La Coruna, a city of some 300,000 in the province of Galicia, is where we landed on Friday, Sept. 22nd. We have the weekend here to rest up before tackling the Camino on Monday. But, it turned out to be more than resting up, we are happy to report.
La Coruna is a beautiful town, the main commercial portion of which is located on a narrow isthmus – on one side, a spectacular bay which reminded us of San Sebastian and on the other, the fourth largest port in Spain. Our hotel overlooked the bay so we slept at night with open windows hearing the sound of surf. (We should market this as the latest cure for jet lag – it certainly worked for us.)
An interesting historical tidbit about La Coruna – the Spanish Armada was launched from here in 1588 resulting in its ignominious defeat at the hands of the English, the beginning of the end for Spain as a world power. Other than that, it hasn’t played a big role on the world scene. But, it’s still a delightful place off the normal tourist road and, when the weather is good, well worth a visit.
Lots of fish are listed on restaurant menus and displayed at the fish markets – some VERY interesting to look at – evidence of a flourishing industry.
We're not sure whether to eat them, mount them, or submit them to Ripley's Believe It or Not.
It’s very green here – big hydrangea bushes, lush grass, ferns everywhere. Beautiful. Now, what this means is…RAIN, RAIN, RAIN, plus wind. In other words, BAD WEATHER, for much of the year. The climate is nearer to that of Britain than what we think of as common for Spain. But we’ve been very lucky so far, and the weather has been temperate with clouds in the morning and clear skies later in the day, a good recipe for walking.
This area is at the western end of the European time zone, so it doesn’t get light until after 8:00 a.m. and dark until after 9:00 p.m. It’s great for staying up late – the better to enjoy the late Spanish lifestyle – but hard to get up the next day (when one needs to arise early if trying to walk 10+ miles – but oh well).
Finisterre – the end of the earth – was what Galician was nicknamed in times past. Stuck out into the Atlantic with a foundation of granite weathered over time. No tall mountains, but plenty of up-and-down steep hills (oh, our aching calves). And plunked in the center is the ancient city of Santiago de Compostela – the final destination for one of the most famous pilgrimage routes in the world. Hard to get to, what with mountains on the east, ocean on west and north, and severe weather all around. BUT, not as far away from medieval Catholic Europe as other pilgrim destinations such as Rome and Jerusalem, nor as dangerous to reach.
We are here to walk the Camino Ingles, one of at least six different routes (the Camino Frances being the most famous of the routes, the most long-standing, and the longest by far) which together form the Camino de Santiago (de Compostela)…Compostela where legend has it the remains of St. James the disciple rest. Pilgrims traveling by sea from Britain, Ireland, even as far away as Iceland, landed in either Ferrol or La Coruna, then came by foot to the sacred city. Thus the Camino Ingles began. It was used from the 11th century to the 15th, up until the time Henry VIII broke with the Catholic church (1534). After that, as you can imagine, no more pilgrimages from Britain.
Perhaps pilgrimages were a fad back in the Middle Ages – they certainly became much less popular over time, which is generally what happens with fads. But, in recent years, these caminos have become increasingly popular again and now thousands walk them every year. Four years ago we spent six weeks exploring the Camino Frances, driving the entire 500+ mile route, walking 100 miles at various points, and writing an article as part of a friend’s book on adventure travel. But we didn’t walk the last sixty miles into Santiago, so technically we couldn’t receive the compostela, the official pilgrim certificate. (For more information on the Camino de Santiago, the best resource is the website for the Confraternity of St. James.)
We are intrigued by the pilgrim idea. To relive history. To put our bodies to the test. To see what benefits would result physically, spiritually. And for some reason it matters to us – we’d like to earn our compostelas.
Consequently, on Sunday we relocated to Ferrol, to begin our sixty-mile journey, taking the bus from La Coruna. (As a sidebar, the bus system is wonderful – local, smaller buses; larger ones for the bigger highways; frequent and on-time schedules; and inexpensive. Our hotel in La Coruna recommended taking a taxi to Ferrol, some twenty kilometers away, for the price of 65 Euros. We elected the bus for 7 Euros/person.)
The parador (one of the Spanish government-run hotel system in historic buildings) in Ferrol will be our base for the next few days, and we’ll walk every other day, shuttling back and forth on the bus – since we prefer the time it takes to shuttle to the hassle and disruption of moving our bags every day (and we are definitely NOT backpacking).
We are rested, well-fed, and eager to begin. Tomorrow we walk!
The Parador in Ferrol.
Much love,
Elsa and Dale
La Coruna is a beautiful town, the main commercial portion of which is located on a narrow isthmus – on one side, a spectacular bay which reminded us of San Sebastian and on the other, the fourth largest port in Spain. Our hotel overlooked the bay so we slept at night with open windows hearing the sound of surf. (We should market this as the latest cure for jet lag – it certainly worked for us.)
An interesting historical tidbit about La Coruna – the Spanish Armada was launched from here in 1588 resulting in its ignominious defeat at the hands of the English, the beginning of the end for Spain as a world power. Other than that, it hasn’t played a big role on the world scene. But, it’s still a delightful place off the normal tourist road and, when the weather is good, well worth a visit.
Lots of fish are listed on restaurant menus and displayed at the fish markets – some VERY interesting to look at – evidence of a flourishing industry.
We're not sure whether to eat them, mount them, or submit them to Ripley's Believe It or Not.
It’s very green here – big hydrangea bushes, lush grass, ferns everywhere. Beautiful. Now, what this means is…RAIN, RAIN, RAIN, plus wind. In other words, BAD WEATHER, for much of the year. The climate is nearer to that of Britain than what we think of as common for Spain. But we’ve been very lucky so far, and the weather has been temperate with clouds in the morning and clear skies later in the day, a good recipe for walking.
This area is at the western end of the European time zone, so it doesn’t get light until after 8:00 a.m. and dark until after 9:00 p.m. It’s great for staying up late – the better to enjoy the late Spanish lifestyle – but hard to get up the next day (when one needs to arise early if trying to walk 10+ miles – but oh well).
Finisterre – the end of the earth – was what Galician was nicknamed in times past. Stuck out into the Atlantic with a foundation of granite weathered over time. No tall mountains, but plenty of up-and-down steep hills (oh, our aching calves). And plunked in the center is the ancient city of Santiago de Compostela – the final destination for one of the most famous pilgrimage routes in the world. Hard to get to, what with mountains on the east, ocean on west and north, and severe weather all around. BUT, not as far away from medieval Catholic Europe as other pilgrim destinations such as Rome and Jerusalem, nor as dangerous to reach.
We are here to walk the Camino Ingles, one of at least six different routes (the Camino Frances being the most famous of the routes, the most long-standing, and the longest by far) which together form the Camino de Santiago (de Compostela)…Compostela where legend has it the remains of St. James the disciple rest. Pilgrims traveling by sea from Britain, Ireland, even as far away as Iceland, landed in either Ferrol or La Coruna, then came by foot to the sacred city. Thus the Camino Ingles began. It was used from the 11th century to the 15th, up until the time Henry VIII broke with the Catholic church (1534). After that, as you can imagine, no more pilgrimages from Britain.
Perhaps pilgrimages were a fad back in the Middle Ages – they certainly became much less popular over time, which is generally what happens with fads. But, in recent years, these caminos have become increasingly popular again and now thousands walk them every year. Four years ago we spent six weeks exploring the Camino Frances, driving the entire 500+ mile route, walking 100 miles at various points, and writing an article as part of a friend’s book on adventure travel. But we didn’t walk the last sixty miles into Santiago, so technically we couldn’t receive the compostela, the official pilgrim certificate. (For more information on the Camino de Santiago, the best resource is the website for the Confraternity of St. James.)
We are intrigued by the pilgrim idea. To relive history. To put our bodies to the test. To see what benefits would result physically, spiritually. And for some reason it matters to us – we’d like to earn our compostelas.
Consequently, on Sunday we relocated to Ferrol, to begin our sixty-mile journey, taking the bus from La Coruna. (As a sidebar, the bus system is wonderful – local, smaller buses; larger ones for the bigger highways; frequent and on-time schedules; and inexpensive. Our hotel in La Coruna recommended taking a taxi to Ferrol, some twenty kilometers away, for the price of 65 Euros. We elected the bus for 7 Euros/person.)
The parador (one of the Spanish government-run hotel system in historic buildings) in Ferrol will be our base for the next few days, and we’ll walk every other day, shuttling back and forth on the bus – since we prefer the time it takes to shuttle to the hassle and disruption of moving our bags every day (and we are definitely NOT backpacking).
We are rested, well-fed, and eager to begin. Tomorrow we walk!The Parador in Ferrol.
Much love,
Elsa and Dale
