Spain is another like Italy where we had seen the majority of the place before the existence of the blog. The first together trip that we did here was back in 2007.
This trip is where we did 10 weeks travelling through Europe and only took about 30 photographs. The theory that we had at the time was that our crappy cameras (and skills) could not do such magnificent sights justice. So rather than being a slave to the content (that we have become) we just sat back and took in all of the sights, sounds and feel of the places that we visited.
Now that the blog exists, and as we revisit some of these places, I will undertake to update the page as we go. But for now, I will only update the stuff as we redo it and will not try and backcapture
Madrid was obviously first on the list and we did the typical tourist thing (bearing in mind that we were not as seasoned as we are now) and grabbed the HOHO bus. This is the perfect introduction to a city (if a little expensive) that will give you a 1-3 day pass where you can hop-on hop-off (HOHO) these buses. They run every 7 minutes or so, looping the main tourist attractions and typically include free wifi and an audio guide in multiple languages. This allows you to have complete flexibility over your itinerary.
So with that in mind we stopped at the:
The Royal Palace was obviously the big show in town. It is the largest in Western Europe and one of the largest in the world.
Almudena Cathedral which is the main church in town and was originally built around 1100ad, but for any number of reasons, the final version was not completed until the 20th century.
Santiago Bernabeu Stadium which is the home of the Real Madrid soccer team. Not really my thing, but it was on the path.
- Enjoy expedited entry to the Prado Museum
Bilbao
Bilbao was first on the list, it is the eleventh largest city in Spain but largest in the province (Biscay). The greater Metro area contains a bit over a million people. Fist founded in the 13th century, the town quickly became an important port city.
Our arrival was actually in the town of Getxo about 20 km from Bilbao itself. But the port authority runs a shuttle bus service to town (that delivers you underneath the Guggenheim Museum). Added to that there is an efficient metro station within a manageable walk from the terminal.
The town is mainly now known for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.
It is one of several museums bearing the Guggenheim name (New York, Venice, Bilbao and soon to be Abu Dhabi) around the world. This like the others is a home for modern and contemporary art. But of most interest is the building itself, which is incredibly funky and has been widely lauded as a piece of contemporary architecture.
Of course, being a Monday, in Spain, all museums are closed. So we took our happy snaps from outside and explored the rest of the town instead.
In prepping for the trip I saw that there was a funicular (Funicular de Artxanda) that ran up the hill (Artxanda) and offered panoramic views over the town. Not being a fan of stairs, the 3 (ish) euro price tag seemed about right to get some good perspective (and photos) without busting a boiler trying to climb the mountain. But the distance, cloudy weather and Karin’s knee combined to keep us on the Gugenheim side of the river instead.
To get to the funicular from town you first have to cross the Zubizuri (white) Bridge (which we did walk past). Opened in 1997, and consists of a curved walkway held up by cables from an overhead arch. While we did get photos, this one from the net showed it best.
Once the exploration proper started, we quickly found ourselves in funky streets full of amazing buildings. We snapped away furiously while zigging and zagging our way through the streets. This led to the inevitable (and what was to become frequent) stop for a sit down, a coffee (or other beverage). Typically the drink was (to be) accompanied with either a pastry or some pincho’s (small tapas style snacks).
The Ribera Market is the largest covered food market in the world (according to Guinness). On the right bank of the Nervión river it has stood there for centuries but the current version was built in 1929.
Some more coffee, more cool buildings, parks, pinchos and add in some bocadillos (Spanish sandwiches) and maybe a cerveza. Possibly the most important thing to raise in all of this is the prices that you pay. We were able to get two coffees (really good coffees), pinchos, sandwiches and pastries for less than the cost of 2 coffees at home (even after the currency conversion).
Oh and Santiago Cathedral was there too.
So after a fair day’s walking we meandered back to the ship for a well earned shower and a sit down.
La Coruna
La Coruña was next, it has a population of 245,000. and is a long time maritime port, the first recorded history can be found in the 2nd century BC when the Romans arrived (originally known as Brigantium). The Roman influence is still obvious today.
The most notable evidence of the Romans is the Torre de Hercules (Tower of Hercules) lighthouse, which is the oldest known Roman lighthouse. Built in the 1st century, it sits on a peninsula about 2.4 km from town (there is a bus, but we took a cab).
La Coruña is often known as the city of crystal, due to its glassed-in facades overlooking the harbour. These date back to the 18th century, when glass panes became ubiquitous due to their use in Spanish galleons. The cruise terminal drops you basically in the middle of town and a quick 5 minute walk drops you at Plaza de María Pita (the main town square). The main square was named after a local heroine (Maria Pita) whose story is seriously cool. To tell it properly I will steal it from wiki and the tourist blurbs so as to do it justice.
On 4 May 1589, the English breached Spanish defences and entered the old city. María Pita was assisting her husband (an army captain) but when he was killed (in a fit of rage) she snatched the spear carrying the banner from an English captain and killed him with it. The guy she killed is claimed to be the brother of (Admiral) Francis Drake. This apparently demoralised the English troops who began to retreat. At this point she appeared on the the wall of the city shouting Quen teña honra, que me siga (“Whoever has honour, follow me!”).
So in the middle of the square that bears her name is a statue of her holding the spear that she used.
If you want to find out more about Maria Pita, there’s a free admission museum explaining her story and her integral part in the downfall of Sir Francis Drake and the English Armada.
The square itself was pretty funky, dominated by the Town Hall on one side, and Iglesia de San Jorge (church) on the other. There was the usual shops, bars and restaurants.
Being a church and full of stained glass, Karin had to go in. As expected, it was full of shiny euro church bling and some pretty cool glass.
Up the hill was a nice garden and (what I can only imagine was) a life sized statue of an old admiral. Some old Roman ruins as you made your way down the hill and at the bottom poking out was the fort.
Iglesia de Santiago is the oldest church in A Coruña. Build in the 12th century in Roman style, later adopted to more Gothic architecture.
Castillo de San Anton is a 16th century fortress located at the waters edge, part of a network of strategically built defensive forts. Nowadays it is an archaeological museum with a huge cistern underneath it. And for about 2 euros each, why wouldn’t you go in.
And of course, inside the fort was the usual weapons, armour and random trinket display.
Some more exploring, cool coastlines, odd statues , interesting architecture and generally a good day was had all around.
Having seen the tower of Hercules we hopped a cab to find the Octopus sculpture and funky looking dome that was supposed to be up the hill.
Begin saga…
What was supposed to be a quick cab ride to an impressive sculpture ended up being a trip to the main railway station (estacion and sculpture etc). Then some google translating on the phones and a cab ride to a very lame sculpture, and another ride down the hill back to the main square.
Having reached the square, it was time for a cold drink and some pinchos. Before hopping back on the boat, a last minute wander about saw Karin particularly interested in a wickerware donkey (with a disturbing level of anatomical correctness).
In addition to the bits that we saw there is a bunch of museums (Contemporary Art, Archaeological, History, Science and Technology, Human body and evolution). The marine aquarium apparently has a rebuilt submarine from Captain Nemo from Jules Verne’s story.
La Caruna is a nice town and I would happily come back.
Vigo
Vigo is a town of a little under 300,000 people. Casco Vello is the historical center (Old Town) area of town and the bit with the most to see. Thankfully it is very close to the port, however, it is built on the side of a hill that the tourist lady said would rival the steepness of San Francisco.
The first thing that struck us was the fairly eclectic range of statues that were floating about the town.
Thankfully, the tourist lady also told Karin that if you walk down 3-4 streets that there was a series of escalators that would save you a lot of effort in climbing the (very steep) hill. The streets, squares and buildings have information signs in Galician, Spanish and even some in English.
On our first pass we missed the escalators and found ourselves walking through the Alameda da Praza de Compostela. Main park in town for those whose Spanish still needs some work.
We zigged and zagged a bit until we found the escalators (they started a few streets up the hill). So up the escalators we went until we could go no further.
From here was a long steep walk to get to the Fortaleza de Santa María do Castro.
A quick google check showed a hilltop park with prehistoric stone ruins and some fortress remains.
Sort of, on the way to the park, you (kinda) pass the Castelo de San Sebastián. This is not for the feint hearted, and we were that on this particular day.
So making our way back down the hill we got into Casco Vello more seriously. Checking out the mix of old and new buildings and the myriad of cafes and restaurants.
We found a street that specialised in just seafood, with a particular emphasis on the local delicacy pulpo (octopus) along with whatever else was fresh on that particular day. It was at this point I realised that I needed to be with my wife or my other sister, both of whom would have enjoyed settling in on this street.
There is even a monument to Jules Verne (a bronze statue of him sitting on the tentacles of a giant squid.
In his book 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, he named a chapter “The Bay of Vigo”.
He came to visit the city sometime after writing the novel, so in his honour and on the centenary of his death (2005), the statue was commissioned and donated.
While we may not have settled in at the seafood shops, we certainly did not go without. The offerings in Vigo were top class and we did find a way to do some serious sampling.
Gijon
Gijon is a lovely little town, that is not usually on the cruise ship list of stops.
And isn’t this obvious. The port itself is rubbish.
You park next to huge piles of coal (just like Brisbane), with nothing scenic for miles.
And when you get out of the port you are left to your own devices (same as Brisbane).
The cruise ship offered two options, a free shuttle to the edge of the port (where there was nothing but a 6km walk to town ahead of you) there was not even a cab or local bus stop on offer. The second option was a USD$20 per person bus ride to a very tiny town.
Having paid the $$$ we hopped the but that dropped us at the local train museum (free) and right next to what is probably a very nice beach (Poniente) when is is not gray, cold and rainy. A short walk and you are at the tourist sign and at an old fortress wall.
Some old building and some interesting attempts at art and sculpture and you find yourself at the local roman ruins and skate park. To say that this place is a bit off is an understatement.
Cimadevilla, the city’s oldest neighborhood, where narrow streets, colorful houses, and old fishermen’s taverns create a cool atmosphere. We chose to climb to the top of Cerro de Santa Catalina for sweeping views over the Bay of Biscay and to see the iconic Elogio del Horizonte sculpture by Eduardo Chillida.
Karin’s search of the blurb suggests that it is meant to amplify the sounds of the ocean. As you wander down the hill you pop out on the Capilla del Santísimo Sacramento. A very nice church overlooking the ocean near the beach of San Lorenzo.
From here we found ourselves near some very odd statues that required some exploration but did not come with an explanation.
Then it was to Plaza Mayor for a coffee and a bite. And we were pretty much done.
A slow amble down the main shopping mall street a quick stop at another church (Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) which is topped by a 7.5 metre marble statue of Jesus. Of course Karin went in to check out the stained glass.
Across the road from the church was the town library and at about this time, Gijon was touristed out.
So it was back on the bus and back to the coal piles.
Our tour of Northern Spain was good.
We took in four towns that we had never been to, experienced some very cool sights, ate great food and enjoyed amazing coffee. All things considered, well worth the effort.
Barcelona
Seville
Cordoba
Granada
Cartagena
Malaga
The Canary Islands