2012 09 Santiago to Soto de Luina

2012 09 Santiago to Soto de Luina, a set on Flickr.

57 photos from the first part of our time in Spain. Click on the link to see the whole set.

Santiago de Compostela to Soto de Luina

The past couple of days have shown us the coast of Galicia, a part of Spain we haven't seen before; it is windswept and beautiful in a rugged kind of a way. The beaches are truly amazing.

We started in Santiago de Compostela, which is the end point (or maybe beginning for some) of the Camino de Santiago; a 783km pilgrimage across the north of Spain. Rather than walking or cycling, we are driving from Santiago to Bilbao via San Sebastian in a white Citroen.

Cathedral at Santiago

Santiago is a beautiful medieval city. We spent a day wandering in the streets (many seem to be pedestrian until a car comes along!) and visiting the stunning cathedral as well as enjoying yummy tapas in the sunshine.

The following morning we collected the car and drove along the Costa da Morte to a little town, Naron a few kilometres north-west of Farrol. On our way we visited the western-most point in Spain, Cabo Fisterra, where we walked to the lighthouse, built stone towers and mused over whether we could see the US in the distance across the Atlantic.

Praia do Mar de Fora

We have promised Eleanor and Leo lots of beaches over the next few days as we will be travelling along the coast. Praia do Mar de Fora near Fisterra was a great first beach stop. It is a 10-or-so minute walk from the road and well worth it. Golden sand (or billions of broken shells) and quiet, at this time of year at least. We spent a couple of hours building sand castles, digging holes, jumping waves and cooling off in the fairly chilly Atlantic.

Cabo Fisterra

Today we had an eerie visit to the Garita de Herberia, Europe's highest sea-cliffs. Eerie because it was so misty we could barely see our hands in front of our faces. There was no view at all from the cliff-top so we couldn't get an idea of how high we were above sea level, but an interesting experience and beautiful drive nonetheless.

Praia As Catedrais

From there we went on to Praia As Catedrais, today's beach. This time a sandy beach with rock arches. Similar to Cathedral Cove on the Coromandel Peninsula, but not a cove and the sea hasn't yet found its way through most of the cathedrals. Give it a few thousand more years and we'll be walking through them!

The car travel has been good overall. We are able to visit places we would never have seen otherwise and can be a little more relaxed in the way we pack.

Eleanor is not a big fan of cars, except that she would like to be driving. Today she suggested that she drive, Daddy read the map so we know where we are going and Mummy and Leo sit in the very back (the boot). Hmmmm. We have played lots of eye spy with interesting results; sometimes it is colour-based and others the letters are a little confused, but we have fun. Leo loves to make people (including himself) laugh. Today's joke was to call someone's name and laugh hysterically when they said 'yes Leo' he had nothing to tell them.

The weather has been great, although today was overcast and a little chilly at 21 degrees. Still, we saw no rain in Galicia, which is uncommon apparently. Now we are in Asturias we're hoping for the sun to return.

Tonight we are staying just outside Soto de Luna, a very cute town on the Pilgrim's trail. We have a two bedroom apartment with a little lounge and free laundry. Luxury! We even cooked dinner for ourselves for the first time in almost two weeks and ate it with a good bottle of localish Spanish red wine. Real life seems a million miles away!

2012 09 Lisbon

2012 09 Lisbon, a set on Flickr.

Photos from our visit to Lisbon, Portugal. Click the link to see all 58.

A quick stop in sunny Lisbon

It was 16 degrees when we left Lisbon airport for the city. At 10.30pm. Excellent!

After a slow start the following morning, we wandered into the centre of town from our hotel. We decided not to take the pushchair due to hills and narrow walkways. Not the best decision as three and almost two year olds can't walk terribly far, so mummy and daddy shoulder rides were the order of the day.

In the lift

We came across the Elevador Santa Justa; a free-standing lift taking you up 32 metres to a viewing platform. What a way to see the city's terracotta-tiled roofs, castle on the hill and the sea. Stunning!

Fun in the fountains

From there we jumped on tram 28, a vintage tram that takes passengers on a scenic trip on narrow little streets, up hills, past all sorts of little shops and great views. We missed the stop for the castle, so continued to the end of the line, Martim Moniz. As it happened to be beside a park, we had a picnic, then Eleanor and Leo had play in the fountain; a series of small jets of water coming out of the ground. I am not sure quite what the locals thought of two soaking wet children racing through the water, but Eleanor and Leo had a fantastic time.

Trams

We jumped on the tram again to wind our way back up to Castelo S. Jorges. We spent our time there following self-appointed tour leader Eleanor around the parapets and again enjoying amazing views over the city.

Arco da Rua Augusto

We stopped quickly at Commercial Square and admired the striking Arco da Rua Augusta (a huge arch leading into the square).

Heading back to our hotel at about 6.30pm, it was 31 degrees. Lovely, but hard work with heavy children on shoulders while walking up hill. Not complaining though!

All in all, a great day in the sunshine in a welcoming European city. Now Portugal is firmly on our list of countries to see when next over this way.

Next up: Spain.