Prior to our arrival in Madrid in January, Eliott and I had traveled extensively throughout Spain. The country is composed of 17 Autonomous Communities and, over the course of our travels, we had visited 11 of them.
Two of the Autonomous Communities that we hadn’t visited yet are located in the north, where the geography makes rail and bus travel difficult. Preferring to avoid flights and day-long bus journeys on shorter trips, we had not yet spent time in Asturias or Galicia. However, we had heard great things about their scenery and seafood, especially after our arrival in Bilbao. We decided that, in addition to exploring Euskadi more deeply, we’d also like to visit these regions while living here.
First Stop: Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the Autonomous Community of Galicia and is famous for being the destination of the Camino de Santiago. [Though, we did not arrive to Santiago on foot!] Given it’s connection to a pilgrimage route, the Cathedral of Santiago is obviously a famous landmark. We admired its architecture from the outside, including from a mirador in the lovely Parque da Alameda.
The highlight of our time in Santiago was definitely the food! On our first evening we wandered along two famous streets in the Zona Vella [Old Town] known as the Wine Trail: Rúa do Franco and Rúa da Raíña. As is the custom in other parts of Spain, many of the bars here give a small snack with a round. Most places this was something simple, like potato chips, but we stumbled upon a spot called Bar Trafalgar that offered a small portion of their specialty: tigres rabiosos [mussels in a spicy sauce] and were delighted.
Note: Spicy food is rare in Euskadi. We’re always cautioned that something is “picante” when we order it. Though, we almost never notice the heat.
These mussels, however, did have a kick! And they were delicious. We quickly ordered a media ración. This was not an opportunity to be missed!
We also enjoyed wandering through the Mercado de Abastos, admiring all of the local produce, regional cheeses, and fresh-caught seafood on display. It’s impossible not to work up quite an appetite while exploring the market stalls. Luckily, one of the market buildings, Nave 5, has been converted into a food hall with lots of restaurants, with an obvious emphasis on seafood. We were able to get a table at Mariscomania, where we ate different types of clams alongside a tomato salad [a true sign of summer in Northern Spain].
Second Stop: A Coruña
A Coruña is a port city in the far northwest corner of the country. It’s obviously a place that we’d enjoy, with beaches and a long coastal trail. Luckily the cities are connected by rail, so we were able to make the short trip to the coast on Renfe.
Hiking: Paseo Marítimo
The Torre de Hércules is the oldest working lighthouse in the world, constructed by the Romans in the first century. It’s located on a cliff that’s a two mile walk from Praia de Orzán. The cliffside is covered with wildflowers and has plenty of benches, including a reclining bench of sorts, where you can relax and enjoy a mid-hike beverage.
The coastal trail also continues in the opposite direction from Praia de Orzán. This route includes an octopus sculpture [fitting, as this is perhaps Galicia’s most famous dish] and, above this route is Monte de San Pedro, a park with sweeping coastal views. We had hoped to visit San Pedro during our hike on the second afternoon. Sadly, the fascinating funicular that would’ve made the route to the top feasible was not functioning. We instead continued along the cliffs to Miradoiro Fiestra ó Atlántico, before heading back to the city for the day’s festivities.
A Festival: Hogueras de San Juan
We didn’t realize it when booking our trip, but our time in A Coruña coincided with the Festival of San Juan. This festival is celebrated throughout Spain on June 23 with bonfires [hogueras], in commemoration of the shortest night of the year.
In A Coruña the bonfires are held on the beach. The afternoon before we noticed that bonfire sites had been demarcated all along the beach by caution tape. When we left for our hike early that afternoon, groups had already started celebrating the festivities in their bonfire space. [This is notable because the sun wouldn’t set until after 10:00pm!]
After our hike [and a stop to watch the weekend’s Gran Prix] we wandered to the port and Cidade Vella. While there were still at least five hours of sunlight remaining, the party was clearly getting started. The grilling of sardines is an important element of this fiesta, and we encountered many bars that had set-up sidewalk grills, with bands or DJs entertaining the crowds that had begun to gather. Obviously we partook in the customary fare, alongside a caña of Estrella Galicia!
Once the sun had finally set we headed to the beach for the fireworks and bonfires. We could only handle standing near the beach for a few moments, the air was far too smoky. Instead we took our beers farther afield, to a spot where we could enjoy the spectacle and breathe more comfortably. After the fireworks we briefly joined a street party before heading back to the hotel. We went to bed around 2:00am, but the party certainly continued much later!
Where to next?
Next weekend we’ll take a day trip to the Reserva de la Biosfera Urdaibai to visit the Bosque de Oma. [This is a recommendation from one of the maps that our neighbor has acquired for us.]
We also plan to visit Mundaka [another neighbor recommendation], and perhaps Vittoria-Gasteiz, both in Euskadi, later this summer.
Check back soon for a recap of these adventures!
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