Back into the city
Faro de Ribadeo
On New Year's Eve we wake up in our very nice hotel in Navia, have a great breakfast (part of the room), and head off to our next stop……laundry! We drive a few minutes into the town center of Navia which turns out to be more of a working harbor town. Nice, but not remarkable.
We load the washer and look for a way to kill around half an hour. We drive through town and down towards a park at the edge of town. We ride through and it’s quite nice. One of the most remarkable things is our ride into the park through a forest of eucalyptus trees. My sense of smell is shot but Laurie noticed them immediately.
We load the washer and look for a way to kill around half an hour. We drive through town and down towards a park at the edge of town. We ride through and it’s quite nice. One of the most remarkable things is our ride into the park through a forest of eucalyptus trees. My sense of smell is shot but Laurie noticed them immediately.
Coffee while the laundry is going
We ride back into town, park, and head back into the laundromat. We move our clothes from the washer to the dryer, feed it about 5 euros worth of coins, and walk down the street. We check out the harbor, and decide to have a coffee in a cafe.
Coffee here is fantastic, and compared to the states, cheap. Two cafe con leche (incredibly strong coffee and scalded milk) costs us 2.60 euros. Not each, for both. It’s common to just stop in a cafe, have a coffee, and move on. It’s so pleasant I can understand why this is the norm.
Coffee here is fantastic, and compared to the states, cheap. Two cafe con leche (incredibly strong coffee and scalded milk) costs us 2.60 euros. Not each, for both. It’s common to just stop in a cafe, have a coffee, and move on. It’s so pleasant I can understand why this is the norm.
Navia harbor
We get back to the laundromat, unload our dryer, fold our clothes, and head west down the coast. We stopped at a beach area and it’s…..okay. Nothing spectacular but okay. We didn’t even take photos as it wasn’t incredibly remarkable.
Next stop are the double lighthouses at Ribadeo, which WAS incredibly striking. The lighthouses were surrounded by a hillside of succulent plants, making for visually striking photos. The coast was rocky and picturesque. This was truly a lovely place.
Next stop are the double lighthouses at Ribadeo, which WAS incredibly striking. The lighthouses were surrounded by a hillside of succulent plants, making for visually striking photos. The coast was rocky and picturesque. This was truly a lovely place.
Ribadeo lighthouses
Eventually we head out for our final driving destination, A Coruna. We drive through the mountains, and stop for lunch at a highway cafe along the A-8. People actually stop to eat or drink here as there are fines for eating or drinking while driving (200 euros). It’s pretty good for gas station food.
We drive through sparsely populated interior Spain. Most of the population is along the coasts and the interior of the country has a fraction of the population. We drive through windmill farms and fog shrouded mountains, eventually coming into A Coruna.
We drive through sparsely populated interior Spain. Most of the population is along the coasts and the interior of the country has a fraction of the population. We drive through windmill farms and fog shrouded mountains, eventually coming into A Coruna.
A small city....according to our waiter
Laurie asked our waiter in Navia about the size of A Coruna. He said that A Coruna was not a big city. We are unsure what his basis of comparison was…..but it was apparently Madrid, Los Angeles, or New York. Huntsville, Alabama is 20,000 people smaller than A Coruna. It was not what we would call small.
I chose our hotel based on many reasons. One reason was that a parking garage was literally at the front door. We parked, checked in, then took the car to the train station to drop off at the rental car place. It was Sunday so traffic was manageable, but I wouldn’t want to do it on a regular day.
I chose our hotel based on many reasons. One reason was that a parking garage was literally at the front door. We parked, checked in, then took the car to the train station to drop off at the rental car place. It was Sunday so traffic was manageable, but I wouldn’t want to do it on a regular day.
View from the balcony in our room
We grab a cab from the train station back to the hotel (cost 7 euros) and it drops us at the door. We have a lovely room with a balcony on the 11th floor, overlooking the city. It’s quite nice and I thought it would be a great place to watch New Year's fireworks.
We headed into the old town and knew a lot of places would be closed. Not wanting to wait until 8:30 p.m. when the restaurants open (they open for dinner at 8:30 or 9:00 p.m.) we had pizza on the front steps of a church. We wandered a while checking out the area then headed back to the hotel.
We headed into the old town and knew a lot of places would be closed. Not wanting to wait until 8:30 p.m. when the restaurants open (they open for dinner at 8:30 or 9:00 p.m.) we had pizza on the front steps of a church. We wandered a while checking out the area then headed back to the hotel.
A quiet New Years Eve
We toughed it out until midnight and were greeted with…….not much. A few small scattered fireworks in the city and that was it. The locals go out drinking and clubbing all night. We know they went out all night as we were running into revelers at noon the next day….and one group of noisy drunks at 3:00 p.m.!
New Year's day we wake up in our very nice hotel, have breakfast at the hotel (included). The breakfast was freshly made with bacon, eggs, lots of fresh fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice, meats, cheeses, and as always wonderful coffee. Then we head out.
New Year's day we wake up in our very nice hotel, have breakfast at the hotel (included). The breakfast was freshly made with bacon, eggs, lots of fresh fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice, meats, cheeses, and as always wonderful coffee. Then we head out.
All the buildings have lots of windows
You don’t hail a cab here. Nobody does. You go to a cab stand and catch one. They’re also cheap, with most rides in the city costing less than 10 euros for a pretty long ride. We go to the cab stand a block away and find tons 20 something guys waiting on cabs.
It must be a Spanish or maybe Galacian (the region) thing but they were all dressed alike. Black suit, white shirt, tie, dress shoes. They were uniformly drunk but no one was rude, aggressive, or out of order. They waited patiently in line for their cab.
It must be a Spanish or maybe Galacian (the region) thing but they were all dressed alike. Black suit, white shirt, tie, dress shoes. They were uniformly drunk but no one was rude, aggressive, or out of order. They waited patiently in line for their cab.
Tower of Hercules
Not wanting to wait with them we took a look at google maps and figured out the bus system pretty quickly. We grabbed a bus for 1.30 euros each and rode up through town to the major attraction in this area, the Tower of Hercules.
This is a Roman lighthouse built originally in around 100 B.C. It has been rebuilt on top of the original, the last time was maybe in the 1700’s. It is surrounded by sculptures and a magnificent ocean with dramatic waves. The hillside around it is covered in different paths and we hike around the peninsula.
This is a Roman lighthouse built originally in around 100 B.C. It has been rebuilt on top of the original, the last time was maybe in the 1700’s. It is surrounded by sculptures and a magnificent ocean with dramatic waves. The hillside around it is covered in different paths and we hike around the peninsula.
Video of the surf this morning
We eventually head back towards the bus stop and nearby buildings to find Laurie a bathroom. We also wind up in a little Cafe/Bar for lunch. We share different tapas and discover a new dish called “raxo”. It consists of cubed pork loin, marinated, cooked, and served on top of potatoes. It was tasty!
We walk along the beach, shoot photos, and wander through a deserted town. Not much is open with the exception of the occasional bar or restaurant. We expect more to be open after 8:30 p.m. tonight and everything to be open tomorrow. Spanish time is different…..and we’ll discuss that in our wrap up.
We walk along the beach, shoot photos, and wander through a deserted town. Not much is open with the exception of the occasional bar or restaurant. We expect more to be open after 8:30 p.m. tonight and everything to be open tomorrow. Spanish time is different…..and we’ll discuss that in our wrap up.
Raxo
We’re heading out to dinner then back late for bed. The weather is supposed to be nasty tomorrow so we’re going to try a few indoor things. We’ll see how that goes. Laurie wrote her observations and she sees things I don’t so they’re totally different! They're coming up next!
Goodnight everyone!
Goodnight everyone!
Laurie thoughts on things
The rocky north coast.....
Well it’s now 2024. Can’t say I’m sorry to see 2023 go but I do face the new year with a certain amount of trepidation. But..there’s plenty of time to worry about all that later.
Once we got out of Bilbao with our rental vehicle I was able to breathe a little easier. Bill does all the driving and while I’m grateful for that, it’s not always easy being the passenger. Bilbao is a big city with big city traffic. Luckily the train station where we rented the vehicle was on the edge of town so we were able to get through the city part and onto the highway fairly quickly.
Once we got out of Bilbao with our rental vehicle I was able to breathe a little easier. Bill does all the driving and while I’m grateful for that, it’s not always easy being the passenger. Bilbao is a big city with big city traffic. Luckily the train station where we rented the vehicle was on the edge of town so we were able to get through the city part and onto the highway fairly quickly.
Ribadeso lighthouse
We made our way along the coast expecting to go in and out of small towns like we did in Iceland. Nope. There aren’t a lot of small towns on the coast. 80% of Spain’s population lives either in the big cities or on the coast. The interior of the country is largely mountainous and there is little support from the Spanish government to encourage rural life. So population centers have grown all along the coast and few are the quaint villages we expected.
Driving through these ‘towns’ was no easy task. They are all old, and the streets were not designed for vehicle traffic. Parking in the areas where there were restaurants and bars was nearly impossible. We were able to park and explore a few towns like Llanes and Cudillero which were built into the mountain sides and right down to the waterfronts. There were the usual town squares and churches and some lovely waterfront areas. But it was very surprising how big these towns were.
Driving through these ‘towns’ was no easy task. They are all old, and the streets were not designed for vehicle traffic. Parking in the areas where there were restaurants and bars was nearly impossible. We were able to park and explore a few towns like Llanes and Cudillero which were built into the mountain sides and right down to the waterfronts. There were the usual town squares and churches and some lovely waterfront areas. But it was very surprising how big these towns were.
Wind farm in the mountains
So we stayed on the outskirts of towns in two very nice hotels. We upgraded our rooms to the ‘superior’ ones and it was quite lovely for a low price compared to the USA. Granted it is off season which lowers the price. Many hotels and restaurants were closed for the winter.
Having gotten caught again by the Spanish custom of not offering food between 4 and 8pm, we settled into the bar of our hotel one night where a very attentive server talked me into a gin and tonic, or 2. He brought a glass of ice to the table and the bottle and proceeded to pour gin into the tumbler.
Having gotten caught again by the Spanish custom of not offering food between 4 and 8pm, we settled into the bar of our hotel one night where a very attentive server talked me into a gin and tonic, or 2. He brought a glass of ice to the table and the bottle and proceeded to pour gin into the tumbler.
Road cafe off the A-8
He looked at me and said you tell me when to stop…so I said stop. And he proceeded to inform me that usually people take enough to cover the first ice cube. These were ice chunks - about 3 inches square. When in Spain as they say. Needless to say after 2 of those I was not fit for much and reminded myself why I don’t drink much alcohol any more. But it was very tasty and fun while it lasted.
I have noticed that every place we have been there is very little serving staff. It doesn’t matter how busy or big the place is, there never seems to be more than 2 or 3 servers, and often only 1. I don’t know why this is but they work hard for their money. Most speak only a little English and although I can make myself understood, they talk so fast and in a dialect of Spanish I can’t often really understand them well. We are now in Galacia and they have their own dialect here.
I have noticed that every place we have been there is very little serving staff. It doesn’t matter how busy or big the place is, there never seems to be more than 2 or 3 servers, and often only 1. I don’t know why this is but they work hard for their money. Most speak only a little English and although I can make myself understood, they talk so fast and in a dialect of Spanish I can’t often really understand them well. We are now in Galacia and they have their own dialect here.
New years eve, A Coruna
We spent today wandering the waterfront and last night the old town of A Coruna. Again, this is a MUCH bigger city than we anticipated. There really isn’t a tremendous amount to see here of interest. Of course the way of life is always interesting but in terms of scenic places we were misled by some enthusiastic youtube videos that made this place look much more interesting than it has turned out to be.
We have never been in a larger city in Europe that was as dead as this place was on new year’s eve. Very few places were open later than 8 and those that were open didn’t serve food. We ended up having a piece of pizza sitting on a church step which was fine. There was no central celebration in any of the plazas we could see and the city was completely quiet long before midnight.
We have never been in a larger city in Europe that was as dead as this place was on new year’s eve. Very few places were open later than 8 and those that were open didn’t serve food. We ended up having a piece of pizza sitting on a church step which was fine. There was no central celebration in any of the plazas we could see and the city was completely quiet long before midnight.
One of the many churches
All this was OK since I have to stay away from crowds to avoid COVID exposure because I am having surgery right when we get back. But it was very surprising. We have a lovely balcony overlooking the city and really couldn’t see any fireworks.
Private parties were apparently the thing here as we saw lots of people dressed up clearly going somewhere to celebrate. Some of them, particularly the young men, were still dressed up in their suits looking a little worse for wear today.
Private parties were apparently the thing here as we saw lots of people dressed up clearly going somewhere to celebrate. Some of them, particularly the young men, were still dressed up in their suits looking a little worse for wear today.
Sea birds washing the salt out of their feathers
This city is also not as clean as most of the other places we have been. Between dogs pissing on the buildings (and men) and the trash cans overflowing it has a bit of an odor. Maybe they will start cleaning tomorrow but even on Xmas day in San Sebastian the garbage collectors were out working.
So it has been interesting to see the different ways of life along this trip. Tomorrow they’re calling for heavy rain so we’re going to play it by ear.
So it has been interesting to see the different ways of life along this trip. Tomorrow they’re calling for heavy rain so we’re going to play it by ear.