Origin: Avilés
Destination: Hotel Nido, Shian Andres 124, A Coruña
Awaiting our morning bus, Alejandra and Enrique,
two marathoners from Barcelona, who shared their plans for 40 km/ day on their 9-day (tourist) pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
We left in heavy fog and drizzle. After a comfortable 3-hour ride with snacks, Wi-Fi, movies, music and news, we arrived in sunny and warm A Coruña, a city of 250,000 people.
Took an evening stroll along Riazor Beach,
coming upon an in-line skating club.
Thursday:
Whoops,
wrong local bus,
but we did get a "tour" of many neighborhoods!
Visited what is said to be the only ancient lighthouse still still working; it was built by the Romans, renovated in 1788 and was listed in 2009 as a World Heritage site.
The view o the Atlantic and the city below was well worth the 234 steps up.
(We read there is a twinning agreement that pairs this lighthouse with with the Satue of Liberty on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Distinctive features of many A Coruña buildings are the facades with windowed " galleries" which have there origin as glassed-in balconies.
The municipal building is one side of colonnated praza (plaza) Maria Pita which takes it name from(and hosts the statue of) the local heroine who killed the standard bearer of Sir Francis Drake's British flag when Drake tried to capture the city.
With our Saturday departure, taxi drivers and others told us we were missing a spectacular Saturday-night celebration of the feast of Saint Xuan (Juan), which includes bonfires on the beaches, grilled sardines, and the dispelling of evil spirits.
Destination: Hotel Nido, Shian Andres 124, A Coruña
Awaiting our morning bus, Alejandra and Enrique,
two marathoners from Barcelona, who shared their plans for 40 km/ day on their 9-day (tourist) pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
We left in heavy fog and drizzle. After a comfortable 3-hour ride with snacks, Wi-Fi, movies, music and news, we arrived in sunny and warm A Coruña, a city of 250,000 people.
Took an evening stroll along Riazor Beach,
coming upon an in-line skating club.
Thursday:
Whoops,
wrong local bus,
but we did get a "tour" of many neighborhoods!
Visited what is said to be the only ancient lighthouse still still working; it was built by the Romans, renovated in 1788 and was listed in 2009 as a World Heritage site.
The view o the Atlantic and the city below was well worth the 234 steps up.
(We read there is a twinning agreement that pairs this lighthouse with with the Satue of Liberty on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Distinctive features of many A Coruña buildings are the facades with windowed " galleries" which have there origin as glassed-in balconies.
The municipal building is one side of colonnated praza (plaza) Maria Pita which takes it name from(and hosts the statue of) the local heroine who killed the standard bearer of Sir Francis Drake's British flag when Drake tried to capture the city.
With our Saturday departure, taxi drivers and others told us we were missing a spectacular Saturday-night celebration of the feast of Saint Xuan (Juan), which includes bonfires on the beaches, grilled sardines, and the dispelling of evil spirits.
Comments