The Ria de Arousa is another must when visiting the Rias Baixas. I would say it is the most famous for its seafood, and hence quite well organized to show the visitor what it is all this about.
We started in O’Grove, also known as the seafood paradise. As it was early in the morning, we payed a visit to the market in a rather rare activity done by some tourists to see a normal market beyond our normal range of action. I have done that in Asia, UK, and now also in Spain. If we had visited O’Grove in the evening, we would have visited the “Lonja”, which is the fish market directly from the fishers.
We continued our trip in the Isla de la Toja, which is small island next to O’Grove, famous for its spa, making use of the thermal waters present there. It is also known for its soap factory, and for the expensive houses in the island. As a curiosity, there is a small church with the outer fassade made of shells.
The route in the Ria continued in Cambados. One of the nicest places we visited in this trip. Yet another small fishing town, but with signs of a rich past. Several impressive pazos, a church in ruins, the library, and a nice fisher neighbourhood completes the picture. Lunch in Casa Pintos, a high quality, low variety place, will also stay in our minds for a while.
Last but not least, we headed to the rocky edge of Isla de Arosa, near the lighthouse, a very beautiful area, although some signs of the consequences of the Prestige accident back in 2002 could still be seen.
A natural return from the south of Galicia is to drive the coastal road towards Bayona, and enjoy dinner in any of their taverns.
I also learned something I was totally unaware of: one of the vessels that “discovered” America, La Pinta, ended up in Bayona. So, Bayona citizens in the late 15th century were the first ones in getting news of the new discovery. Apart from that, Bayona is one of the top summer destinations in the area, with two really nice areas to be explored.
First, the Castle of Monterreal, now hosting a Parador Nacional, which is a fortress governing the town, and with a clear strategic importance in the old time, to defend the town from the different attacks, including pirates as Francis Drake.
The old town is also worth a visit, as the many taverns concentrated in just a few hundreds of meters create a very lively atmosphere, which warms your visit, literally.
Miño river is the natural border between the north of Portugal and Spain, and is a perfect daytrip if you are in the Rias Baixas.
We started in Tui, a medieval town with an important cathedral, part of the Jacob’s way, and just in front of a major fortress on the Portuguese side: Valença do Minho, which can be reached by crossing the Tui International Bridge. I personally did not like Tui a lot, but the views from Valença do Minho and its fortress did make my day (although the too touristic feeling with the streets full of shops trying to sell literally anything was not that fun).
After that, we headed to La Guardia, which is right in the Miño’s mouth, on the Spanish side. Apart from enjoying lunch in a nice place we found by chance, we climbed to Santa Tecla Hill (with the car), with breathtaking views of the area from the top, and totally worth stop by the ruins of the Celtic settlement on the way up.
The last summer holidays in 2012 brought me to discover the Rias Baixas in Galicia, in the north west corner of Spain. They are at a quite convenient distance from Madrid (550 km), but too far from Alicante (950 km). Hence, I am not familiar with the area, and I have become a new fan of the area.
We devoted a day to go to the Cies Islands, which are a group of islands near Vigo, nature reserve, and therefore the number of visitors per day is limited to only 2000 people. Tickets shall be booked some time in advance to make sure you can make it in the ferries. When you arrive to the islands, the clear water and long beaches of fine sand make you thing you are in the Caribbean (if you are lucky and get some sun, of course), but you will come back to reality if you dare to touch the extremely cold water.
The islands have a nice hiking trail to the different corners of it, and the sights are impressive, and really enjoyable.
Together with Formentera, it is one of those places that we should not let the rest of the world know of its existence, and keep for ourselves, or they will get too crowded…
Some times, getting lost and relaxing for a couple of days enjoying good food and people is the best way to keep on moving. It does not matter if it is going to the beautiful green Asturias, or to the inner La Mancha.
