Costa Verde

A beautiful part of Spain

The weather continued to play havoc with our plans, so the next leg of our trip turned out a bit differently than planned. As we drove north and then west, we reached the ocean in an area called Costa Verde because it is incredibly green and lush. Cut by numerous rivers flowing down from the high mountains just several miles inland, it has deep gorges called viaducts running to the ocean at regular intervals. Unfortunately the highways we drove on didn't really allow for photography. We had to pause in a busy roundabout for this shot of dried corn on a farmhouse.

I was surprised to see corn (but, then the Spaniards did conquer a lot of South America)

Since we were ahead of schedule (having left rainy Picos de Europa a day early), we felt free to explore.

The first appealing thing along the way was the prospect of visiting the Tito Bustillo Cave, which is one of the few caves with prehistoric cave drawings that you can still visit in Spain. Most are closed to the public to protect their fragile paintings and Tito Bustillo is highly restricted. So highly restricted that we couldn't get it.  This is the trap of travel -- while we would like to be totally spontaneous, things like this remind us that sometimes you have to book way in advance. Oh, well, we saw the outside of the caves!

This looks Photoshopped; it isn't

Then, as we tired of the super highway and the sky was somewhat clear, we got off the main road to see if we could get closer to the ocean. We ended up on a beach whose name I cannot recall. 

Random exploration; Photo: Scott Stevens

Just a small strip of beach along the Way of St. James (evidenced by several pilgrims hiking by).

Pilgrims are common here

Bordered on two sides by hills, it was a bit rocky ...

Wild-looking

And, very moody because of the weather. But, it was good to finally make it to the sea.

Most of the rest of our trip would follow the ocean

It was also good that there were a couple of restaurants. We chose the less fancy once, starting out on the terrace.

A beer for Scott, Diet Coke for me; Photo: Scott Stevens

We moved inside when the rain started up again (sunny Spain? not so much). We don't speak Spanish and fewer Spaniards speak English than I would have thought. We ordered a salad and fried fish -- at least that's what we thought. We didn't know if we'd get flash-fried sardines or a whole fish or what.

What we got was delicious - light, crisp, white fish in a very crunchy batter plus a delicious salad that we dressed with olive oil and vinegar.

Oh my!

We finished it off very quickly.

Yep!

If we were paying attention, we would have ordered the local cider that Asturias is famous for -- we saw other patrons drinking it. It comes in a large bottle with a champagne-type cork. The hold the bottle about 18-24 inches from the glass to pour a small amount, which they quaff before repeating the process.

The restaurant next door had an amusing facade.

A real fish restaurant; Photo: Scott Stevens

Then, on again. We were looking for a more dramatic coastal view and our map plus a billboard pointed toward Cabo de Penas. As we approached, the weather started to improve and the landscape looked promising.

Mountains dropping to the sea

The first thing we saw was an old enclosed graveyard with a chapel, niches and crypts ...

Interesting

Next up, the lighthouse. It's not particularly romantic and it must be rather strategically important, because it is protected by some pretty heavy-duty fencing.

More house than lighthouse

Then, the actual point. Now that's what we were looking for. It had massive quartzite cliffs and some very cool rocks ...

This was breathtaking

... that rise above the turquoise Asturian Sea at the northernmost part of Spain.

The water was so, so beautiful

According to signs, a wide variety of sea life passes by the cape, including Blue and Sperm Whales. 

We searched, but didn't see anything

Then, we headed on toward our hotel in A Coruna, which I picked for three reasons: proximity to Cape Finisterre, proximity to Santiago de Compostela and location on a beach. What I didn't realize is that A Coruna is a pretty large city and the hotel is downtown. It is across the street from the beach, but it's a really busy street. Plus, it was pouring when we got there.

Proximity; Map: Google Maps

After we checked in, it cleared a bit and we decided to head out toward Cape Finesterre to catch sunset.

Originally thought to be the westernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula (Cabo da Roca in Portugal is actually about 10 miles further west), Cape Finsiterre was believed by Romans to be the end of the known world. It allegedly has spectacular beaches framed by steep cliffs leading down to the Mare Tenebrosum (or “dark sea,” the name of the Atlantic in the Middle Ages). Monte Facho is 781’ above sea level and features a lighthouse, a Roman Road and remnants of ancient structures (perhaps circa 1000 BC). Early Celtic inhabitants carried out offerings and rites in honor of the sun on Monte Facho. There are several rocks in this area associated with religious legends, such as the "holy stones," the "stained wine stones," the "stone chair" and the tomb of the Celtic crone-goddess, Orcabella. The seaside town of Fisterra is nearby.

Phoenicians sailed from Cape Finisterre to trade with Bronze Age Britain. The coast is known locally as the Costa da Morte (Death Coast) because of numerous shipwrecks and founderings, including that of the British ironclad HMS Captain in 1870, leading to the loss of nearly 500 lives.

Cape Finisterre is the final destination on the Way of St. James, the pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, 55 miles away. It is a recent tradition for pilgrims to burn their clothes or boots at the end of their journey at Cape Finisterre.

We almost made it there, but turned back because of fog.

So scenic

We will never know what it looks like.

On the way home, we stopped in a rural restaurant and ordered three tapas, one of which was on the recommendation of the waitress and we had no idea what it was until it was delivered -- razor clams. 

Who was the first person who said these look good to eat? Photo: Scott Stevens

But, this was great!

Not my favorite, but Scott liked them. 

We also had prawns and the most amazing carne asada -- a clay pot with piping hot meat and potatoes in a delicious broth. It was so comforting on a chilly night.

                    

Dinner made the trip worth it. 

The next morning, we decided to look around A Coruna a bit. 

We started with the 1,900-year-old Tower of Hercules (Torre de Hércules), the oldest Roman lighthouse in use today. 

 

There's been a light here for centuries

The 180 foot-tall structure, which overlooks the treacherous North Atlantic, follows a design that was Phoenician in origin and is thought to be modeled after the Lighthouse of Alexandria. 

The original lighthouse was built in the First century and this tower has been in constant use since the Second Century. 

The Tower of Hercules is the oldest existing lighthouse in the world. When it was rehabilitated in 1788-1791, it was built up one story higher.

The position of the lighthouse strongly favors an approach from the northwest and does not provide a guide to safe harbor for vessels approaching from the west  or north coast of the Iberian peninsula and it is sufficiently far from Cape Finisterre to indicate that it was not built as a marker for the end of the known earth. It appears that the lighthouse was built to satisfy the needs of regular traffic coming in from the Atlantic. 

As we approached the tower it started to rain. So, we decided to head on the our other reason for going to the northwest corner of Spain: Santiago de Compestela.

Trip date: April 25-May 15, 2015