A Coruna - By the Sea

-

The coastal port city of A Coruna in Galicia has seen it all - from the arrival of the Celts in centuries BC, to 20th century nationalists during the Spanish Civil War.

The Romans built a lighthouse in the first century; it has been remodelled ever since. Julius Caesar dropped by a hundred years or so before that.

At the end of 16th century, Maria Pita took her mortally wounded husband’s musket and continued firing at Francis Drake’s flotilla of would-be invaders and sent them packing. The plaza major is named after her, and the annual festival in her honour starts this week.

A Coruna still trades many of the things that Drake was keen on. It is a vibrant place. The day I arrived there was a surf lifesaving competition. 

Beach flags, board paddling, surf swimming . . .

I felt at home.

I have been swimming a few times; and Mama Mia is opening soon.



There is grand architecture,  
along with hectares of bleak multi-storey apartments on the outskirts - and engaging laneways in the old city 

A Coruna is a starting point to the Camino Ingles, along with the nearby port city of Ferrol.

A wink and a nod to those from England that unlike Francis Drake, they are welcome -  to walk on to Santiago 

I will walk the Camino Ingles sometime soon.

Tomorrow I head back to Santiago.

Happy days!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mollymook to Barcelona - Half the world away

-
Image
I have returned to Spain - starting from Mollymook last weekend and arriving in Barcelona yesterday - half a world away.  This Camino experience will be different.  Instead of following one particular path, I will be walking sections of  different routes and taking detours in various places - more free wheeling, as well as volunteering as a hospitalero for a couple of weeks. A hospitalero/a is someone who looks after Camino pilgrims in an albergue - a type of hostel manager (more on that in coming days) Another difference was that this Camino started with a pilgrimage to watch Collingwood play Geelong in Melbourne (Collingwood lost 😞) and the opportunity to visit family and leave from my sister’s front door.  I walked to the tram and took a bus from the city to  the airport, then checked in my pack and prepared for the flight to Barcelona via Dubai. The war in the Middle East had been a concern. After 14 hours, I reached Dubai and had a short stop over. Dubai s...
Read more

Scenes from an albergue

-
Image
Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago cannot live on paella alone. They need other food and wine, and song, and company, and solitude, and a good sleep - and help at times. At Albergue de Peregrinos at Villadangos del Paramo we are doing our best to provide!  David and I are approaching the mid point of our volunteer Hospitalero gig. The days are filled- in fact it is surprising how little time there is to be still. We have been to Leon a couple of times for groceries  We have been catering for between 5 and 17 pilgrims each night - it varies day to day. Each group is different. Sometimes it’s like this:  Other times it is like the United Nations. Last night we had 14 guests, and 10 nationalities. Sometimes there are mostly men. Other times there are mostly women. Well someone has to do the check-in! We have even had a couple of canines along with their humans. One specifically requested that I stamp his credencial - ‘of course!’ Today David and I took the bus to Leon again ...
Read more

Salceda to Santiago de Compostela- Arrived!

-
Image
Today I arrived at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. There was much celebration. Friends ahead of me friends behind me - we watched each other walk in - memories of steep climbs and descents, being alone, being together on the path - came flooding back. There was no need for words - just smiles and hugs, and plans to get together tonight. Head light primed for an early start. I organised with friends further along to meet them for breakfast - I had some kilometres to cover. It was dark. Fortunately, I (sort of) knew the path. I had walked it in daylight - and in the rain and dark before. I stayed here once . . . Years ago, a good friend came back to this place to see if I was alright. It was cold, dark and wet. I had been ill and he checked on me. We walked together to the Cathedral, even singing ‘Volare’ towards the end when I came good. I made breakfast at O Pedrouzo- how wonderful! Everyone wished each other well- some I had seen each day, others not for ages. After breakfast, we bi...
Read more