Diterbitkeun: 31.10.2022
On 21.10. we crossed the invisible border into Galicia. In the small town of Foz, a huge meadow for campers has been opened in the port area, and that will be our overnight spot today. Once again, we are standing for free and outside. Some other campers from all over the world are also here, and we are getting to know our Spanish neighbors directly with their old and beautifully converted Düdo. They spend 3/4 of the year traveling and work the rest of the year. Not bad either. Morocco is made tasty for us ... they have probably been there many times and love it very much ... I start dreaming .... who knows who knows (wink). The town itself doesn't have much to offer (we think). Infinite shopping opportunities but no highlights except for the small promenade with many large palm trees. We suddenly see them everywhere. Huge palm trees, beautiful to look at, and the first olive trees are growing. We realize that we are slowly but surely coming further south.
The next morning we explore the city properly and are amazed when we discover a monster beach at the other end. It is low tide and a 1km wide fine sandy beach lies before us in all its glory. The palms sway in the wind on the promenade and music is already playing in the bars in the morning. Quirky colorful houses line the beach avenue. We revise our opinion! Foz is great!
A stone's throw away in St. Cibrao we discover the next great place. Here too, the Camino Naturale, the Camino de Santiago, leads directly past the parking lot. The town itself is small but nice. Narrow alleyways lead through the town. A television crew is in the market square ... a documentary about the town is being filmed. 4 beautiful beaches, various lighthouses, hiking trails, and a palm avenue invite you to stay. Although it stormed and rained this morning, the sun is now shining again and it is warm. One rainbow follows the next. Everyday life on the Atlantic :)
Here too, we hang out for a few days. Enjoy being lazy, doing minor repairs and sewing, and exploring the area. We discover a park with a medieval bridge. Tall eucalyptus trees create an enchanting scent, a brook flows lazily, and tables and benches invite you to linger. This is truly a magical place.
We notice that we are slowing down more and more. The day and the time no longer matter. We eat when we are hungry and do what we feel like. When it rains, we snuggle up in bed and watch one or two movies. A little luxury must be! Well, having this relaxed state is truly luxury these days. We always have to 'deliver. The day is packed with appointments and when Friday finally comes, Monday comes too quickly. In any case, we enjoy now only having Fridays and realize how good this feeling is for us. Traveling is great!!
In the surfer town of Valvodeiro, we spend the night directly behind the huge sand dune under palm trees. On the other side, the Atlantic presents itself in all its glory. Kilometers of fine sandy beach lie in front of us and no one is in sight. Behind the dunes, there are countless hiking trails, some with wooden boardwalks for easier walking, and Lucy goes on a rabbit hunt. A freshwater lake completes the picture. It doesn't get any better. In the evening, we don't eat rabbit!
On 26.10. we drive to the city of A Coruna. Here we park, as always in big cities, in the port (sometimes also a campsite). For 27 euros, we park luxuriously in the marina. For those who think that's a lot, let me tell you that it can cost a whopping 53 euros in high summer. For that, we have electricity (not that we need it because we are self-sufficient), great new showers (bigger than ours wink), washing machine, and dryer (you need that!). We are also almost in the center (and guarded) ... so off we go into the hustle and bustle. Without dogs, we set off. The city is great ... and huge! We admire great squares, churches, buildings, and walk what feels like 10km through pedestrian zones. At some point, sensory overload sets in. We were in the city for 3 hours ... and we are exhausted! We spend three days in ACoruna. We walk with the dogs in the rock garden at the end of the city and walk into the city again without the dogs. The siesta has just ended and a sleeping city awakens to life. Suddenly there are people everywhere and the shops open around 5:30 p.m. It still amazes us how highly valued the siesta is here. Nothing happens at noon ... but then it's longer in the evening. We could have stayed here for weeks and still not have seen everything. When the cruise ship Aida spits out 4000 Germans on the 3rd day, it is time for us to leave the marina. We make our way inland because in the next few days we will be going to Santiago de Compostela.
The television production company Saga Media writes to us. They think our story is great and want to make a film about us. We think for a long time. A film? About our story? Sounds kind of cool, but we politely decline. The idea of always having a camera man with us is a bit daunting. We are not made for television ... we haven't watched it for years anyway. And besides, we just love being alone.
We arrive in Santiago de Compostela - the holy city. The pilgrimage destination itself. Quick check-in at the campsite, a walk with the dogs, and off we go to the city. We always follow the music, past bars, souvenir shops, and shops of all kinds. At some point, we find ourselves in front of the famous cathedral. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists fill the square and I have to admit: we were moved. The atmosphere on the square goes through marrow and bone. Great old buildings as far as the eye can see ... we are excited and take a ride on the tourist train through the city with lots of information through headphones. Then we climb back up to the campsite where the dogs are eagerly waiting (the big city is simply not for them). Tired but happy, we throw ourselves into bed that evening. On the next day, which was supposed to be the main day in Santiago, the dogs wake us up at night. Both have diarrhea and pure water shoots out of them. We have to go out several times during the night, and the next day their stomachs rumble audibly. Oh great! Santiago will have to wait. Having dogs is like having small children. They always get sick at the most inconvenient times. So we can't leave them in the truck, and taking them to the old town is not an option. Therefore, we have to take an obligatory break at the campsite today, hopefully only for a day. In the afternoon, we dare to go back to the beautiful old town for two hours. Again, we wander through the fantastic, winding city with wide eyes. Through narrow alleys, we discover new squares, churches, and other buildings over and over again. The light sandstone shines in the sun ... in short: we are excited! Santiago de Compostela is definitely worth a visit!
On 31.10. we leave Spain in pouring rain and cross the border into Portugal.
Northern Spain has completely thrilled us. Although it rained more often than we would have liked, we felt very comfortable. Spain is very camper-friendly. There are free parking lots and water supplies in every village. The lively friendly Spaniards are very open and, although communication was sometimes difficult, we always got into conversation with them. We are looking forward to Southern Spain, which we will travel to after Portugal. Nos vemos Espaniol !!
Portugal, here we come ....