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Position: 43°22’11″N 8°23’46″W
Viveiro and A Coruña are maritime cities on the northwest coast of Spain. Both date back well before the Romans occupied Galicia starting in 137 BCE. Like the Basque Country and Catalonia, Galicia is one of Spain’s autonomous communities. But unlike the fiery Basques or the seditious Catalonians, Galicians are content with more modest calls for independence.
At some point or another, Galicia has hosted most of Europe’s historical protagonists. It’s been home for Romans, Celts, Moors, French, English, and Castilians. Today, the Celtic influences are easy to spot and Galicians claim links to the Irish, the Scots, Bretons, Cornish and Welsh. If more proof were necessary, then there’s nothing more Celtic than bagpipes. Galician bagpipers may be endured at any of the big tourist attractions. I like bagpipes. Many people don’t. It’s my Scots heritage. I felt right at home in Galicia.
Viveiro
Viveiro sits on a broad, tidal river, set back from the swells of the Bay of Biscay. Its large, inviting harbor was so calm we barely tugged our lines in the five lazy days we moored there. We have no idea where the time went. After the hurly burly of our UK tour, then crossing to Spain, exploring the mountains of the Picos, we simply unwound for a few days and waited for the weather to calm down. Walk to the center of town and you’ll find yourself in the old city, complete with narrow streets, a few Roman walls, and several 17th century churches. The Grotto of Lourdes is a full reproduction of the one in France. People come with wax effigies of babies, and legs, and arms, and hang them under the Virgin as offerings. It’s simultaneously creepy and heartwarming.
During our stay we had a visit from Galician customs. Three officers climbed on board and began asking a long series of questions. At one point one of them noticed Marlon and asked if he could join the party. Carol duly passed him up to the cockpit. When it came time to examine our passports, I pointed out that Marlon had a passport as well. A French one to complement our American and British ones. This they found hilarious.
When it came time to inspect the cabin for contraband and stowaways, one of the men broke off and asked if Marlon could come downstairs, too. As soon as the officer found the dog toys he engaged Marlon in a game of fetch. That was all the inspecting needed for us to pass muster.
A Coruña
A Coruña, westwards along the coast, was as busy as Viveiro was quiet. Only modestly larger, our impression was A Coruña’s population is on average half the age of Viveiro’s. We moored at the Marina Real smack dab in the central harbor, mere steps from the town center with its many restaurants. The wide, pedestrian-friendly waterfront was busy with people strolling, walking their dogs, or jogging from 7:00AM until midnight. One of the city’s big attractions is the Tower of Hercules, a venerable lighthouse built by the Romans in the 1st century and fully restored in 1791. Used continuously, the lighthouse has steered ships away from treacherous rocks towards safe harbour for over 1,800 years.
Galicians love seafood and a specialty is octopus or, locally, pulpo. Dusted in paprika and drizzled with olive oil, Pulpo Gallego is boiled so perfectly that the outside is al dente while the center remains soft. It is surprisingly rich. We downsized our generous raccione after a couple of rounds to a half-sized tapas, and that was about right.
Both cities are easily accessed from the sea in good weather and make for good places to snuggle in bad weather. Marinas in this part of the world have been welcoming and reasonably priced. Conjure the cost of a mooring ball in Long Island Sound in the summer, halve it, throw in a floating dock, shore power and fresh water, and, well, sailing here is a real bargain.
