Day 148: La Coruña, Spain

Saturday, 3 June 2017
At Sea — Bay of Biscay … En Route to St Jean-de-Luz, France

Stats @ Ship’s Time 8:00p (CEST) … UTC 6:00p (3 June)
Temp: 60.1F (15.6C)
Position: 43.48.71N / 7.24.60W

It is only in adventure that some people succeed in
knowing themselves — in finding themselves.
~ Andre Gide ~

It was 7:00a when I woke up to overcast skies.  Though my body said it was only 6:00a — we lost an hour overnight — it was time to get up.  Still, we dallied.  By the time we went up to the Terrace Café for breakfast, Insignia was approaching the cruise ship terminal at the Calvo Sotelo Pier in La Coruña … one of the busiest ports in Spain.  Yes, we’re back in Spain again … for the last time on this trip.

It was too cold to eat outside, however, so we sat at a two-top by the window and made short work of our morning meal.  Then we joined friends to dawdle over coffee.  It was, in fact, 9:45a when we finally went ashore.  The overcast was lifting and blue patches in the sky were meshing together to outnumber the clouds.  By the time we were outside the cruise terminal, the sun was shining bright and warming us up nicely.  Still, we were glad to be wearing our puffy jackets when the bright orb hid behind a passing cloud, or when our stroll put us in the shade.

Our first stop was at the Mercado San Agustin.  Mui wanted to get to the market before the morning hubbub of the local shoppers was over.  Turns out we were early … yes, daily life starts late in Spain.  It was rather quiet in the spic-and-span clean market.  We wandered around the stalls, checking out the goods … from flowers, to meats, to cheeses, to fresh vegetables and fruits, to fresh fish and a variety of seafood.

Selections from the seafood stalls at the market.

Our meandering stroll from the market took us by the neighborhood Church of San Jorge … built on the site where once stood the Church and Monastery of San Agustin.  With the sun lighting the façade, the church made for a photogenic image against the backdrop of blue sky.

Construction started on the church in 1693, but it was 1906 before it was completed.

Next we walked to the Palacio Municipal [Town Hall] overlooking Plaza de María Pita … the heart of the city and La Coruña’s most important public square.  It was quiet in the square … named for the heroine who rallied the townspeople against English invaders in 1589.  Sitting on one of the benches in the sun, we took time out to enjoy the peace and quiet … and also to take advantage of the free wi-fi to make WhatsApp calls to our families.  Before we left, I pointed out to Mui a restaurant hidden in the colonnade on one side of the plaza — Pulperia María Pita … yup, an octopus place.  The decision was made then and there … this was where we would be returning to have lunch.  In the meantime, more sightseeing was in order.

María Pita gained fame for her role in the attack led on the city by Sir Francis Drake.

With no set plans, we left the plaza and strolled about as we pleased, picking places of interest from the map the tourist rep who came aboard Insignia gave us before we disembarked the ship.  In the Old City, we stopped at the Church of Santiago, said to possibly be the city’s oldest church.  It wasn’t due to open for another 10 minutes, so we moved on.

Our feet next took us to the 6-mile (10km) long Paseo Maritimo [waterfront promenade] that encircles the peninsula.  We didn’t walk the length of the promenade as we had promised ourselves that we would take it easy today.  Instead, we enjoyed the views of Insignia and the marina, and checked out the statues nearby.  In the distance, the white apartment buildings that Manolo had mentioned as being traditional local architecture gleamed in the sun.  Why traditional?  Because they all have enclosed balconies … a must considering they bear the brunt of the harsh winds coming off the North Atlantic.

Some sources describe the Paseo Maritimo as the longest promenade in Europe.

By the time we got to Castillo de San Antón, it was almost noon.  We thought we might pay the admission and check out the small castle, which was built between the 16th and 17th centuries to defend the city against attacks from the sea.  But then we remembered that our lunch reservation was at 1:00p, so we took a pass.  Instead, we continued our stroll uphill, going into the Jardín de San Carlos … on the grounds of what was once a medieval fortress.  Dating back to 1843, the garden holds the tomb of Sir John Moore, an English general who died fighting Napoleon’s forces in 1809.  He was interred here to honor his oft-repeated request to be buried where he fell.  The garden was nothing special — very few flowers in bloom — but it was a place of quiet respite.  In fact, the whole town was quiet.  We saw maybe three other couples from the ship all day … most of the ship’s passengers choosing to go to Santiago de Compostela or elsewhere for the day.

I seldom photograph people on the street, but I couldn’t resist
the way the sun lit up the Mohawk this guy is sporting.

Continuing our stroll along narrow cobblestone streets, we found ourselves at the Monastery and Church of Santo Domingo.  A priest wearing his vestments said we were welcome to go inside, but asked that we stay quiet as a service was underway in one of the chapels.  Once situated outside the town walls, the church was rebuilt inside the Old City during the first half of the 17th century.  After another quiet respite here, we meandered back to the Plaza de María Pita by way of the Church of Santiago.  I had read that this was the first stop on the Camino Inglés [English Route] on the way to Santiago de Compostela.  I never did find the five smooth grooves said to have been formed by the hands of millions of pilgrims walking by the church on their pilgrimage, but I did enjoy the stained glass windows — especially the two exquisite rose windows.

The Church of Santiago is on the Camino Inglés, which provides the shortest
and most direct route between La Coruña and Santiago de Compostela.

It was 12:45p when we arrived at the Pulperia María Pita.  We sat at one of the tables overlooking the plaza for an al fresco lunch … seeking the sun to stay warm.  Of course, Mui ordered the octopus … served warm with a sprinkling of paprika.  I ordered the fried calamari — some of the most tender I’ve ever had anywhere.  The plates were tapas-size, but plenty to share … especially with the addition of an order of ham croquettes.  All was yummy, and we washed it all down with a glass of sangria for Mui and an Estrella Galicia beer for me.  We made liberal use of the free wi-fi on the plaza, did-some people watching — two wedding parties came out of the Town Hall while we were having lunch — and enjoyed the antics of a soccer-playing dog that was doing an admirable job of maneuvering a ball around the plaza, even head butting it when his master threw the ball in the air.

Entering Plaza de María Pita from the waterfront this time, our view of the
Town Hall is through the arches of the colonnade on this side of the square.

"¡Salud! … as they say in Spain!

An excellent tapas lunch on a beautiful day in La Coruña.

After lunch, we headed back to the ship, making a stop for some ice cream that we enjoyed sitting on a bench overlooking the marina.  We were in our cabin shortly before 3:00p … an hour to spare before the 4:00p sailaway … which we enjoyed from our veranda.

On our departure from La Coruña we pass by Castillo de San Antón.
The heavily treed area next to the white building is Jardín de San Carlos.

Once we were underway, I used the free time to clean-up the pile of receipts and other paperwork in the catch-all drawer.  All too soon it was 6:00p … time to get ready for dinner with Bill Rothschild, one of the lecturers on this segment, and his friend and travel-buddy, Ed.  As is the case with all of the ship’s lecturers, Bill is frequently pressed into service as escort for ship’s tours — part of the price for free passage.  Bill and Ed were on the Santiago de Compostela tour today and said the place was incredibly crowded.  Glad I listened to my instincts and planned a day in town to see the sights.

We were going to dine in the Grand Dining Room, but Bill and Ed had the same thought we did … go to the Terrace Café instead to partake of Chef Farid’s “fish al fresco” — Mediterranean sea bream … which he picked up in La Coruña today.  The fish was excellent.  And the weather was perfect for al fresco dining.
 
CD Ray warned us after the ship sailed that we are in for some high winds and rough seas overnight and into the wee hours.  I can only hope that prediction will be just as wrong as the forecast in The Currents for an overcast day in port today.  At the moment, we have good seas.  Despite the temperature being only 60F (15C), the sun — which is dead astern — is keeping me comfortable on the veranda as I finish writing about our visit to La Coruña.  Once the sun goes down, however, I bet it’s going to get cold very quickly.  No matter … I’ll be asleep by then.

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