As soon as one enters the community of Oia, Spain from the Camino, the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Oia becomes visible. It's tower watches over the city like a hall monitor. The monastery was founded by the Cistercian order in 1137 CE and is celebrated as a cultural asset of Galicia.
I've been walking pretty fast this morning and reach Oia before most of my friends. The path takes me along a walled walkway just below the monastery and around a small ocean bay. Though I'm unable to get any great views during this first pass, I plan to come back in a bit. For now, I find my hotel for the night and then backtrack to get some lunch. Soon a couple of my friends join me. After checking into the hotel (I couldn't earlier because it was too early), a few of us decide to check out the monetary.
We walk completely around the grounds, which is comprised of several interconnected structures. It looks ancient and for good reason, it has stood overlooking this bay for almost 900 years. We attempt to enter, but find the main entrance to the chapel locked. I'm not sure if it's open to the public or not, but it seems most churches along the Camino have been. Anyway, I do my best to position my camera and get a shot of the interior. It looks to be quite beautiful. I wish we could enter, but we'll have to settle for this.
After our little exploration, we meet up with our the remainder of our friends for dinner and drinks. The Camino has so much to offer, but one of the best is the constant ancient structure to explore and learn the history of. I'm really enjoying myself. I note that I returned the next morning, when it wasn't so cloudy, to get a better picture.
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