A Guarda folk festival

A day off the trail in A Guarda to dry out shoes and to have some down time for admin tasks and hand washing.

We wondered into the main square just as a traditional folk festival was starting.

These gorgeous ladies sang and played the tambourine while young girls performed traditional dances. What a treat! Gorgeous colours and singing and fantastic tambourine playing.

What do you do when you are not walking on the trail? You walk in the village, there's always walking to be had and it feels fantastic walking without a 9kg backpack, quite freeing really :)

We walked  out to the end of the breakwater and marveled at the strength of the old sea walls to protect the fishing fleet from the often wild Atlantic sea. The fishing fleet is old and it looks like a tough life to an outsider. They have a big lobster festival here in August which I imagine would be a fantastic experience to be a part of. 

All the villages and towns on the Camino have churches or cathedrals and A Guarda has a lovely old church too. You could  get a bit 'over-churched' but you always get a surprise at how different they are once you step inside, some grand, some simple and of course you can't help but marvel at the mastery of design and decoration that has lasted hundreds of years.

 

Our digs just happened to be an old convent that had been converted to hotel accommodation. Gorgeous antiques, lovely salon, peaceful and quiet and a perfect place to relax away from the trail.

Of course we took up the offer of a welcome port and sweet pastry in the salon, it would have been rude not to :)