August 26th, 2021
Hello Readers!
This summer has been full of many changes. A year ago, most countries were closed and travel was very limited or non-existent for most people. This year, Spain has finally opened its borders to many countries so it was the perfect time to pack up our bags, get the vaccine and our masks and embark on our next journey. This time it took me and my family to Cedeira, Galicia, in the north of Spain. Something different about this trip is that it was a road trip that started in Madrid, Spain. I will be discussing a stop along the way that I thought was very interesting and then all the things there are to do in Cedeira and the surrounding cities.
The road trip from Madrid to Cedeira was six hours so there were a few pit stops along the way to get food and also to sightsee. We stopped somewhere called Las Médulas. They are rock formation that used to be mined for gold from 30 to 40 A.D. while this part of Galicia was part of the Roman empire. To this day you can see where the gold was mined from holes in the rock formation. Interestingly, the way that they mined contained a water pressure system to make tunnels bigger and more easily accessible to reach all the gold possible.
Afterwards, we got to Cediera and we explored everything there was to see. One of the beaches that we visited was Playa de Vilarrube de Loira. It resembles a normal beach in the fact that it had soft, white sands and the tides are constantly changing with waves for bodyboarding and surfing. But, it has forests on the sides and it does not get very warm; we had to wear coats that day for the beach.
Another beach that we visited was Playa Pantin which is one of the most famous beaches in Spain for surfing. Similar to Playa de Vilarrube, it has white and golden beaches and it is a cold beach but the waves are extraordinary with amazing waves most of the time and it is full of people surfing, bodyboarding or simply enjoying the ocean.
One of the sights that I enjoyed the most was the sunset in Cedeira. There was one day where there were many clouds and it made for a rare sight with the rays of light peeking through the gaps in the clouds and illuminating the ocean.
Another town nearby that was a must on the bucket list was Santiago de Compostela. It is a well known town due to the amount of the people that do the Camino de Santiago which 764 km/ 474.73 miles. The camino can be started at any point but many people do the pilgrimage in hopes to finally reach this city where Santiago, an apostle of Jesus, is buried. There is a church there, built in his name, at the same time, you can visit the tomb and pay your respects. The whole town has its charm and is beautiful and has an amazing significance for many people. The cathedral can be seen below in the first two pictures. The statue resembles the pilgrims hiking to Santiago de Compostela. Then after, there are plazas with fountains.
Another city that we visited was San Andres de Teixido. But, we did something different to get to this city, we became the “pilgrims” and hiked from Cedeira to San Andres de Teixido. It was a 14km/8.70 mi. and it had some amazing views on the way there. There were waves crashing along the cliffs and you could see the ocean for miles on end. Once we got to the town we saw that it was a small town full of markets and locals selling homemade pastries and food. There is also a small church close to the cliffs looking over the ocean.
After we were able to see all these places in five days, it was time to head back to Madrid and say goodbye to the Spanish countryside and head back to the more fast-paced city life. Although, it was a very different sight to what I am used to, getting to know a different part of Spain was very cool! I hope you enjoyed learning about a different part of Spain with me.
Hope you are all taking advantage of the last few days of summer (or winter in the southern hemisphere) and are able to discover more places around the globe.
Sincerely,
The Eternal Traveler