A CORUNA, Spain

Here we are back in Spain again, in the northwestern region.  We were really looking forward to A Coruna but unfortunately it was Sunday and the whole city was closed down because of their annual marathon.  But good always comes from bad and we ended up doing a tour north of the city and we must say that this has to be one of the most beautiful places we have ever visited.

The stunning Atlantic setting of A Coruna lends this historic city a wide-open feel that's unique in Spain.  It's Hercules Tower, a Roman-era lighthouse, has been in continuous operation since its construction in the 2nd century. The coastal San Anton Castle once defended the north of Spain from intruders coming in by sea.  The city is known for the historic row of houses along Avenida de la Marina. 

 

These Galician 19th century buildings are all fronted by unique white glazed glass balconies that, viewed from the side, form a massive wall of white.  The city's pretty, bicycle-friendly promenade leads to the modern glass Millennium Obelisk monument, a state-of-the-art aquarium and the splendid sands of Orzan Beach.  We were able to walk the downtown once we returned from our bus tour.  The marathon was over and we poked around the area and of course were able to find 3 more geocaches.

Back to the morning though and our wonder bus ride north to Betanzos and Pontedeume.

A great clear sunny day, about 20 degrees ...  perfect!  This rather hilly area is known for its beautiful beaches, lots of fish and shellfish, pork, beef and excellent wines. One would need a GPS to navigate here and because it was Sunday, the roads and towns were very quiet. 

Our first stop was a scenic view of a castle. 

   

We also saw an interesting monument for fishermen.  This really was a lovely place.  We travelled another half hour through the countryside to Betanzos.  This was a typical small town and we were left in the town square for an hour.  We did follow our guide to visit the town's church and it was unusual to have few people in evidence and all the shops closed.  Any other day but Sunday and we would have been bombarded with people.  Great for taking photos and after did navigated the small streets and alley ways for a while we sat in the town square and watched people! Loved seeing the young families out walking with their children.

 

   

Notice the pig under the cross on top of the monastery. Just a few shots of the streets and the church.

 

  

Town square and local architecture.

Our final stop was Pontedeume where we explored once again the small streets.  Eric was impressed with the old bridge.

 

 

Lovely tour to a lovely place.

All for now, love to all