Before moving on a few more words about the Picos.
Before we move onto Galicia a couple of things I forgot to
mention about the Picos. First of all the Cidre, which is sold everywhere. The
local variety is flat and cloudy and must be poured from a great height into a
glass to get some air into it. This is usually done from a bottle by an
accomplished barman.
Only small quantities are poured because it has to be
downed in one. If there’s anything left they simply throw it on the floor. If
you are not an accomplished barman there is an alternative solution in the form
of either a manual or battery operated machine. The manual type is operated by
pressing a bellows system which pumps the cidre through a nozzle forcing it
into the glass below. Being a bit of a techie I opted for a battery driven
version. This is similar to the manual version but you simply press a button
and the cidre is pumped into the glass. I have included a helpful photograph in
case you cannot grasp the concept. The cidre is very dry and a bit like
Westcountry Scrumpy. We shared a bottle between us and agreed that it was good
to try the local produce but one was fine and we would not repeat the
experience.
A couple of weeks and many miles ago I mentioned how popular
many things British seem to be. Well we saw another example before we left
Camping Bulnes. Quite a few people arrived with tents on the Saturday night
including a group of about 20 Spanish Scooter riders. Many of the machines were
richly decorated. One sported a weird pattern which Sarah told me was what ‘Yves
Saint Laurent’ put on the inside of their handbags. Anyway, one was sporting a
British theme. (As illustrated)
Monday 9 June
Left the mountains behind today to travel to the Northern
coast and a site called Camping Cudillero
near the seaside village of Cudillero. It was a very busy site with lots
of English and Dutch caravans. Once again the site benefited from being close
to the ferry ports of Gijon and Sanatander.
Tuesday 10 June
A lovely sunny day so set off to walk to Cudillero. The lady at the site advised to walk towards
and then along the coast to get there and back on the road.
This would mean we would not have to climb
back up the steep path on the coast. It
was a pretty village squeezed into a narrow gorge, hence it has very narrow
streets terraced up the hillside with a small harbour. We had a mouch around before walking
back.
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| Cudilero |
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Many houses in this area seem to have a shed on stilts. They
are all very similar except that some are well maintained and others are
falling down. The other common theme is that they do not have any steps. In the
photo you can see some steps but they are not connected to the building. We
asked one of the locals and he told us that they are for keeping food away from
the rats. Well there’s plenty of food around so they must work. Or of course
all the rats have died of starvation.
Weather deteriorated in the afternoon unfortunately.
Wednesday 11 June
Drove further along the coast to the city of ‘A Coruna’ and
a site just out of the city called Camping Los Manzanos which was a pretty site
and some thought had been put into it.
There were a number of sculptures dotted around. The site only had one other occupant so we
were free to park where we liked and initially we thought we wanted to be in
the sun!!!! After a couple of hours we
decided that wasn’t the wisest decision and moved to a more shady spot. Temp up to 30 degrees!
Shortly after putting the caravan legs down Sarah said she
was worried she might not sleep well due to the church bell. I asked her if she
meant the infrequent bells that sometimes rang once and something rang 4 times,
usually after a breeze. I explained that it was not a church bell but a warning
buoy out at sea. She was re assured. Thankfully the wind dropped and we never
heard it again. Actually had tea outside.
RANT – about gas. Again. I forgot to mention but the gas
bottle which I bought in France ran out about 10 days ago in the Picos so I
switched to my emergency Camping Gaz bottle. Despite visiting several Repsol
garages none seem to stock the Repsol K6 gas cylinder. In fact there didn’t
seem to be a stockist anywhere in Cantabria.
After another search on the internet I finally found a service station
here in A Coruna which stocks them – thank God. Now all I need to do is find
the right connector. I know it’s somewhere in the caravan!
Thursday 12 June
Set off to catch the bus into A Coruna. We were joined at the bus stop by a couple (Barrie
and Judy from Derby) who had been on the
previous site. We’d been standing there about 15 minutes when a Spanish bloke
wandered up to us and started to talk very quickly in Spanish. After about 5
minutes of gestures and many more words we eventually realised he was telling
us that the bus no longer stopped here and we had to walk another kilometre to
the main road. So we had to put a bit of a trot on to get to the main road and
the right stop. Which we did.
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Whilst touring we have seen quite a few pieces of artwork.
These range from rusting bits of metal in the middle of roundabouts to stone
obelisks around the campsite. The picture here is of on of the funniest I have seen
so far.
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And now the close up so you can see the detail.
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I found the town itself a little frantic after the
mountains. The old town was particularly
disappointing but then again I was comparing it with San Sebastian which was
laid back and lovely. I had also been looking forward to riding on one of the
old trams. Sadly they were not running and I couldn’t find out if this is
temporary or if they have finally come to the end of their useful life.
Back at the site the restaurant was open and had a more
original menu which a young chap took a lot of time to explain to us. I had a pizza with Speck and Roquefort cheese
but Sarah was more adventurous and had a smoked salmon dish which had been
rolled around prawns in a sauce, served with a salad. Both were very nice but Sarah’s intestinal
system suffered for it afterwards. The
perils of seafood. Stay away from it. That’s what I say and what I practice.
Tip – for anyone considering buying a portable vacuum cleaner. Don’t buy a Black and Decker
rechargeable Dustbuster as they have little suction power. We invested in the
model which plugs into the 12v cigar lighter and it works at treat, even
picking up sand and bits of fluff. Our caravan would be a tip without it! It
would make a great surprise Christmas present.
Friday 13 June
Shortly after waking up we heard several blasts from a ships
buzzer. On several occasions there were just 3 short blasts which I seem to
recall is the signal to abandon ship. We couldn’t actually see the sea from
where we were but I assured Sarah that if a cruise ship had gone down we would
probably see pictures on the TV or in the newspapers. I haven’t seen anything
so can only assume that some Italian sea captain was trying to impress his
mates - again.
Eventually we moved on again to get our intended destination
of the Rias – the estuaries that indent the West Coast of Spain.
I have now got my head around Galicia and basically it is
the bit in the top left hand corner of Spain. The North coast is quite rugged
with cliffs and small inlets. The West coast however is dominated by four Rias
(Rivers) the Ria de Muros & Noia, Ria Arousa, Ria Pontevedra and the Ria de
Vigo.
We made our way along the Ria De Muros & Noia. Now those
who know me will agree that I’m not one for superlatives. However the journey
along the riverside road was quite beautiful. The sun was shining, the water
was blue and there was not a cloud in the sky. As you looked towards the
distant shore you could have easily mistaken the scene for the Greek Islands.
It was stunning.
We had selected a site from the ACSI discount guide called
Camping Avouga near the town of Muros, but when we pulled up it didn’t look
great. We parked along the road and went for a wander. It looked more like a travellers
camp. The pitches were unkempt and the sanitary facilities were old and dirty.
We returned to the car and we quickly pulled away again. After a hasty scan through the site guide we discovered
that there were two other sites nearby.
We drove to the first one which was in the gardens of a former
monastery, only to be told they didn’t open until the 18th
June. Why bother. So we drove on the Camping Ancoradoiro which
was on a headland with a beach either side.
We were enthusiastically greeted by the owner, Wolfgang, (very Spanish)
who was rather concerned about the size of our caravan. He wandered around the site with us
suggesting a couple of possible pitches we might fit on, then he had a brain
wave and ushered to an area of four small pitches and said it is not busy you
can use them all. It was still rather
difficult but we managed to park the van at an angle which gave us a sitting
area at both sides of the caravan, a whole pitch for the car (though it only
just fitted), another pitch for a shaded sitting area and the fourth Sarah used
as a drying area. Wolfgang explained
that the site was originally designed for tents. Then people used to have small
caravans but now the vans get bigger and bigger. He told us about his expansion
plans to make an area for motorhomes and an area just for tents and then make
the existing pitches big enough for the caravans.
Sarah, surprise, surprise, wanted to do some washing. He told her it was 4 euros but that the
machines were not yet connected up to the slots for the money. “You wash and tell me how many machines you
have used when you leave”. It was a wash
fest. I counted at least 4 loads which included the bedding and towels. But at
least it dried quickly.
The weather is now very hot – occasionally up to 30 deg c. Went down to the beach late in the afternoon
for a paddle and then again later to watch the sunset as it was such a clear
night. There were some great waves. This stretch of coast up as far as Finisterre
is known as the Costa Du Mort (the Coast of Death) for its treacherous waters.
Got the tripod out and took some shots to see how they would turn out. The sun didn’t set till 10.20pm and then it
suddenly got extremely windy. This did
help cool the van down a bit.
Tip. If you are planning a trip to Europe and are wandering
about currency exchange. Forget those prepaid cards and forward buying Euros.
Invest in Baguettes. They are the only stable currency across Europe. Wherever
you are – Holland, France or Spain a baguette always costs 1 Euro. It’s a lot
more stable than the pound. Plus – you’ll never starve!
Saturday 14 June
Sarah was still suffering the effect of the prawns in A
Coruna so had to go to the toilet block at 4am and said it was lovely outside,
a balmy 20 degrees and a full moon. I thanked her for waking me up to tell me
that.
We drove back to Muros which is a lovely small coastal town
with some useful shops, not just tourist tat.
More houses with galleried windows.
There seem to be beaches everywhere you look and they are all
stunning. We did some shopping and then
headed back to the site but not before exploring a bazaar. Although there are
many bars and restaurants selling Tapas and raciones we have not seen many
Chinese restaurants. This is just an observation not a craving for a number 58
with chips. Anyway, the Chinese have come up with an alternative way of making
a living. The Chinese Bazaar. There is one in almost every town and village.
They sell everything from string to sunglasses to vases and fishing gear. It's a bit like a Ferreteria but for women. However, they have gone a step further in Muros. This is not just a Chinese
Bazaar it is a Chinese Hyper Bazaar. It wasn’t exactly an Asda Hypermarket but
it did stretch across 2 shop fronts. Sarah was tempted in and came out with
some hair slides and a small plastic basket to keep her herbs in. I didn’t
realise that we needed either but it came to pass that we did.
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Later in the day I was having a nap when Sarah announced she
wanted to go in the sea. We went down
to the big beach directly facing the Atlantic and she tried very hard to get
into the waves, but they just kept picking her up and throwing her on the sand,
at which point I had try and haul her up before either she was washed out to
sea or was deluged by the next wave.
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She
said it was great fun but when she went for a shower there was enough sand
inside her costume to make a small beach of her own. We then went to the other beach which is on
the river. This was a little calmer and went for a swim, very refreshing. We could see what looked like people
snorkelling but towing a small inflatable device behind them with a flag on
it. When one chap reached the shore it
appeared they were spear fishing. He had
a camouflage wet suit on, brown in colour.
I wondered if this was so they were meant to look like rocks or
seals. Sarah, rather unkindly I
thought, commented that this chap was less seal and more walrus. The flag must have been there so other
divers know where he is and don’t spear him.
He unhooked the spear gun from with this belt along with a fair number
of fish.
Sunday 15 June
We drove south a little to ‘Camping Ria Arousa II’ on the
Ria Arousa near the town of Riberia.
Although there were not many touring caravans or motorhomes the site was
heaving with people. There was a petite
train going up and down blearing loud music and what sounded like a Zumba class
going on in the pool plus cars coming and going. After setting up we went up to the pool area
and cafeteria to get some lunch and all became clear. In addition to the cafeteria there was a
large banqueting hall which appeared to be hosting a number of confirmation
parties. Young girls in white dresses
kept appearing with their extremely overdressed relatives. The women were dressed for a Ball in long
evening dress or for the night club in something very tight and short and
wearing heels they couldn’t walk in!!
The noise from the pool was a kids event of some kind. There were about 60 kids in the pool and the
music had been for pool games. As we
arrived they were being given a demonstration on how to dry themselves on a
towel. They then sat down for lunch and
a good sing song. We went for a swim in
the pool later on in our regulation swimming hats, though Sarah’s had a big
split in it and wasn’t really serving its function. However, if you didn’t have a hat you got
thrown out. You can dive in, throw
other people in and dive bomb but if you haven’t got your hat on you get thrown
out. As we sat round the pool parents arrived to collect their children and
peace was restored.
The site also boasts a parrot who did greet me with a bright
“Hola” on a couple of occasions.
Monday 16 June
Drove to Santiago de Compostela. This is the town to which many thousands of
people make a pilgrimage each year.
There are a number of recognised routes to Santiago and the pilgrims
have to their cards stamped at a number of official places along the way. To qualify as a pilgrim you have to have walked
at least the last 100 km on one of the routes or 200 km if you are
cycling. We have passed many pilgrims
during our travel through Spain, noticeable as they all seem to carry a wooden
walking staff and a scallop shell, originally a symbol of having completed the
pilgrimage but now often worn all the way.
Each day at 12noon a service is held in the Cathedral for
the pilgrims who have recently arrived and anyone else who wishes to
attend. We went for a look and found
that the Cathedral seating was packed and the area in which you are allowed to
stand and observe was very busy. The
service was conducted in several languages.
The Cathedral has a huge incense burner
attached to a long pulley system. On the
other end of the pulley were eight priests.
After setting fire to whatever was in the burner the priests started
pulling on the rope gently so the burner started to swing.
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The arc of the burner got larger and larger
until it was nearly hitting the roof, like a giant swing boat. It is said that this was originally done to
mask the smell of the pilgrims who had probably been wearing the same clothes
since they set off. Now it is only swung for show, but it was very impressive.
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| The Swinging Priests |
Santiago is a very relaxed town with Pilgrims greeting one
and other with relief and meeting up with others they had met along the
way. We had a nosy around the public
rooms of the Parador, a hotel housed in a building built in the 1600’s by
Royalty as a home for the poor and hospital for the sick. Beautiful building with impressive public
rooms and courtyards. Definitely the
place to stay if you can afford it.
Walking back to the car we spotted a hairdressers that was
open so Sarah went and had her hair cut.
In Spain they have a chain of stores called El Corte Ingles
(the court of the English) which is their equivalent of John Lewis and it also
has a supermarket chain associated with it called Supercor (Waitrose). On our way in to Santiago we noticed there
was a Hipercor which definitely sparked Sarah’s interest. So on our way home we called in as we needed
a replace one of our plastic chairs as a leg snapped off just as I was getting
into it. This place was huge; imagine a
very large John Lewis, Waitrose, B&Q, Kwik Fit, Pets at Home and a garden
centre all rolled into one. Sarah
suggested I left her there and came back next week. It was all a bit overwhelming for me, but
we did get a replacement chair at the bargain price of 7 euros. However, Sarah
hit gold this time with the purchase of 5 litres of Extra Virgin Olive oil for
11.35 euros which she tells me is incredibly cheap. So – if you need any earwax
softening you know where to come.
Tuesday 17 June
We spent today having a look at some campsites a bit further
south to see if it was worth moving the caravan so prevent too much
driving. We first looked at a couple on
the Illa d’Arousa which had been suggested by my brother. They were OK but full
of statics which were crammed in like sardines. We did however find one we
liked near the town of Vilanova d’Arousa, called Camping Paisaxe. We agreed
that this would be our next stop.
Wednesday 18 June
Had a look around the local area today. We went to a small harbour village of
Currubedo and walked around the headland to the lighthouse and then back to the
village. We then drove the Visitor
Centre of the Natural Park that this area is in. This was no mean feat. I only found out about the Visitor Centre on
trawling the internet for local information as the Tourist Information offices
were shut. Signposting was nearly none
existent. When we got there we decided
to have our sandwiches and then take a look around. As we sat there the staff came out and
locked up. On closer inspection they are
only open 10.30am to 1.30pm Monday to Friday.
Clearly they are not expecting many visitors. While there we took another short walk. We then drove up to a viewpoint at the top
of a large hill. This gave a great
view of the Ria but unfortunately earlier in the day a sea fret had come in and
left a haze behind. There were 2 coach
loads of Spanish children at the view point.
A few shouted hello and said they wanted to speak English. One of their teachers explained that they
were on an end of term trip from their school in Santiago and were breaking up
on 20 June for 2 ½ months!!!
Arrived back at the site thinking we might have a swim. However, this end of term trip business seems
to be popular. The pool was full of
children and then 2 more coaches arrived – it wasn’t that big a pool.
RANT. Why is that that Spain closes down between 12.30 and
4pm every day? Even the tourist information centres close. Many are not even
open at weekends. We expected the Siesta in the hot South but not here in the
North as well.
Thursday 19 June
On the move once more to Camping Paisaxe. No one on the site speaks any English but we
were made very welcome. The owner was
at great pains to point out the biggest pitch for us. (At least that’s what I
think he was doing) There were no other
touring vans except us, but there are quite a lot of statics. We started to put up the sun canopy and an
elderly gentleman we had seen when we came to look on Tuesday rushed over from
his caravan to give us a hand. Having
observed him since we arrived he seems to need something to do all the time and
it would seem him and his wife are relatives of the owner and have probably
come to help out for the busy season.
They have an exotic bird which greets the lady (Maria) by name as soon
as it sees her coming. At least that’s
what we think she was telling us. She
has spoken to us a length and either she doesn’t realise we don’t understand or
it doesn’t matter. I have decided to
call them Terry and June. There are some bungalows on site that had just been vacated
and she spent all day washing sheets.
We had a walk along the beach path which is lovely to the
town of Vilanova which didn’t seem to have much going for it. Having decided to go out for tea we had
trouble finding anywhere. The site
restaurant isn’t doing food until 1 July, the bar up the road gave us the menu
and said you point to what you want and I will tell you if I have got it. So we went back to town to a café. We
understood most things on the list but did not recognise ‘Perritos’. The translation
app on my phone gave the translation ‘Puppies’. Surely this can’t be right so
we asked the waitress. She couldn’t explain so she eventually brought a plate
of uncooked hot dogs. Obvious when you think about it. Came back to the site
and watched England lose to Uruguay in the World Cup.
Comment. The new King of Spain was crowned today. It was a
low profile event. There were a few Spanish flags out but no street parties.
Not too sure if things were low key due to Spain losing in the World Cup they
day before or if people just aren’t bothered.
Friday 20 June
Spent a lazy day sitting on a beach we had to ourselves.
We can hear the church clock from where we are. However, it
is not a proper bell but a recorded bell. We have noticed bells playing through
loudspeakers in a number of small towns. This one is 5 minutes slow and
occasionally plays an unfamiliar tune. I suspect that they have pre-recorded some
chimes on a smart phone, set them to play at the appropriate time and simply
plugged it into a loudspeaker system. Clever - but very annoying.
Stop Press. The clock has gone rogue. It is playing unfamiliar chimes at various times during the hour. I fear that it has been hacked.
Stop Press. The clock has gone rogue. It is playing unfamiliar chimes at various times during the hour. I fear that it has been hacked.
As I am writing, Terry is using a hammer drill to put up a
shelf. You'll hear much more about Terry and June in our next exciting episode.
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