Baiona

This is our last night in Galicia and we are in Baiona/Bayona just north of the Portuguese border.
This panorama shows the port and the citadel. Our hotel is located in the citadel and there are walks around the walls. The houses along the shore are typical Galician style with projecting upper windows or glazed balconies. Nice beaches and a holiday feel. You can take a boat out to the Islas Atlanticos which are a protected nature reserve.

Last night we were near a small fishing port so went there for dinner. All the restaurants were Polperias or Marisquerias so Chris got his birthday Mejillones (mussels). With our drinks we were brought small tapas dishes of Paella and bread ( or Fidella I think as it was pasta - Northern lass will correct me) Many of the towns along the coast on the way here were also working fishing ports so slightly bigger than the ones we saw yesterday. As well as maize growing ( I was offered maize bread at dinner tonight) this is a wine growing region - Rias Baixas. We always try the local wines

There is history here in Baiona. The Pinto, one of the ships Columbus took to the Americas came from this area. It was from the Pinto the first land was spotted. There is a replica in the town which is a museum and there are plaques commemorating it including a list of the men from Baiona who sailed on it. (It was the first to return here with news if the the discovery of the Americas)

The spellings here seem strange as there are two languages, Galician and Spanish - not much English. I've probably mixed them up! X features a lot and seems to replace j in names like Xoan and Baixa instead of Baja.
Also we visited O Grove this morning, a spa town, so the O comes before some names. Many signs have both spellings on them. Not sure of the origin but these are very independent people.
It's been a most interesting visit.

Very hot and sultry today.