Tag: Galicia

We were headed east to avoid the rain which would soon hit Galicia and after driving up and through the spectacular Sil River Canyon we stopped at the small city of Monforte de Lemos in Galicia’s Lugo Province for a bite to eat and a short wander.

Monforte de Lemos proved a bit of a revelation. Dominated by the Monte de San Vicente with it’s old Castle Keep, Palace of the Condes and hilltop Monastery of San Vicento do Pino (now a Parador Hotel), Montforte de Lemos is a deserving capital of the Ribeira Sacra – an area known for it’s wine and monasteries. I’m jumping ahead of myself, I know but; I discovered that the Mencia grape is grown here and this grape is generally used to produce quality red wines which go perfectly with a peppered steak or even chicken fajitas, to say nothing of Ossau-Iraty cheese. Yes, we stopped for something to eat and I sampled the wine and some cheese (Queso Idiazabal from Spain’s Basque Country) and I am wholly converted but; sorry, back to the city of Monforte de Lemos.

Upon arrival, we chanced upon the very last parking spot near the Parque dos Condes. This is a delightful municipal park in the centre of the city with a small lake, tiny pedestrian bridges and very pleasing gardens. It’s also close to what is perhaps the most imposing building in the city – the Nosa Senora da Antigua which is a school, church and museum combined; inside of which are various ‘sacred art’ paintings by the illustrious Domenikos Theotokopoulos (the artist better known as El Greco). Impressive is an understatement.

We wandered the city centre for the best part of an hour, passing over and under the 16th century Ponte Vella as we did so, and marvelling at the total lack of tourism, before settling down outside a tapas bar on the Praza de Espana for some food and that delicious wine I have already mentioned.

Of course, it’s only a matter of time before tourism takes off. There is already a camino here, the 267 kilometre Camino de Invierno (the Winter Way). To be fair, this route to Santiago (from Ponferrada) has been in use since the Middle Ages but has largely been forgotten. It was used by pilgrims during the winter to avoid the heavy snowfalls on the mountain pass of O Cebreiro that walkers of the Camino Frances would otherwise encounter.

The final word on Monforte de Lemos has to rest with the local wine… Lol.

Next stop, the campsite at Vega da Espinareda in Castile y Leon Region. Haro beckons.

We’re still at Camping O Muino up on the coast near Oia but we took time out to do a round trip of some 60 miles to the small Galician city of Tui (Tui in Galician & Portuguese; Tuy in Castilian Spanish).

Tui is a city of some 15,000 people sitting on the River Mino directly opposite Portugal’s Valenca de Minho. A metal road and rail bridge (the International Bridge) connects the two towns and it can be walked across although, I didn’t know that at the time or I might have crossed the river for a look at Valenca. No, that’s not true. The star attraction of Tui is it’s magnificent 11th-13th century Catedral de Santa Maria de Tuy and I was determined to see it above all else.

Built on the city’s highest point in a mix of Romanesque and Gothic styles, it is a well preserved fortress cathedral complete with battlements and crenellated towers. The oldest sections and the imposing entrance are Romanesque but most of the exterior walls are in the Gothic style.

There is a 5 Euro entrance fee, which I think is waived for ‘pilgrims’ travelling to Santiago, but I wasn’t going to complain about the price. A very informative audio guide explaining some of the architecture and the history of the cathedral came with the entrance ticket.

Inside the cathedral is beautiful and there is so much of interest that my time there simply flew by. I’ve never been particularly interested in relics and/or church museums but the cathedral holds so many relics that the Chapel of Saint Telmo, in which they are held, is more often than not referred to as the Chapel of Relics. I found the small museum more interesting than the Chapel of Saint Telmo not least because, in addition to displaying the usual church treasures such as processional sceptres, chalices etc, there are two ‘sanbenitos‘ on display. Sanbenitos I was informed are penitential garments worn by alleged heretics who were prosecuted by the Inquisition in the 17th century.

My favourite parts of the cathedral are, without any doubt, the 12th century Chapter House and, especially, the 13th century Gothic style Cloisters. They are truly magnificent. A very pleasant surprise was the narrow staircase off of the Cloisters which leads up to the battlements and spectacular views across the River Mino towards Portugal’s Valenca.

Some photos: The first two (of the north entrance) were taken from above the Cloisters where Vanya and our two dogs were waiting patiently for me to finish in the cathedral. The dogs saw me but Vanya didn’t.

These next two photos show the well kept cloister gardens…

… and these show the magnificent Cloisters themselves…

In the nave are two enormous richly decorated 18th century Baroque organs, partly hidden by huge buttresses installed to reinforce the cathedral walls. The second of the photos below is of the altarpiece in the Chapel of Relics.

I spent a great deal of my time in the cathedral admiring interesting detail that seemed to be everywhere…

… and simply appreciating the views across the River Mino from the cathedral battlements…

After my somewhat extended visit to the cathedral we did a quick tour of the old town…

… and then paused for lunch at a cafe bar, El Cielo, before heading back to Oia.

I’ve mentioned previously that, given the current interest in caminos and the money they generate, it is only a matter of time before almost every city, town and village in Spain has a Camino running through it to Santiago. It came as no surprise therefore to learn that a second, shorter ‘Portuguese Camino’ now wends it’s way from Tui to Santiago. It matters not that Tui is in Spain and not Portugal; only that it borders Portugal and, most important, it is more than 100 kilometres from Santiago (116 kms to be precise) and so ‘pilgrims’ making the walk qualify for a pilgrim’s certificate. It’s happening sooner than I thought…

Baiona (Bayona in Spanish) is one of the prettier and more interesting medieval port towns to be found on arguably the most beautiful part of Spain’s coastline – The 300km stretch of cliffs, coves, beaches and crystal clear waters that forms Galicia’s south west coast of Rias Baixas. This area contains no less than 55 blue flag beaches, 5 of which are to be found in Baiona itself. Small wonder that the town’s population of less than 12,ooo swells to over 50,000 during the summer months of July and August.

We were lucky to find a parking spot on the Avenida Playa Ladeira next to the long fine white sandy beach of the same name and, from there, we walked along the Paseo Maritimo de Baiona towards the old town. This path takes you past the smaller but no less pretty Santa Marta Beach to the harbour and then on to the Fortress of Monterreal which is itself surrounded by four more glorious beaches; the A Ribeira and the A Barbeira (both soft white sandy beaches) on the east side of Monterreal and; the Praia dos Frades (a fine pebble beach) and the A Concheira (a wilder rocky beach) to the west and favoured by surfers.

Covering the Monte Boi promentory, an area of some 18 hectares (that’s more than 25 football pitches), the Fortress of Monterreal is one of Spain’s larger fortifications. Construction began during the 12th century but it took more than 400 years to complete. The walls and three remaining towers are in remarkably good condition and this is due in part to some of the battlements being restored as recently as the 1960’s when a decision was made to convert a large part of the fortress into a Parador. For the uninitiated, Paradors are a chain of 3 to 5 star hotels established as part of a government initiative to accommodate tourists and travellers while at the same time showcasing Spain’s culture, nature and/or gastronomy. Currently, there are more than 100 such hotels dotted across Spain with more than half of them located in historical buildings (usually castles or monasteries). This was the second Parador I was able to access during this tour, the other being in Ciudad Rodrigo.

It is possible to walk the walls of the castle but a more rewarding walk is the 2 kilometre Paseo de Monte Boi which loops all the way around the fortress and provides access to the promentory’s four beaches (already mentioned) and it’s numerous rocky coves. There are many rest areas and viewing points along the walk and the views towards the Cies Islands are splendid.

Other points of interest during the walk around the Paseo de Monte Boi include the Tourist Information Centre, the Parque da Palma and, alongside the park, the Entre Dos Mundos Monument (Encounter Between Two Worlds Monument) which commemorates the arrival of the Pinta in Baiona on 1 March 1493 after it’s return to Spain following the discovery of the New World. The Monument depicts the meeting of the two different cultures (the Old and the New Worlds) and it was created in 1993 to mark the 500th anniversary of the arrival of the Pinta in Baiona

One more interesting feature visible from the Paseo de Monte Boi and open to the public is a life size replica of the caravel La Pinta which together with the Santa Maria and the Nina were the three ships which formed Christopher Columbus’ expedition of 1492 in search of the New World. La Pinta was captained by Martin Alonso Pinzon who, tragically, died within a month of his return to Spain.

It was time to eat. We set off back down the Paseo Maritimo and, ignoring the more expensive bars and restaurants on the seafront, we looked to eat in the old centre of the town which is to be found directly behind the grand parade (the Avenida Monterreal). The old town isn’t very large but, there are numerous authentic tapas bars sprinkled among the Galician terraced houses which line it’s narrow streets and lanes.

I wish I could remember the name of the first tapas bar we stopped at because not only did they follow the time honoured tradition of supplying a free tapas with every drink purchased but; they served up the best pulled pork sandwich I have ever eaten. Of course they also offered my favourite, the Galician Octopus (Pulpo a Feira) and a wide variety of other mouthwatering tapas, including Gooseneck Barnacles (Percebes), Padron Peppers (Pimientos de Padron) and Galician Pie (Empanada Gallega). Because I would be driving again later in the day I had to limit myslf to the one small beer but, otherwise… well, this area is the home of Albarino wine.

Thoroughly revitalised, Vanya and I had time for a further short wander around the old town. I’ve said previously in this website that Vanya is not into churches (neither figuratively nor literally) and so I was left to visit some of the town’s religious buildings. These included the 16th century Santa Casa de Misericordia, the 1695 Saint Liberata Sanctuary, the nearby 13th century Collegiate Church of Saint Mary (built by Cistercian monks) and the 13th century hermitage of Santa Marta (which had to be rebuilt after being destroyed by no less a person than Sir Francis Drake in 1585).

The most interesting was the small Santa Casa de Misericordia de Baiona which, as we arrived, was celebrating it’s 450th anniversary (1574 to 2024)

The final word in this post must go to the beautiful Cies Islands which, sadly, we were unable to visit because dogs are not allowed on the island. Baiona is an access point to the Cies Islands during the summer months, running ferries to the three islands of Monteagudo, Faro and San Martino. I cannot tell you much at all about the islands but they are now part of a protected area (the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park) renowned for their natural beauty (the Guardian newspaper considers Rodas Beach to be the best in Europe while the Sunday Times considers it to be one of the best in the world). Access is limited to 2,000 people per day with tickets having to be bought in advance from an official website. It is possibe to camp on the archipelago (at an official site) but otherwise visitors can only stay the day. I’ll not say anymore about the place until I’ve been there.

For a while now I’ve wanted to try Vigo oysters. A Spanish chef I saw on tv claimed they are the best in the world so; I have long wanted to compare them with my favourite Cancale oysters. The waiter whom we met a few days ago and who seemed to know this part of Galicia well (despite originally having come from the Angel, Islington) suggested the Arcade oysters are as good, if not better, than the Vigo ones and so it was that we headed towards Arcade (which is pronounced ar-kah-day).

The weather in Galicia was set to deteriorate within 24 hours and it suited us to continue south through Arcade and Vigo towards the warmer weather. So, we drove through Sanxenxo and then on down the coast road with a view to having lunch in Arcade and dinner in Vigo. Another person we met on our travels had provided us with the address of an aire in the centre of Vigo which would suit our needs.

Arcade is a relatively small fishing town (about 5,000 inhabitants) on one of the less well known pilgrimage routes to Santiago (the Portugal Way) and as such the place has not yet been badly affected by tourism. It is not a pretty town but it has a genuine feel about it and the people seem very welcoming. There is a basic but large parking area down by the harbour and nearby are a number of pleasant looking cafe-restaurants all of which were open and advertising oysters as we arrived. We had a brief wander around the town (to exercise the dogs as much as anything) before returning to the cafe-restaurants for a light lunch.

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And so to oysters, otherwise known as the truffle of the sea. Although I hadn’t heard of the place before, Arcade is famous for it’s oysters, so much so there is a world famous oyster festival here on the first April weekend of every year. What sets these apart from so many others in the region is, I am told, the confluence of freshwater coming from the Verdugo River and salt water coming from the Ria de Vigo. These water conditions are, it seems, “perfect for farming the particularly succulent, soft tasting mollusc that is the Arcade oyster”. The Arcade is small, no more than 5 or 6 centimetres, with a shell which is almost circular in shape (although nowhere near as rounded as the Cancale oyster). They were served raw with lemon on the side and went superbly well with my Albarino wine. I’d most certainly have them again (and again and again and again) but, for my part, they don’t have as much body and taste as the Cancale.

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And Vigo? Well, shortly after settling in to our aire in Vigo (and that was a saga in itself but for another time) it started to rain. Not to be deterred (that’s not true; it was so wet and miserable outside of the Van that I and the dogs would have been happy to stay put but, Vanya insisted) we set off into Vigo for some oysters. Forget it. It was a wet, dismal Sunday night and; while there were a surprising number of people out and about, all prepared to sit and eat under dripping umbrellas, only a few restaurants had opened (and none of those did oysters – we were in the wrong part of the city). No matter, we did what was necessary (burgers washed down with the ubiquitous Albarino) and we made a good fist of it. After all, we are for somewhere else tomorrow – Portugal!!

From Cambados we moved just 12 miles further south to Camping Monte Cabo, a small campsite on the Punta Faxilda . It is best described as a back to nature type of campsite at the end of a rocky promontory looking out over the Atlantic. Vanya chose it because other visitors had reported seeing dolphins from where they were parked on the site and for that reason she somehow persuaded the Dutch owner to move us to a cracking pitch overlooking the sea. If Vanya wasn’t going to see dolphins while at Monte Cabo, it would not be for want of trying.

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The campsite occupies a secluded and beautiful spot just yards from the end of the headland and it was a real pleasure taking the dogs out there some two or three times a day.

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I’m not sure if we stayed two or three nights at Monte Cabo (I’m six days or so behind with this blog and losing all track of time now) but, does it matter (?), we weren’t going anywhere until Vanya saw her dolphins and; anyway, it gave us the opportunity to sample some of the excellent food in the campsite bar and restaurant. Ordinarily I’m not a great fan of croquettes but I particularly liked their homemade octopus croquettes.

The track to our campsite from the main coastal road was sufficiently long for us not to be bothered by any noise from the road but short enough for me to walk so as to explore the bays either side of our headland. The road in both directions is full of bars, restaurants and small hotels. There’s no getting away from the fact this is a tourist area.

I walked first to the Nosa Senora de A Lanzada, which is the headland on the other side of the Poza dos Barcos (the bay to the west of our headland). The Chapel of A Lanzada sits at the end of the headland. During the last weekend of every August, the festivity of the Virgin of A Lanzada is celebrated here and “women who wish to end their fertility descend into the sea from here to be bathed by nine waves”. This Celtic rite was presumably adopted by the Christian Church because it worked. In Celtic numerological symbolism, the number nine is sacred and symbolises the nine months of pregnancy. So now you know.

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Having completed the walk to and from the chapel I immediately set off in the other direction to view the bay to the east of our headland. This is a much more commercial area which leads on into Portonovo and then Sanxenxo.

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Anyway, I’m going to finish this particular entry with just a few more rather random photos…

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I nearly forgot to say. We were sitting having a late dinner on the terrace of the campsite bar and some dolphins came by. Vanya was made up!