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