northern Galicia

3 October

We spent three nights at Hotel A Miranda, just south of the town of Cariño, in the region of Ortegal, Galicia. Ortegal is in the farthest northern corner of Galicia, and is largely undeveloped. Its businesses are just beginning to focus on ecotourism. Local geology, geography, and climate combine to lure visitors to its beauty. We spent one day exploring Cariño's cape, Cabo Ortegal, and the next day exploring the cape to the east, Estaca de Bares. Both are mountainous and rocky, and wherever there is soil, there are eucalyptus trees. There is little visible agriculture (a few cows here and there), no cities or parks or shops or museums, only a few fishing ports with their necessary services. The population of the whole comarca is about 15,000. This really does seem like the back of beyond.

Both capes claim to be the spot where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Cantabrian Sea; of the two, Ortegal is the more dramatic, perched at the end of a steep point of land with high cliffs on each side. Estaca de Bares, however, is surrounded offshore by obviously complex currents, and in terms of latitude is the northernmost point of land on the Iberian peninsula, if only by a degree or two. I have to wonder if it isn't closer to the junction of the two seas, but it really is nitpicking to even consider the issue.

The two capes enclose a large estuary that runs inland for several kilometers, so that it takes a long time to get from one side to the other. Other than admiring the natural beauty of the coastline, which is stunning, there was not much to do. We drove out to the sleepy port of Cedeira (at left), to the west on the Atlantic, on Thursday, and had a nice, if unremarkable, lunch there. Cabo Ortegal and Cariño offered nothing other than a few local bars. The tourist season has ended for the year, which added to the sense of being far away from anything.

So it was somewhat a surprise, on the trip out to Estaca de Bares on Friday, to discover the small and charming fishing port of O Barqueiro, to which we returned for lunch at A Sobreposta, a lovely modern restaurant on a terrace overlooking the tiny harbor. Our excellent meal included a green salad topped with grilled slices of goat cheese and toasted walnuts, and poached hake with a very tasty vinaigrette containing a finely minced mixture of onion, green and red peppers, and hardboiled eggwhite. It seemed an unlikely and sophisticated meal for this isolated region, but we weren't about to complain!

Also on the food front, our hotel served a breakfast of sliced pan rústico topped with freshly pureed avocado seasoned with salt and pepper, and thick slices of in-season tomatoes alongside, a great way to start the day (especially along with fresh orange juice!). We enjoyed the resident dog and cats, as well as the lovely view from our room. A very out-of-the-way place, and a fun contrast to the last two weeks.

Photos are at https://plus.google.com/u/0/113886039316216265781/posts/fZv5oskcALE?pid=6066724476691064098&oid=113886039316216265781

Fisterra, land's end

5 October

We are in Finisterre (Spanish, from the Latin for land's end), or Fisterra (Galician), Galicia, the final end of the Camino de Santiago for many pilgrims, a small fishing port resting at the end of a cape that was once thought to be the end of the world. The coast here is known as the Costa da Morte (coast of death) because of the many shipwrecks on its rocky shores over the centuries. 

This is a beautiful point of land jutting into the Atlantic, one of the westernmost capes of the Iberian Peninsula. The land is drier and rockier than in the northern corner from which we came, and to us it feels more comfortable. We have walked the beach and explored the town and admired the endurance of the pilgrims. Lunch in town yesterday was delicious: razor-shell clams from the local beach; pimientos de Padrón, a small green sweet pepper of northern Spain only available in the fall; and the ubiquitous "mixed green salad" of fresh lettuce, tomato, carrot, onion, and canned tuna. Olive oil and vinegar dressing. The typical and delicious Galician pan rústico. Today we ate at an Italian pizzeria, and enjoyed a green salad (without the tuna), a baked eggplant dish with tomatoes and cheese, and a pizza. A nice change!

Though not required to complete the pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago (the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, some 90 kilometers east, is the official endpoint), many camino-ites come all the way here, and we saw a lot of backpacks around the harbor. We, of course, can claim no such accomplishment, though we did walk the two+ kilometers of beach from our hotel into town.

Fisterra is an interesting blend of quasi-touristy camino restaurants, hostels, and stores, and a lively local community based around the fishing port. We had fun watching the local scene on the plaza at the harbor: kids playing soccer, parents with toddlers, groups of grandmothers arm-in-arm. The town is small enough to feel intimate and friendly, but also diverse due to all the travelers that come through. Our hotel, Alén do Mar, is small and comfortable, just outside of town and a block away from the beautiful Langosteira beach. We are enjoying our stay. A few photos can be found here:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/113886039316216265781/posts/BomqWLS8frv?pid=6066729066095273666&oid=113886039316216265781

A Guarda

7 October

We have landed in a gem of a hotel, in a gem of a town, for our last three nights in Spain. A Guarda is the southernmost town on the Atlantic coast in Galicia; the Miño River to its south constitutes the border with Portugal. This is the last stop on the trip, and we are tired, and grateful to be in such a charming place. The tourist season is well over, several stores and restaurants are closed for vacation, but tourism doesn't seem to be that important and there is still plenty of local action to be seen on the streets and plazas. The colorful buildings that rise up the hill are very cheerful. 

We drove through at times heavy rain and at times dense fog from Fisterra to arrive in A Guarda in time to check in and find a delicious lunch at Restaurante Riveiriña. It included the pimientos de Padrón that we like so much; since we had passed through Padrón on our way here, it seemed only appropriate to eat some peppers! 

Our hotel is the San Benito (hotelsanbenito.es/), established in a former 17th-century Benedictine convent and preserving the historical atmosphere while providing all the modern comforts. Located at the base of the town, right off the harbor, it has a spectacular location. Have a look at the web site to see more detail.

For photos of A Guarda in stormy weather, see 

https://plus.google.com/u/0/113886039316216265781/posts/KR8967bqLcL?pid=6067124366484562418&oid=113886039316216265781

A Guarda sits on the north side of the mouth of the Miño​, and its peninsula is dominated by a steep 1,100-foot-high hill that gives views all around for miles, and especially up the river and out to sea. Clearly an important strategic site, the hill was occupied by Celts from about 100 b.c. to 100 a.d.; there also are some Iron Age petroglyphs present. With its mild climate and a natural harbor to the north of the hill, this is an inviting environment. The Romans conquered the Celts and occupied A Guarda until the decline of the Empire. Over time, the town also was occupied by Vandals and Moors (like the rest of Spain), and by Portuguese and French pirates. Whew.

The Celtic​ castro is one of the most important hill-forts ​on the peninsula​, having been discovered in 1913 when a new road was being built​. Over the century since, it has been carefully preserved/excavated/reconstructed. It consists of hundreds of structures, mostly round but a few rectangular. ​Its population is estimated to have reached 3,000-5,000 people (modern A Guarda is only 10,000 or so). A​ tiny​ archaeological museum is at the entrance to the site.​ The day we were there, it was too foggy to see far, but the mist was wonderfully atmospheric.​

The small mountain​ is named for Santa Tecla (Saint Thecla, in English​), a follower of the ​a​postle Paul​ who, first​,​ defied her parents to ​stay single and a virgin, and later assaulted a nobleman who was trying to abduct her; ​sentenced to death, ​she was saved​ miraculously​ by ​the ​female animals who were supposed to kill her​ (​go Thecla!).​

A hermitage​ was​ dedicated to ​her​ at the top of the mountain​ ​in the ​12thC (hence the​ name​)​. A few medieval streets still ​constitute a small pedestrian zone ​above the port.​ The castle of Santa Cruz was built on ​a hill​side​ on the north side of town as a protective fortress during the war between Spain and Portugal (17thC).​ It i​s in ruins​ now​ but​ is​ open to the public as a park.

Indianos have played an important role in A Guarda, with immigration primarily to ​and from ​Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba​,​ as well as Brazil. There are at least a dozen Indiano houses in town, and another dozen or so in neighboring villages​​, rather dowdy evidence​ of the wealth they brought back in the late 19th and early 20th C.

Farming and fishing have always been mainstays of the economy, according to local history. ​Tourism is big today, with beautiful beaches on both sides​ of town​, and wine country all around (alboriño ​grape​s, primarily​)​.​​ With many restaurants serving delicious seafood​, and larger cities like Tui only 20 minutes away, A Guarda is an interesting and welcoming place to visit. (​But t​hey could use some PR; it was hard to pull together all these facts!)

​Photos are at https://plus.google.com/u/0/113886039316216265781/posts/fNKerMrbJeC?pid=6067501129838925890&oid=113886039316216265781

We will fly from Vigo to Paris tomorrow afternoon​, then home to Torrey on Friday. This may well be my last post of the trip; I hope you have all enjoyed them!