Cabo Vilán is one of the most (or many) beautiful paths along the Ruta dos Faros on the coast of Galicia. The small segment of the path I took on this trip is a genuinely easy trail. It is mostly flat until you make the climb to the lighthouse itself.
I made this trip the first day of March, so the air is still cool. It was very windy, especially along the cliffs. And… Galicia being true to herself, absolutely covered in toxos. I highly recommend a windproof jacket, good boots, and thick pants for this trip.
Walking here, you will see quickly how the Costa da Morte got its name. The way to the faro is just one stunning beach after another. The beaches are rocky and covered in debris from the fishing boats. The high winds and strong tides do not make for safe swimming.
It is more of a place to sit and listen to the sounds of the crashing waves. A place to meditate, make art, or maybe search among the rocks for treasures and driftwood. The force of the waves breaking against the boulders is just incredible.
The faro de Cabo Vilan has a special history. It is the oldest electric light house in Spain. And it was also kept by Cristina Fernández. She was the second farera (female light house keeper) and also the last woman to work as a farera in Spain.
Once you make the climb to the lighthouse, it is even windier! This is my second trip here, and both times I was nervous to make the end of the path because of the wind.
If it is not too busy, and you are lucky enough to have the lighthouse to yourself, there is a nice place to sit and take lunch that overlooks the next beach. A small ledge blocks the wind and it is mostly enclosed by boulders.
I continued the path down the coast a little ways until it circled back through the forest.
And the view from the forest.
The path circled back down to the main road, and I decided to go all the way down for the path nearest the sea to try to catch the sunset.
There was significant cloud cover, so the sunset came above the horizon line, but beautiful all the same.
All in all it was a little over 10km from the parking to the sea, to the lighthouse, to the mountaintop, to the sea, and back to the parking.
I will be putting a few days of adventures together here in one post to cover the walking adventures through downtown Prague. Downtown Prague is generally considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is a lot to see, and the history is crazy. It is one of those cities you should actually read up on. The stories are genuinely wild.
Our flight was significantly delayed, so we arrived much much later than expected. We did not speak the language, we did not have time to change currency, and nothing was open when we landed. We were not able to notify the hotel in a reasonable time as we had been trapped onboard the flight with phones off because we were “about to take-off” any moment from the time of check-in until about 8pm. Needless to say, it was a solid hour of very high anxiety upon arrival.
There was, thankfully, a public bus still operational that headed from the airport to the old town. We were able to hop aboard one of the last runs of the day and get close to the hotel for only a few euros each. We got pretty close on the first bus, but couldn’t figure out the final transfer. We hopped aboard what we thought was our next bus and headed a few blocks in the opposite direction of the hotel. The hotel was very forgiving about our late call to check-in. Aside from walking 2.5 km in the dark on a cold night in December, it was actually pretty smooth.
My first view of Prague was walking the Charles Bridge by night.
Our first view of the hotel at night with everything in town locked up and dark, we were a little nervous. It was one of the cheapest hotels in town, there was a lot of graffiti and the entrance led into a commercial space with a bar. But the place was actually pretty rad. We were at the Charles Bridge Heritage Suites by SALVATOR HOTELS, and I would recommend. It was about 20 seconds walking from the Charles Bridge and not more than a half hour from any other place we visited. The stairwells inside were so incredibly cool. The place just sort of twisted and turned around on itself. I have never seen anything else like it.
We were not sure what to expect in the morning. We had come for Christmas holiday, so we assumed it would be hit or miss on what was open for the dates. We were surprised to find that pretty much everything was open, the streets were packed, and the holiday festivals were underway.
The restaurant in the entryway to the hotel was absolutely INCREDIBLE! The place was called Lokál U Bílé kuželky. A few of the recipes were just like my grandma used to make. Which is weird because she was an all American girl from Kentucky.
Prague was filled with hidden gems. Dragons on the bench seats, frogs on the door handles, murals with ostriches on the sides of buildings. There was no one single thing that made Prague so special, but rather the little secrets hidden everywhere around the city.
There are also a lot of very pretty memorials and statues around the city. Even if it is closed when you come, there is a lot to look at.
I did finally get some changed, which was great because I found this charming cafe (Dobrá trafika na Újezdě) that let me sit to warm up and work a little, but they did not take credit. The money is really beautiful here. I think the phoenix makes them the second most beautiful currency I have seen (Costa Rica is the first).
We found the Story of Prague Museum, near of the hotel and decided to give it a go. It was a cool place, English Friendly, and had a little bit of everything. There were interactive exhibits that were pretty neat once I figured out how to get them to work on my phone. Prague has been around for a really long time, so they had stuff ranging from a torture museum, old kings, World Wars I & II, all the way to Michael Jackson.
Although the castle was closed for the holiday, St. Vitus Cathedral was open! Click the link if you want to see the professional tourism photos and hear about this place from someone who knows more about art and architecture. On Christmas Eve, it was packed. Shoulder to shoulder packed.
I never retouch photos because I think it is important to share the real experience. There is nothing more disappointing than spending years saving for a trip after seeing the magazine photos, and then it’s… well covered in other people that saw the same photo. There were no opportunities to pause for alignment in here. Some people were physically bumping and pushing in a way that would be considered incredibly rude in my home country. I dont know about theirs, so I don’t judge, but be prepared. If you are from a country with a lot of personal space boundaries and you are headed to St. Vitus during Christmas, you will probably encounter people with different cultural definitions of polite behavior.
The presence of people or crowds are not indicative of a bad experience. I just think we are exposed to a lot of advertising, people selling dreams, and we dont get the full reality before investing. Expereiences and places can be magical, and crowded. And for me, I feel a lot better knowing what the experience will really be like so I don’t waste time on something I might find stressful. I loved this place, I am glad I went. These were the dates I had available, and this is what it looked like.
Most of the really beautiful things to see are much much taller than the people in the foreground. The lighting of the church was so warm and soft. The stained glass was incredible.
One of the most incredible things to note in the Czech Republic is the use of precious metals. They have a LOT of gold and silver in the cathedrals.
We decided to extend our stay by a night so we could make a day trip to Kutna Hora, but our hotel was not available. We were able to find a reasonably priced room at the last minute at Nosticova Heritage. They were so accomodating. We needed a place to ditch our bags early so we could make it to the tour bus by 10 am. They let us check in very early and leave our bags for the whole day. The price was very inexpensive. This one felt like walking into a palace. I wish I had a chance to stay a little more time in the room itself instead of hopping between adventures.
And then we made our way to the Old Town. In the center of the festivities, it was nearly impossible to grab a good photo. Between the number of people, the height of the beautiful features, and the proximity of the other buildings, and how early it gets dark, it was really difficult to get anything to turn out. But this is not the same as saying it was not beautiful to look at. If you are headed here the photos, Christmas Eve/Day is not the time for it.
The story behind the Orloj is one of the crazy ones to read up on. It was a highly accurate astronomical clock built in the 1400s. The town council commissioned this incredible work, but upon completion they decided they did not want Hanus to ever build another clock this beautiful somewhere else. So the town council had Hanus’s eyes burnt out to ensure he would never be able to make another. Hanus was a little salty about that, obviously, so he had his apprentice take him to the clock so that he could destroy it. It took another 100 years for someone to come that was able to fix the clock.
On the other hand… If you are headed here for the vibe, you best order some of the mulled wine they are selling in the street and visit the food vendors. It smelled amazing, and I am still a little sad I could only eat so much.
We did try some of the gummies that are sold here. Totally misjudged the quantity on that so the night got pretty interesting. We were hunting for a grocery, and accidentally stumbled into the Sex Machine Museum. I saw a chair there that looked like it might be fun… until I realized what it was actually meant for. Some young woman heard me talking about it and was witness to my expression as I slowly realized the purpose… she was laughing hysterically and began translating my conversation to her partner, who also began laughing hysterically… But I survived.
Prague gets dark really early. I was grateful for how beautifully lit everything is at night.
We did manage to find a grocery and make it safely back to the hotel.
This was a nice afternoon hike. It was not a particularly long route, and we actually extended it a bit beyond the park because the weather was nice. The route was 6km in total, there and back, and mostly a flat easy walk.
The path starts in a park with a few walking paths. Caldeiras do Castro has a series of little pools that form naturally in the riverbeds. There is a walking path that overlooks the baths and contines along the river.
The larger walkway was not very long, and we found ourselves “como cabritas” pretty quickly. But the trail is clear and continues along the river. It is lovely and Galician Green.
After a short distance, the path moves off from the river and it is not straightfoward to recover. There is a farm blocking the river access, so you have to walk along the perimeter until you can guess where it is polite to cross down back into the river.
Fortunately, I encountered a farmer driving his tractor. He was able to give me directions and a few tail wags. He was, indeed, a very good boy. He pointed us down the middle of the farm where there was a small path between two fields.
On the other side of farm was a very sturdy bridge… so of course I had to cross it.
And on the other side was this really lovely island where the river split to flow around the sand bar.
The island was not very big but it was pretty! We had hoped to cross the river here to return, but there was not a second bridge so we went back the way we came.
We followed the river back and passed a little mill.
Returning to the car, we took the route closer to the water rather than the path higher up, so this is essentially the close-up of the first photo in the series. It looks like aa nice place to take a swim. It was a little cool for me by the time we came back, but I would absolutely return.
Farmer Dog was so cute he needed two photos. I could not decide which was more adorable so here is the other.
Mafra was not an intentional stop, more of a whim. We saw the sign for the UNESCO World Heritage Site from the highway and decided to have a walk around. We found a parking spot not far from the highway ramp and walked toward the palace. There were some interesting mosaics and street art on the way.
The palace was, unfortunately, just closing when we arrived. One day I will have to make it back there.
The palace gardens were open so we took a walk around.
It just so happened that we stopped for the Festival do Pao. The park was absolutely packed with people! On the main stage, young girls danced with bread. People walked around in costumes. There was a giant bicycle somewhere, food trucks, an artesinal fair, and music. It was really good energy.
There were vendors selling some kind of bread roll with meats baked in. I have absolutely no idea what they are called, but they were freshly baked in a wood fire oven, so I had to give it a try.
Opposite the food trucks, there was an artisanal fair. As I walked around the booths looking at art I was stopped dead in my tracks, literally, by the smell of strawberries. This is not like strawberries in the grocery store. If you have never picked strawberries on the farm in the heat of summer you do not know this smell. This is the smell of summer roadstand fruits, ripe, ready, warm in the July heat. And wafting through this park. I had to hunt for a while before I found the booth. But there it was. We bought a whole kilo of the strawberries and ate them as we walked around.
I bought two candles from a booth with some crazy designs I had never seen before. You can find them at @velasencantadas on Instagram. The candles are 3D printed in wax.
We managed to finish the whole kilo of strawberries before leaving the park. Really, they were that good. So we went back and bought another kilo. There were about 6 left in the morning. These strawberries were actually so good I got a tattoo. Not even joking. I went and got a strawberry tattoo. If you are near Lisboa in summer, you absolutely have to find Frescos da Vila
Kinga Haudek Artista Joyera is one of my favorite stores in Santiago de Compostela. This small jewelry shop on rua San Pedro is located in the historic old town. The stone walls and dark wood window frames lend perfect contrast to her organic designs. You can imagine yourself in the same place, making the same purchase 200 years in the past.
When you walk in, you may find Kinga hard at work crafting something new. Everything is crafted by her hand in the store. Her name is the brand, and the moment you meet her you will understand why. Lost in focus, she always looks a little surprised and delighted to see visitors. Her smile will be warm and welcoming when she invites you into the store.
Kinga is Hungarian by birth and Galician by spirit. A brilliant academic, avid adventurer, and an artist by nature. She studied sociology in Hungary, silversmithing at the Mestre Mateo School of Art and Design, and obtained the official Galician Craftsman Certification. Her curious and intelligent nature shines through each piece and gives a brief glimpse of something she saw or felt on one of her many adventures. Kinga is a highly talented artist with designs inspired by elements of the city and the sea.
For photos of her work, I suggest visiting the website. I could not do justice to her creations. Instead, I will document the jewelry making class I attended with my daughter!
Kinga offers classes in her workshop to make some of the more simple pieces. The price of the course includes all of the supplies needed and a half day of instruction. Instruction is limited to groups of 3 people to insure a quality experience for everyone.
Our course began at 10:00 in the morning. She walked us through the process in both Spanish and English. I am not sure how many languages Kinga speaks, but the course is available in English, Spanish, Galician, and Hungarian for sure.
I was admittedly a bit converned when she handed me this little pieces of silver and told me I was expected to turn them into something beautiful on the first try. But hey… I´ll give it a try.
She told us how to properly hammer each piece. We all set to work at our own station. We had a variety of tools at our disposal and a varying weights of hammer.
We would hammer a bit and then heat them before returning to more hammering. I was a little nerrvous to use a torch for the first time, but it was much easier than I anticipated.
I was a bit too timid and struggled to properly align my strikes. Kinga came and lent a hand to put me in the right direction. She helped me to correct the curvature for a more symmetrical pair.
My daughter, on the other hand, was quite adept at this process and managed to complete hammering more quickly than anyone else. This is her gloating.
After a bit of hammering and heat and I was pretty excited to have these to show for my effort!
Once the earrings were shaped, we oxidized them with an acidic sulfur compound and took a short break while they soaked. Next, we learned to craft and solder the earring posts, trim and file the excess, and finally to polish them on her rotary buffer.
The end result was exciting. Each pair was unique even though we all started with identical pieces of silver, similar tools, and used the same methods.
We completed our earrings around 14:00. With a sense of accomplishment and pride in our artistic eneavors, we all posed together for a final class photo and had a little lunch at a restaurant down the street on Rua San Pedro.
I think my favorite part of this was the sense of pride my daughter took away from the activity. She came home and called our family back in the US to tell them what a great job she had done. It was funny listening when she did not know that I could hear her. ¨I was so good at hammering. I finished before everyone else. I was much better at it than Mom.¨
Would highly recommend this activity when visiting Santiago de Compostela. You would need to contact Kinga before planning the adventure to see which classes might be available and which weekends. But definitely something worth doing in Santiago.
After living in this beautiful city for more than 2 years, I have decided it is time to start sharing my favorite things in Santiago.
The city has 1000 years of folklore and hidden secrets to uncover. One piece of lore to visit is El Árbol de la Ciencia. Young students come to find their academic fate.
One of my favorite parts of Spain is that they have maintained spaces where small businesses thrive. Santiago de Compostela was largely destroyed in the 10th century and reconstructed over the next 1,000 years. The ancient buildings were never meant to offer space to large warehouse companies and big box stores. Those are sequestered on the far edges of the city.
Instead, the old town in Santiago de Compostela houses smaller privately owned businesses and restaurants. Constant renovations restore the old stone buildings and give them new life while maintaining the most beautiful stone and dark wood features. Most shops have only a few meters space inside and are smaller than the average american garage.
Each shop specializes in only a limited number of items, and often what you find is what you get. When I say that stores specialize, I think it is important to note that there is a store only for slippers. The contents of stores will change from one day to the next, products are discontinued and you will never see them again. And no, you can´t just order online. Some things are available online of course. But do not expect a quick trip to amazon with 2 day delivery. You go to the store, you take what you can find, you go home. The big chain stores are about an hour from my home and I keep a list of things to buy when I go with friends in cars.
I was a bit shocked to discover it is nearly impossible to use Amazon here. And do not expect to use your american card online. Many online stores bill through tax havens like Luxemburg and there is not a way to know which country will present the charge… so you can certainly plan on having your card flagged for fraud every time you attempt an online purchase. Fun times.
If you leave the downtown, through El Parque Alameda or Praza de Galicia, you will walk through Ensanche where there are more of the chain style stores. There is a place called Corte Ingles about 40 minuutes walking from the old town. It is the Spanish equivalent of a Super Walmart or Meijer… but with designer clothes at many times the price. It is a great last resort for things you cannot find in town and it makes a nice stroll on hot or rainy days.
There are a number of beautiful parks and various adventures to have in town. So I am going to begin including these smaller adventures here as well!
PigTailz 