Riazor La Coruña

... kids asleep except Dami who is a night owl) after midnight. Oops the campground closes (and is locked) at 11. A tour of town found a parking lot by the beach. We joined a pair of vw busses and bedded down for the night. Classy. We ARE trailer trash.

             

We woke up to find ourselves at a very local place. It was the beach the folks from a caruna come to to get away from the city. And most (as in everyone but us) of the people there had "summer" campers. So we made like locals and enjoyed the beach, Everett doing ...

... including real "pilgrims") we were back on the road to A Caruna where Ev had found a seaside campground. Back on Spanish time we had an delightful meal of Spanish tortilla (potato omlette) around 9:30 and the kids were in bed by 10:45. Yikes!!

                     

... and magical stories), San Andres (Andrew) was jealous that his brother(?) Santiago (James)'s pilgrimage site got so much traffic and was so well known, and his was not. So, he decided to make the village really hard to get to, and then made a reward for everyone who made the pilgrimage. Maria told us that everyone must come to San Andres de Teixido at some point, and if they don't make it in this life, then they will come back as an insect in San Andres ...

... sort of place in the middle of the woods. It felt exactly like camp-- we were in rooms with bunk beds, ate in a cafeteria together, played pool and walked on "Galician stilts" in the rec room, and played an impromptu game of soccer on an open field. People were making derogatory jokes about "Camp DIM" because we were not allowed (or able) to go out to bars, but I think many people, myself included, appreciated the chance to bond as a group.

... the Tower of Hercules, a light house built by the Romans around 1900 years ago. This is the oldest light house that is still in operation. Originally, the Romans built a ramp circling the building for oxen to haul wood up to the top. You can still where the ramp was attached in the picture, by the diagonal lines going up the sides of the building.

Later in the ...

... don't bother with pre-paid cards here because you just go to the till and they do it there.

Anyway, I think my Spanish has improved to the point where people I talk to think I actually live there. It's still obvious that it isn't my first language, but I probably speak it at a level of somebody who has lived there for a short time. So at times when I'm just not getting what should be a simple idea, people (like ...

... could have also visited from this port - however we chose to stay and see the city - We did some window shopping and everything looked so nice here so what a disappointment - fortunately the restaurants and cafes were open so after doing a bit of sightseeing in the city - checking out the churches and government buildings - we found ...

... but ran up the 234 steps took a couple pics up top and then ran back down with the guard following us down. A Coruna is also famous for it wonderful walkway along the water and the gallerias (glass enclosed balconies) that reflect the sun off the water. One story from A Coruna that I love is the story of Maria Pita.  When Sir Frances Drake tried to invade Spain in 1589 she picked up a pitchfork and chased the English away.  There is a wonderful square dedicated to her.

... n twee uur kost. Onderweg regent het af en toe behoorlijk, maar eenmaal in Compostela valt het erg mee, het is echter geen terrasweer. De oude stad is mooi en vol met toeristen en pelgrimgangers. Best veel mensen wandelen van Nederland gedurende 3 tot 4 maanden naar Compostela, anderen doen het per fiets. Er staat een lange rij pelgrims voor het laatste stempeltje bij het bureau van de pelgrimage. Je zult je zelf wel leren kennen als je deze afstand loopt of fietst. Het weer zal ...