Dos Dias en Espana

Wednesday we were in La Coruna, Spain.  We had been there many years ago and had taken a train up to Santiago de Compostela, the destination for those making the pilgrimage on the way of St. James.  More about that later.  We were docked right along the city waterfront. 

We took an Oceania excursion that had 3 stops.  The first was in Oleiros where we had where we had good views of the estuary and across the bay to La Coruna.

The next stop was at the Pazo de Matinan.  It is the site of a country manor house (which is not open to the public) and beautiful gardens along the river.

I failed to mention that it was an early excursion and we had lost an hour of sleep due to having to turn our clocks forward.  So Linda needed a little nap during the ride to the next stop.

The next stop was the village of Betanzos.  Starting in the main square, it was a steep walk down to the river and the 11th century bridge.

It was then a steep walk back up, passing a couple of the old city gates along the way.

Now, back to the pilgrimage.  On the streets and on buildings, we saw the way marks that indicate the route.  The pilgrims wear shells to identify themselves.

We returned to the main square where we had some free time.

Our guide (more about her later) had suggested the we try the local white wine.  Linda and I stopped at 2 taverns, neither one of which had the local wine.  So, I opted for the local beer, Esrella Galicia.  Quite nice.

Our guide was wonderful.  She had a great personality and provided much interesting information.  And, as we were waiting for the bus to pick us up, she danced for us!

After returning to the ship for lunch, we went for a short walk in La Coruna.

The scenic sail away included views of what our guide told us was the oldest lighthouse in Europe that is still working.

I have to say that we felt more energetic than we had in Porto and did some good walking.  But, wait for today's report! 

Today, we are in Santander, Spain, a port we have not been to before.  We chose to do our own thing and headed out to walk to the Palacio de la Magdalena.  Google Maps had indicated that it would be a little over 2 miles, but I think that it turned out to be a little longer than that.  We started by walking along the waterfront.

Linda, being the retired Desert Botanical Gardens docent, often stops to use Google Lens to identify plants.

When the sidewalk ended, we had to cross a beach,

Finally leaving the beach, we made it to the gardens surrounding the palace.

Then it was time to make the final climb to the palace.  Linda rejoiced!

Now it was a bad news, good news situation.  The bad news was that the palace was closed due to a special event.  The good news was that the views up there were spectacular which made the visit very worthwhile.

Walking back down, we passed some interesting watercraft and what is apparently part of a zoological park where we saw some seals.

We were treated to more views of the beautiful blue water as we made our way back down.

We walked along the upper street and made a rest stop to further enjoy the views.

In town, we found a nice mural and a nice restaurant for lunch.  Good food and nice decor.

And, how can you beat a restaurant where the wine is cheaper than water!

From there we passed a couple of plazas and made it back to the ship after covering about 6.5 miles.

It was an excellent day in Santander.  Now we are sailing away to our next port, Bordeaux (passing the Palacio de la Magdalena).  The country count will finally be increasing.

I've noticed, in looking back at our photos, that Linda tends to violate Rule of Civility Number 10.

10. When you sit down, keep your feet firm and even, without putting one on the other or crossing them.

Oh well, I won't hold it against her.

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry