Ancient cave paintings from 16000 years ago have been found in many locations in Northern Spain. We got to visit one that has been totally protected by building an exact replica. The cave of Altamira
The cave has been recreated in its exact form in a nearby building with a museum of ancient civilizations. Both are very well done
We had to Try the sideria, the Cider place with the great seafood stew! Lobster, crabs, prawns, shrimp, and clams! We ordered The grilled veggies, which came as a tower! They were wonderful too!
Walking the quiet shopping streets, visiting the Marina and old town, out to the bastion of Santa Catalina, our visit to Gijon is leisurely today. We have no travel or sightseeing agenda, and the sun is shining!
The 1990 Elogio del Horizonte (‘In Praise of the Horizon’) is a bold, sea-facing concrete sculpture by Basque artist Eduardo Chillida that has become a symbol of the city.
On this side of the city is a church six stands where the very first chuck in the city once stood. The Playa de San Lorenzo is the large crescent beach , beautiful views of the surroundings, and at the point, the Bastian of Santa Catalina where the elogia stands
We walked to see the city parks and the Playa de San Lorenzo, the beach boardwalk. What great living spaces here!
The beach
The church of San Lorenzo
Santiago de Compostelo was our starting point, and we drove first north to A Coruna to see the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the world, the Torre de Hercules built by the Romans on 100 AD. The outside of this structure was built, however, in 1788.
The view of the northwestern most corner of Spain!
Our next 2 evening will be spent exploring Gijon and enjoying Asturian cuisine
Dinner of Asturian specialties, a squid stew, another oxtail dish and pig cheeks!
Not sure if this dessert was what we ordered, but it was good
We are in Galicia now, traveling to Austeria region today then on to Basque Spain and France so the foods change a bit with each new region. This is a foodie trip, both Emmett and his cousin Norbert are here to experience the cuisine! So many interesting seafood dishes, and desserts, I will try to lable them as I post pictures.
Last night we ate at a Michelin noteworthy restaurant…. no star but years of great food recognized by Michelin for excellence
On Monday we picked up our car and decided to do a day trip to Lugo. The old town there is surrounded by an ancient Roman walk still intact after 18 centuries! A UNESCO world heritage site. We walked a bit of it, visited the cathedral outside, and loved the city squares.
The cathedral was not open but we walked around it
The City within the walls is old and new buildings, with lovely squares, and lots of construction too.
Lugo is also a stop on the Camino de Santiago. You see signs like this along the way
We had such a busy Easter, I’ve gotten behind in my postings!
Unfortunately, the Botafumerio we had hoped to see was under maintenance still. I’ve found a YouTube you can watch to see this happen
I confess…. no phones were to be used for photographs, but They didn’t say no recoding
We arrived in Santiago e Compostelo today, with a little rain of course, with a lunch stop in Pontevedra
We are on Galicia now and the food is little different but just as delicious! For lunch, the unique thing we had was calamari croquettes with the black squid ink.
Our lodging for this 3 night stay is Pension, Rua Nova, just a 3 minute walk from the cathedral. Our room is right above the door
The Camino is marked with the images is the scallop shell, a symbol of Santiago, St James. The shell is a metaphor, its lines representing the different routes pilgrims travel from all over the world, all walking trails leading to one point: the tomb of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela.
Tonight we had other great seafood, baby scallops, razor class, and octopus Galacia style. We shared it all, plus a salad and toast with tomato, apple and meat…. it was delicious! Oh course we had dessert too! Cheesecake that was a little savory, tiramisu, a berry ice cream and a lemon ice cream!
Our last full day in Portugal! We were at leisure to walk the city a bit, nothing particular to visit, but the historic center. The weather is A bit chilly and only a little wind, but on and off rain as we walk out onto the top of the Pont Luis bridge looking down onto the Douro River.
This is where our AirBnB is, 2nd floor, on the right, and our view toward the river and then toward the city
From the Ponte Luis Bridge. The metro goes over the top level, cars on the lower level
Sites as we walk from the cathedral, right by our lodging, to the center of the city
Walking thru the city
Kathy and I are visiting the wine regions of Douro Valley, Portugal today! Our first stop is Amarante on Tamega River, for the green wines, or young wines, fermented only 3 months, a little bubbly, both white and red. We had both wines with great Jamon and sausage and with a mild, soft white cheese. We also picked up some Pastry characteristic of the area and St Gonçalo, the fertility Saint, hence the cream filled creampuff pastry!
Wine and olive oil tasting on the Douro Valley. The weather is wet and grey but the scenery is Beautiful the wines taste good!
Small river cruise in Tradional wine transport boats…. now they only transport tourists! Quinta along the river that are the wineries, olive trees and grapes grown along the Duoro, just east of Pinhão
After the boat ride on the Douro, lunch and port tasting
