We have breakfast at our hotel in Cudillero - fried eggs and bacon and various breads and sweet pastries and biscuits and jams and ... Oh it is so much food I fear I may explode.
In line with my Full Moon theory, the weather could not be more perfect. Shame today is a driving day as we will spend a chunk of time in the car, but we are pushing on, heading westward to Galicia. The small town of Cambados is our destination. We bid Cudillero farewell and drive west.
First we stop at a lookout point not too far along the coast. The nice lady at the hotel has told us the views are magnificent. She is not wrong, you can see up and down the coast for miles. The sea and sky are different shades of blue, marrying themselves together on the horizon. The waves thrash at rocks below and the wind gusts are alarming at times, threatening to toss me off the edge. I am careful not to get too close to the edge, but the urge to look down is appealing - the cliffs are sheer and dramatic, dropping down to deserted beaches, and I haven't had to walk up loads of steps to get to this high vantage point! The land is green, the air is warm, the cliffs are dramatic. Nature stretches impressively for miles and miles as this part of the Bay of Biscay puts on a grand show.
We stay on the scenic coastal road for a bit and drive along what is part of the Camino Northern Way. We see a few pilgrims making progress, walking poles helping move them along at a steady rhythmic pace. Small villages and 'Camino de Santiago' signs are dotted about. These rural roads are pretty but we don't want the drive to take all day so we revert back to the autovia.
We zoom along the motorway across the north of Spain and then head south west. We bypass Santiago de Compostela, the end point of the Camino, but note the impressive looking cathedral and think of various friends who have completed their pilgrimmage. I never in a million years thought I would end up doing the Camino Way in any shape or form, but having trekked across Spain, albeit by car, effectively having followed the Northern Way, I get a sense of what it is all about. Phew, glad I had wheels! Good on those of you who have completed any part of it on foot!
We cover more miles on the fantastic Spanish roads, Brett doing the first stint and then me taking over after a bite of late light lunch at a motorway stop. It is all smooth except for a navigational hiccup at about the halfway point when I doubt Connie and Brett doubts me and then I believe Connie and Brett doesn't and it all goes a bit haywire. We seem to be on a New Zealand style rural road for a bit too long, rather than the four lane highways we are used to, which rather throws us. After stopping at a little gas station in the middle of nowhere, we are assured we are on the right track and Connie is correct. We are relying solely on Connie, we have no paper map, so she has to get it right! Good girl Connie. We'll trust you!
We arrive in Cambados mid-afternoon. The weather is stunning and so is the vista. It's a smallish town on the coast, gaining reputation as a tourist destination. It has good seafood, various seaside and ocean-based activities in the vicinity to lure tourists, as well as being known for its Albariño wine, which we sampled for the first time last night. Several islands lie out to sea, good for a day trip.
With no accommodation booked, we park and wander for a bit to see if we can find a nice hotel. The ones we do find look rather lacklustre and we can't see any on the seafront, so we go into the Information office and get a map and a list of hotels. There is a pension on the front, we go and check it out. It's a quiet Monday afternoon in town and yes they do have a room at Pension Ribeira de Fefinans. It is €45 and has a sea view. This is the least we have had to pay for a room and we take it happily. As we unlock the door, we love what we see. A large bright and breezy corner room with gorgeous views and a large bathroom. It may be the cheapest room we have had so far, but it ticks all the boxes, and some. There is a Vinoteca below. Even better. And parking outside. Perfect, as parking has been a bit of a pain at various places along the way.
After settling in we have a beer at the Vinoteca and then go wandering. The crescent-shaped waterfront has a pretty palm-lined road. The old town is tucked in behind our pension where there is a huge old square that seems to have become a speedway for cars, they are tearing through it like there is no tomorrow. There is a bodega (for wine tasting) in the old palace on one side of the square but it appears closed. There is a church on the other side but it also, surprisingly, appears closed. That Monday thing perhaps.
No matter, we find a nice-looking cafe/bar and order Albariño. It is very good. We have another. The place fills up with locals and seems to be the go-to place to meet your mates for a tipple. The waiter recommends a place around the corner for dinner so we walk for less than a minute and take a seat outside in another little square. The locals start arriving here too. It's actually a busy little town with locals out and about supporting the various bars and eateries. Everyone is in good spirits. The oldies, and there are plenty of them, with sticks and shuffling walks, are out in force. It's great to see.
The stuffed roast pimento peppers are great. Brett has fish which is excellent and I order squid, also excellent. Brett has some of my squid and declares it the best he's ever tasted. He said that last night! But this really is even better than last night. The Albariño is good too, it's a grape variety grown in this area and it's a very drinkable drop.
After we can't fit another tasty morsel into our stomachs, we go walking. The old town is small but charming. We find ourselves back at the Vinoteca beneath our pension. The people are ultra friendly and we feel like locals ourselves even though we have only been in town about eight hours! What would a night be without a Pedro Ximenez sherry to finish? We also try a cream liqueur similar to the one we had last night in Cudillero. Gosh, it seems like we have done nothing but drink since we arrived ...!!!???
I do declare I have become quite partial to three Ps this trip ... Prawns, Pimentos and Pedro. Delicious.
We retreat to our lovely room, draw the curtains and sleep soundly.
Damn, this would have been the place to watch last night's Supermoon eclipse - we have expansive and uninterrupted views of sea and sky, perfect for moon viewing. Oh well, c'est la vie ...
Observation of the Day: By this point we have lost all sense of time. What day, what date, what hour ... We have absolutely no idea. We occasionally check iPads and phones for the time and have been struggling to work out the date when doing any sort of when/where rekkie. When travelling like this, without a strict timetable or itinerary, it simply doesn't matter what day or what time it is. The only thing we really need to be mindful of is checkout time, and even that is pretty liberal.
I must say, the longer we are in Spain the more I love Spanish time ... Breakfast around 9.30am and dinner around 9.30pm ... Wind up around 10am and wind down around midnight ... This suits my way of being perfectly. Life is not governed by the clock, early mornings are a no-no and good things happen later ... I like that!!
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