny day.

We were greeted by rangers and local guides, who handed out literature and gave us a quick review of the rules, none of which were surprising, and the walking options. In Spanish the park is officially known as the "Parque Nacional Marítimo Terrestre de las Islas Atlánticas de Galicia," which is a mouthful. This sign has a modified spelling compared to the handouts, perhaps of a more Galician or Portugese flavor.  We are only 15 or 20 miles, as the crow flies, from Portugal.

Joan and I joined the group setting out for the lighthouse, Faro de Cíes.

The first section of the walk was gentle and broad.

We soon came to a point where the island's two sections are connected by a thin strip of beach, which separates a lagoon from the Vigo estuary to the east.

A causeway separates this lagoon from the open Atlantic to the west, but the lagoon fills with each high tide. 

Google Maps helps to illuminate the geography of this isthmus.

View Larger Map

Our group passed through the now-empty campground, and then the path began to ascend; to reach the lighthouse we would need to gain 175 meters (about 575 feet).

There were intriguing erosional features along the way,

and as we climbed the view to the south island, San Martiño, opened up.

We were inspected by a European robin (not a relative of the American robin).

After another few curves the lighthouse came into view. Lots of switchbacks lay ahead.

They were not steep requiring only a dollop of patience. Those who were in a hurry and arrived first provided a sense of scale for this photo (click to enlarge).

From the lighthouse terrace the world was revealed. Here the photo is aimed to the north,

and here more to the east. If you click to enlarge, you will see our ship, the Explorer, in the center of the image, just peeking out from the edge of the hill. A remnant fog bank obscures the upper estuary.

Joan insisted that a picture of yours truly was needed. I'm an odd sight with all the straps: daypack, binoculars and binocular harness. And the camera pouch on my belt.

On our way back we took a side trail that led to a bird viewing area.

There was an impressive keyhole rock nearby.

The trail leads to this observatorio de aves -- a bird blind.

In breeding season there would be great numbers of nesting seabirds to watch, but in October there is hardly anything except the cliffs and the sea, which are impressive in their own right.

From just beyond the observatorio there was a view that included the causeway, lagoon, beach, dock, and ship.

When looking at the world that was close instead of far away, we saw these lizards,

as well as some noisy gleaners.

We continued our walk back to the dock, and lunch was held on the ship as it glided over to Baiona (or Bayona). The spelling "Baiona" is more prominent when googling, so I'll use that.

In the photo above, the Parador de Baiona is on the right and the harbor in the center. Another map will be handy here; the ship's zodiacs shuttled to the wide concrete dock near the bottom of the map.
View Larger Map

Joan and I decided to explore the grounds of the Monte Real Castle, within which the parador is located. The perimeter consists of two or more lines of historic fortifications.

Here we approach the entrance along with others from the Explorer and local tourists.

A sign pointed us to the "start of the route of the walled fortress." 

It proved to be a pleasing walk around the crest of the ramparts, and Carol Knott, a staff historian from our ship, became an unofficial guide for a small group of us. Early on, we were looking back at the town over some of the oldest battlements.

The Explorer was almost in a line with the portal of the fortress.

Autumn flowers were blooming between the stone walls.

Being atop these walls created excellent viewpoints for photography. Here is my best picture of a hórreo, a stone granary typical of northwestern Spain, of which there are many types. This one is no doubt not storing corn, but such a useful structure could be adopted for many uses.

We continued around the peninsula, and I took this photo of a tree framed by the stones and the sea. Small lighthouses inhabit shoals near the horizon.

Defending the fortress against attack from the sea is a 16th Century cannon. It has been restored at least once, but it's difficult to protect the metal against corrosion for long.

Then Joan and I dashed back to catch a zodiac for the ship. We needed to freshen up and change our clothes for the dinner our group was to enjoy at the parador.

Arriving back at the parador we discovered that the staff hadn't expected that our group would actually arrive at 6:30 (or even earlier), which is barely past lunchtime by Spanish or Portugese standards. We had a pleasant wait on the terrace while the staff set up drinks and hors d'oeuvres,

and after that we consumed an excellent dinner during which I took no photos.

This day was an excellent wrapup of the Spanish portion of our journey. Tomorrow, Portugal.