DJmotortouring

From Santiago we set off towards Sanxenxo which was recommended as a place to visit by a friendly and very informative waiter at Camping A Vouga. He also recommended Cambados and Arcade and upon learning that Cambados is a small fishing town on the coast road to Sanxenxo, we decided to visit.

Parking is easy in Cambados. There’s dedicated campervan parking on a small island down by the beach very close to the old town (N42.512135 W8.818061) and in no time we were parked up and strolling along the Rua Real to the town’s imposing stone square, the Plaza de Fefinans, which is the centre of Cambados.

I didn’t find out until after we left but Cambados is famous for its oysters. It is also considered the capital of Albarino wines and was declared European Wine Capital in 2017. Moreover, we had arrived in the town just as the annual Festa do Albarino was beginning. What a wally I am for not having undertaken even the most rudimentary research into Cambados before visiting. Had I known these facts beforehand I could well have agreed with Vanya that we reconsider our movements. She had proposed staying on (or at least returning in three days time) after learning that a three day music festival was scheduled to commence that very day in the Plaza de Fefinans. To be fair to me, there was no guarantee that we would be able to secure tickets for the final day and in any event heavy rain was forecast for then. Oh well!

We had a good mooch around the town, taking in the Plaza de Fefinans and the 16th century San Bieto Church and then; found a bar so as to sit and enjoy a glass of Albarino (and accompanying tapas) before continuing our journey down the coast.

By the way, a large glass of Albarino white wine and accompanying tapas cost little more than 1.50 pounds!

We very reluctantly left that almost perfect campsite on San Francisco Bay (Camping A Vouga) but with the new Brexit rules limiting the amount of time we can spend in the EU to just 90 days in every 180, it is time to move on.

Our first port of call was Santiago de Compostela. Despite the criticisms I voiced in my last post (Finisterre), I am seriously thinking of doing a Camino next year (I might even create a new route of my own – LoL) and thought it appropriate to check out the finish point of Santiago di Compostela or; should I go on to Cabo Tourinan, near Muxia, which is Spain’s real westernmost point (not Finisterre).

We drove into the outskirts of Santiago and parked up near an Abu Dhabi size shopping mall with a huge Carrefour. I figured that Carrefour would keep Vanya occupied for the time it would take me to walk the six or seven mile round trip to and from the Prazo do Obradoiro where the Cathedral sits (and where the relics of Saint James are supposedly interred). As it happens, I was back at the Van before Vanya had finished in Carrefour.

It was an easy walk to and then through part of the old town to the Prazo do Obradoira and the Cathedral. You simply follow Camino shells until you can no longer see any shells because of the thickening crowds and then; you follow the crowds (especially the scruffier, smellier elements of the crowd) until you can see a cathedral spire or two. Then, there you are, standing on what must be the most wonderful square in the world to those pilgrims or walkers who have just completed a proper Camino. Honestly, the excitement of some of the pilgrims as they approached the cathedral was almost palpable; it was both emotional and uplifting even to an old cynic like me. Well done them!!!

My particular route on to the Prazo do Obradoira took me through a small arch where I was thrilled to hear a busker playing foliada (traditional Galician music which is almost Celtic in style). Just goes to show, you can take the lad out of Scotland but you cannot take Scotland out of the lad.

I had time to explore more of Santiago and when I next pass through here I certainly will but; on this occasion (after taking the obligatory photos), I was content to do nothing but sit and observe. Honestly, it was wonderful. Seeing the different ways that individuals and groups of people were expressing their total joy at having finally completed their Camino was well… sublime. “People Watching” at it’s absolute best.

Okay, so I made time to take a few more photos. Time to move on. We hope to get at least as far as Cambados today.

We never made it to Muxia. On the way to our first stop at Finisterre, up along the Costa da Morte (the Coast of Death – so called because of the large number of shipwrecks ), we paused at Ezaro and so ran out of time. No matter. Muxia is famous for it’s beaches but we have already seen a great many wonderful beaches and I don’t doubt there will be more.

We paused at Ezaro as much to exercise the dogs as anything although a large sign by the side of the road suggested there was a waterfall in the area and we thought it might be worth a look (once the dogs had burned off some energy). The dogs enjoyed a run on Ezaro’s wide sandy beach and a little paddle both in the sea and a short way up the estuary of the River Xallas. It was as we were walking alongside the Xallas that we again saw the sign advertising a waterfall and the sign confirmed that it was no more than a kilometre or so away. Off we went.

The Fervenza Do Ezaro (to give the waterfall its full name) was formed when the river was dammed and a hydro electric power station was built in the middle of the 20th century. To start with the waterfall was not allowed to flow unless there was an excess of waterflow on the River Xallas but in 2011 pressure from various environmental groups forced the authorities to allow some “ecological flow” to allow local wildlife to recover. Now the 40 metre falls have become a local tourist attraction with viewpoints, cafes, souvenir shops, etc.

And on to Finisterre. During the period of Classical Antiquity, this precise part of Spain was considered to be the end of the world and the place where the sun died at dusk – hence it’s name which quite literally translates into the “End of the Earth” . To reach Finisterre, you simply follow the main road (the AC 445) through the fishing town of Finterre towards the lighthouse along some quite spectacular coastline. Ordinarily, Finisterre would be packed with people because, following the success of the Martin Sheen film “The Way” (which saw him and his fellow pilgrims continue their walk of the Camino de France on through Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre), the extra three days walking to Finisterre has become quite the norm. The place was surprisingly quiet as we arrived no doubt because of Covid travel restrictions. I’m not complaining.

The extra three days walk from Santiago de Compostela has actually developed into yet another Camino (there are a great many of them nowadays as different towns and villages cash in on what has become a tourist phenomena) known as the Santiago to Finisterre Compostela and an office within the lighthouse offers walker certificates. Please do not misunderstand me; I am not having a go at Camino travellers (be they pilgrims or just walkers); I have total respect for all those people who have completed any one of the original Camino’s to Santiago and those who continue on to Finisterre deserve particular credit (I’d like to do it myself) but, it is becoming farcical now with increased commercialism, new routes being developed and/or many of the original routes now paved or covered in asphalt and, worst of all, with an increasing number of ‘pilgrims’ completing the Camino on mountain bikes, etc. It could be cars next.

It is still a pretty place.

We decided to visit Ourense next although it was only ever going to be a short visit. The route we chose took us down the Canon de Sil. Oh, but I could do that journey every day. Some of the views were stunning. There was one viewpoint at the top of the canyon which I didn’t see until it was too late and then; we were sailing past it with no possible turning point for many miles. Even so, I would have continued until we could turn around and drive back up to the viewpoint but Vanya wouldn’t have it. She was almost on the floor having kittens at the thought of our going back up.

Entering Ourense we found a quiet aire, at which to overnight, on the north side of the city next to the fire station. The aire suited us because it is only two to three kilometres from Ourense’s old town (the Casco Vello) where we could find something to eat and drink. We had googled where to find the best tapas and discovered that the best restaurants are on either Lepanto Street (Casa Tonita for its Poached Eggs), San Miguel Street (Paris for it’s Garlic & Oil Potatoes and Ocugumalo for it’s Mushrooms & Prawns) and Hornos Street (O’Souto for it’s Mashed Potato & Beef and Atarazana for it’s Scallops). All three streets are to be found by the Cathedral which would serve as a great reference point and perhaps provide for some spiritual fulfilment too – only joking Vanya!

We locked the Van up and set off in the direction of the Cathedral, crossing the Mino river by the Ponte Vella (the High Bridge); otherwise known as the old Roman Bridge except, it is not an old Roman bridge. It is a medieval bridge with five arches that was simply built on the site of an earlier Roman bridge but; why ruin a good story with historical facts? It is now a pedestrian bridge and it provides fantastic views across to another of the eight bridges in Ourense which cross the Mino river – the Puenta Milenio (the Millennium Bridge). Our route to and from the old town took us under the Millennium Bridge and, for such a modern structure, it really is something quite different and therefore rather special.

It proved very easy to find the Ourense Cathedral (Catedral de Ourense or Catedral do San Martino) and I was pleasantly surprised by it’s very simple Gothic design and unusual octagonal lantern tower. I don’t know what it looks like inside. As has so often been the case during this tour, the doors were locked. We actually saw more of one other very impressive looking church in the old town, the Iglesia de Santa Eufamia, when we stopped just short of the Cathedral for a drink.

We hadn’t completed a circuit of the Cathedral before we found ourselves on Hornos Street and, almost immediately thereafter, on Lepanto Street. Scallops were a non starter because Atarazana was closed but the other bars on our list were open and there were plenty more to choose from. The approach here was different to Logrono. In Ourense, one sits at tables outside the tapas bar and are served by waiters whereas in Logrono one invariably stood outside and ordered food and drink through windows or across bars. This being so, in Ourense there is neither the same movement between bars nor as much interaction between diners and staff as was the case in Logrono. For me it wasn’t bad; it was just different. I think Vanya favours the more informal and friendly approach we experienced in Logrono but, we both very much enjoyed our evening in Ourense and we particularly loved the Tempura Prawns at Vinoteca Taperia. One final observation regarding our tapas evening in Ourense, Ourense still holds with the tradition of providing at least one free tapas with drinks (twice we were given free tuna empanadas). You don’t often see that nowadays in the larger towns.

Okay, so I found the Cathedral and I found the tapas bars. Unfortunately, I failed to find any of the thermal baths which are dotted all over the city but, the fact is, my sense of direction didn’t stretch that far and couldn’t without my first imbibing an Estrella Galician beer, a glass of Ribeiro red wine and a few Albarino white wines (and by then it was too late). Next time? Meanwhile, the Chavasqueira – Outariz Pools were the closest to where we were parked, being on the northern bank of the river and west of the Millenium Bridge.

After we had taken our fill of tapas and the Albarino, we had just enough time and energy for a last look around Ourense’s lanes before heading back to the Van and, in my case, a wee dram. It was a great evening.