Bike Ride Day 3 - Caminha to Baiona

When looked at the map this morning to get a sense of where I was going, I noticed that my ride started with about ½ mile of open water where the Minho River opens to the sea and forms the border between Portugal and Spain. Choosing the most practical option, I grabbed a water taxi. Question: If I (totally hypothetically here) accidently dropped my bicycle mirror in the water halfway through the taxi ride while messing with my helmet, did I lose it in Portugal or Spain?

After two days of level rides, I’ve started hitting some hilly terrain that is going to get more hilly in coming days. In keeping with my attempts to seek religion-relevant metaphors wherever I go, I found myself today not enjoying the downhill riding because I knew that every downhill meant another uphill around the corner. Go with peace.

Last night at the café, this dog at the next table was obsessed with me. The people with her laughed and
said that she typically isn’t eager to interact with strangers but that she could tell that I was gentle of spirit and kind of soul. Or maybe they were saying that she wanted my food. I don’t know, they were speaking Portuguese.

Today I’m in Baiona, Spain. This town is most famous for the fact that the Pinta (of Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria fame) was the first of Columbus’s ships back and Baiona was its first stop. As such, the people of Baiona were the first Spaniards to learn of the success of the voyage. 

This is one of several large commemorative things celebrating Baiona’s connection to what this plaque calls the “discovery of the Americas.” If I had more time here, I would explain that the Central and South Americans feel very strongly that they couldn’t have been “discovered” because they were very well self-aware of the fact that they were there and that they had a very successful civilization that Spain ultimately destroyed, which means that there should be a day of mourning rather than one of celebration. But I’m off on another ride tomorrow so someone else will have to take care of delivering that news.

I did, however, pay the €1 fee to visit the exact replica of the Pinta in Baiona harbor. It was surprising to me how small it was. They say there was a crew of 25, but it’s hard for me to imagine how 25 people fit on this thing let alone live on it for months.

Then all of my unsettled feelings drifted away when I discovered that I was staying at the ultra-luxurious Parador de Baiona, which is a refurbished 16th century building in the walled-off old city. You have to walk through two massive stone archways to get here from town, and past Porsches, Volvos and Jaguars, whose owners seemed thrilled to see my riding up, sweaty, smelly and leaving trails of mud in the parking lot. It’s a bit of a walk downhill from here to the waterfront, but I understand the need for us to maintain a little separation from the common people. I will sleep well tonight.

From today: