Day 8: Oia to Baioni (14 miles)

Walking the Camino

Another shorter mileage day along yet another spectacular coastal route.

After coffee and fresh croissants with Natalie and her mom (more on them later), we said goodbye to the most lovely little town of Oia. We walked by fields of high grass bordered by stone walls all along the shore. We felt we had time travelled into Ireland.

Further up the way we came across Natalie and her mom. They had left before us. At 9 years old, Natalie is the youngest walker we've encountered (that's her in the photo feeding the pony). Her mom had planned to do the walk with her sister in connection to a family wedding here in Spain, but she had to back out. She took Natalie instead.

They had had a very difficult time of it yesterday... taking a longer route that turned out to be too much longer, having a choking incident, and experiencing other challenges that made for a tough day. But you wouldn't know it looking at little Natalie. She was the picture of fresh energy, ready to go for it with her little backpack, headband, walking pole, and "a good smoked cheese" in her pack.

She had a lollypop in as we approached them on the road. At one point her mom said that it (the lollypop) made for some moments of peace. Natalie piped in, "My mom says silence is golden. But if I'm not talking, she's not getting the gold." Love that girl!

Later in the day, just after a big climb up some steep terrain under the hot Spanish sun, we came across A Casa De Peixa. This little cafe off the beaten path provided a refreshing pit stop on our final leg of the day. The owner brought out bread slices with a tomato, garlic and fresh herb spread to go with our cold drinks. Just perfect for that time and moment.

I’m feeling a little extra sore, likely due to the steep climbs today. We self-medicated with a summer salad, grilled sea bass and entrecote steak at a waterside restaurant. It worked well! Need get good sleep ahead of a big walk day tomorrow.

Bonus pic

Camino passport with stamps from all our stopping points