Introduction to - An Alternative Galicia - Food, sights & beaches! (Introduction to this blog, including a loose 1-week itinerary for Western Galicia)

So, maybe you’re not interested in walking hundreds of kilometres on the Camino de Santiago?  But you have heard how beautiful Galicia is, how great the food is, and wondered ‘is there a holiday for me’ in this part of Spain?  The answer is, yes there is.  Several, possibly! 

I have a special interest in the region as my girlfriend is from there (I am Irish, and we live in Dublin), and over the last few years she has shown me quite a bit of what I consider to be an ‘alternative Galicia’, ie the Galica other than the Camino and the city of Santiago de Compostela.  Both of these are of course very worthy tourism destinations, but they have been covered in enormous detail by travel writers, particularly in the last decade.

Hence, this blog!  (and don't worry, this entry will be the longest entry!)

So, let’s look further afield.  I intend on this blog to cover the whole region, and indeed we may cover the Camino and Santiago at some point.  And some of my travels have included places which happen to be on or near the Camino (including the above photograph!).  But for now - the rest of Galicia, the real Galicia!  Take my most recent couple of visits, which I will merge in to a loose one-week mid-budget itinerary, focussing mainly on the Ourense region (west and southwest).  This is not necessarily a recommended trip for young children, but would be fine for older children, albeit probably best suited for couples, individuals or groups in their 30s or older.  As a fan of Spanish food, particularly non-showy Galician style food as they been producing for hundreds of years, this is also a holiday for anyone with an interest in trying this wonderful cuisine.

If you have any feedback about Galicia or questions or wish to contact me, please do so via cowley ken 72 at gmail dot com or via my other website www.kencowley.com 

Start your trip in Santiago de Compostela airport, with one of the three times weekly (high-season) Aer Lingus flights from Dublin.  Santiago also has flights from most other European countries, or you can connect via Madrid.  By all means, take a few days in this wonderful city at the start or end of your holiday, but for the purposes of this itinerary I suggest you hire a car from the airport and drive to our first selection of good-value places to stay, the Caldas de Reis, Torre do Rio hotel, a beautiful pazo (grand house) near Pontevedra, south of Santiago.  For this article I’m suggesting you try several of these mid-budget unique Galician hotel such as agriturismo-style or boutique-style mini grand-hotels, where value and customer service are highly valued.

Next day drive inland and spend half a day in the under-rated city of Ourense to sample the thermal waters, walk over the Roman bridge and maybe do some shopping.  Ourense is the main city of the Ourense province, Galicia having four regions, Ourense, Lugo, Coruna and Pontavedra, with idyllic Spanish weather definitely not always guaranteed.  For the record though Ourense has your best chance of hot dry weather in summer and Coruna has the highest chance of wind, cloud and showers.

Stay for your 2^nd night in Casa de Marmana or Hotel Balneario Kiwis, both near the beautiful small river-valley town of Ribadavia, and the town itself well is worth a half-day.

Next morning, you could do worse than go for a morning coffee to the the San Stevio, just 10k from Ourense.  This is a church and monastery which is now one of many Paradores (state-run luxury hotels in old palace) around Spain and then head for the beautiful valley town of Ribeiro where there is another great Spa (Balneario de Ribeiro) or visit) or drive that afternoon towards Pontavedra and have a look at it’s lovely old town, and possibly stay in Gran Hotel a Toja.

Your first few days will have seen you drive through typical stunning inland Galician mountain scenery and you will see that Galicia is extremely green and full of forests and mountains.  As we know, the Camino has some great walking, but the whole region is full of potentially active holidays, including cycling and trail-running, as well as walking.  Or you can just take it at your leisure as you drive around my (small) selection of Galicia and enjoy some of the best ‘peace and quiet’ in Iberia.  If you’re escaping from city life, I guarantee you will finally hear yourself think, indeed at times on our most recent trip all we could literally hear was birdsong or the rolling of the sea.

On day three, I suggest you head up the coast and these next few days are where you will see the wild coastline, usually with dramatic mountains on your right (and the sea on your left) as you drive north.  We suggest you take a day or two to drive north slowly as far as Cape Finisterra, staying 2 or 3 nights in Finisterra itself, which for many people is the final destination of their Camino, the Cape being the ‘finito de mundo’ or ‘end of world’ where the lonely lighthouse (faro) looks out to the Atlantic on this ‘costa de morte’ (coast of death), with its colourful history of shipwreck, fishing and pilgrimage.

The coastline is an incredible series of headlands and peninsulas, so even thought it doesn’t look very far on the map, between Pontavedra and Finisterra you will actually cover 165 km.

And the beauty of this section of the journey is that you will pass through many pretty little fishing towns and villages so you can experience the peace and quiet of Galicia as you stop off for swims or walks or relaxation at the almost never-ending selection of long golden beaches.  The summer water temperature I deduced to be ‘somewhere between the Irish sea and the Med’, so while it is bracing for Spaniards, for us northern European visitors it is merely refreshing, almost warm!  And the water is spotlessly clean and clear.  There is fun for the kids playing in the dunes and on the beach, while the adults either catch some sun-rays or repair for a coffee, wine or tapas.  Note – there are several big Water-parks in Galicia, if you have teenagers in tow.

You can have lunch at any number of cracking little restaurants, and tapas by evening or full dinners at 9 or 10pm.  And as this is one of the world’s most famous regions for fish and seafood give it a go and try it all.  Not everyone you encounter will speak English, so do bring a phrase book (or Google-Translate) and don’t worry, most waiters and hotel staff will have a little English.  If in any serious doubt, you can always order the fall-back and low-cost ‘menu del dia’.  And don't forget most people will be speaking Galician, which is significantly different from regular Castellano Spanish (but everybody can speak Castellano also)

I suggest you keep night one ‘open’ and simply find a local ‘pension’ or low cost hotel, and get on the road again the following morning.  But for your final couple of nights, I recommend that you book the Hotel

Naturaleza Mar de Ardora, a delightful small hotel with the best views and Atlantic sunset this writer has ever seen, and all for the price of only 95 euros for two people (double or twin) fully inclusive of breakfast, bicycle-useage and a lovely touch -  ‘light food selection’ of their own garden-produce with wine or beer on the terrace for all the guests at 8pm each night.  You can pay an extra 40 euros to also get use of their Spa, which could be handy if the weather does not co-operate.

You will really enjoy exploring the cape of Finisterre, which is full of history, colour, scenery, beaches and incredible seafood.  Bicycle is a good way to get around, but don’t worry you can also drive to most places, and there is a lot of good walking or running to be had too on the trails around the local hills.

On your final full day, head back to Santiago at your leisure, with a light lunch to see you on your way, and stay your final night in Santiago, for a short drive back to the airport the next day, refreshed and well fed from your week in Galicia.

Well, that is our first post on this blog, please get in touch with any feedback or suggestions.  I will add some more blogs in the coming days with some bullet-points and pictures of festivals, food, restaurants, beaches and sights!  Thanks for reading so far.  Gratias!

Sights, beaches, towns and restaurants in western Galicia

Watch out for!  These interesting sights;

·         Horreos.  These historic little grain stores are dotted all over the region, two of the biggest ones  in particular are worth stopping off at, Carnotta and Liria

·         Food markets.  Especially fish markets, and watch the old lady shoppers cast their savvy eyes over the day’s catch (it’s all in the eye of the fish apparently – not too glassy!)

·         Cascada (waterfall) in Ezaro rio Xallas, with wonderful mirador (means viewpoint), Galicia’s biggest waterfall (Galicia produces 90% of Spain’s electricity, mainly from water)

Don’t Miss!  This beach;

·         Carnotta.  7 km of unbelievable golden sands, with hardly a tourist in sight, one of many great Galician beaches.

Keep  safe! 

·         The beaches are quiet and may not have lifeguards.  Bring your Spanish phrasebook, your Google translate smartphone App,  do your research for your travel connections and get a car with GPS.

Eat here!  These restaurants;

·         Casa Manolo in the town of Carnota

·         Un-named restaurant in the town of Rante town just in to the the main street driving south on the right hand side between Redondella and Vigo, very authentic simple fresh food, not glamorous, not many tourists and no English menu

Drink these!

·         Local wines such as Albarino (great value), with dinner or with the local cheeses

·         Aguardiente (Galician version of Italian grappa, traditionally drunk mainly by men)  Licor cafe (a sweeter version, traditionally drunk mainly by women) 

Other towns to stop at on your journey north up the coast;

·         Noia

·         Muros

Festivals in Galicia

·         Corpus Christi.  2^nd last Sunday in June.  Watch the incredibly beautiful and intricate ‘fumbra de flores’ (carpet of flowers) get ‘destroyed’ by local dancers and processions of musicians and religious dignitaries.  Great for people watching. Listen out for the banging of the sticks echoing through the narrow streets.  Everybody dresses up like its Christmas Day.

·         Ortigueira – Galician traditional music festival held every August in Coruna city

·         San Juan – held all over Galicia on 24 June, (food-wise it is famous for sardine)

·         Rapa das bestas (1^st weekend in July, wild horses, once a year, they gather the horses to trim the manes, leads to big party

·         Monte de Gozo – Rock music festival venue near Santiago

  ·       Ribadaivia wine festival.  Every May.  Taste a selection of the best white wines in Spain.

·         Festa de Desembarco (Vikings)

·         Catoira Festa – 1^st Sunday August, defence of the towers of the west and throwing wine

·         Festa de Istoiria en Ribadavia – mediaeval recreations, using old currency, and is a town with interesting Jewish history

·         For yet more food, you could go to a carne (meat) event, which sometimes also include pulpo. These are extraordinary!

o   There is one in A Peroxa  which happens on 13^th and 27^th of the month

o   Order the pulpo outside which is cooking in massive pots (pay there) and pay for everything else inside (total will only be about 15 euros per person)

o   Can also order Carne inside, which turns out to be huge plateful of communally eaten veal and potatos, ideal after a hungry morning walking, cycling or running.

o   Very rustic, wine served in the traditional style, drunk out of little ceramic bowls.  If you’ve eaten too much bread or carbs on your ttip, here’s your chance to have a (very!) protein based meal.

o   A carne-only one (no pulpo) is the Festa de Cachena, 1^st Sunday May, celebrating the beef of the cachena cow in a natural reserve area called Entrimo concello in Ourense province on the Portugese border, the natural reserve is called Parque do Xure’s

Recommended Galician food dishes

·         Caldereta de pescado (a simple meaty White fish stew with paprika olive oil garlic and potatos)

·         Arroz con Bogavante (traditional Galician seafood dish, a little similar to risotto or paella)

·         Leche frita  (custard fritters)

·         Pulpo – you can try this anywhere, but particularly at the pulpo a Galega (octopus) dedicated Pulperias

·         Empanada (traditional Galician pie)

·         Gambas al acillo (prawn dish)

·         Bacalao a la Portuguesa (salted cod dish)

·         Erizos con Algas y huevos revueltos (erkins with scrambled eggs and seaweed - an unlikely but stunning dish

·         Zamburinas (similar to scallops)

·         Tarta Santiago

·         Bika cake

·         Canas (dessert pastry tubes with custard inside!)

·         Cocido Galego  (head of the pig with a black pudding style chorizo with some pieces of hen and beef, chick peas, potatos, carrots, cabbage and pork lard)

·         Piementos de Padron (famous small slightly spicy green peppers, cooked simply by frying in olive oil).  Saying – unos pican e autros no (some are spicy and others aren’t) sometimes served with chinchos (similar to mackerels but smaller

·         Percebes (goose barnacles seafood)

·         Pinxtos special arzua cheese wtih roastred pepper and anchovie on top