España – Page 5

El Eucaliptón, Asturias, Spain

This impressive eucalyptus tree has certainly earned its name. El Eucaliptón is believed to be the largest eucalyptus in all of Asturias. It was pretty neat to realize I share a journey with the people who owned the land where the tree was planted!

In 1870, Ocatavio Cancio y Cuervo planted El Eucaliptón on his family´s farm. His grandfather was Gonzalo Méndez de Cancio y Donlebún. In 1596 he was appointed governor and captain general of Florida. He was living in the capitol of the colony, San Agustín (now Saint Augustine). He brought and planted the first corn seeds from Florida to Spain.

I was born in Daytona Beach, but grew up in DeLeon Springs. Rumored to be the body of water that Juan Ponce de León believed to have been the fountain of youth on his travels up the St. John´s river in 1513.

I thought this was a bit crazy, so I made this little map.

The tree is so big!

I actually took a picture with me for reference.

Padron, Galicia, Spain

Padron is a fun place to go. On sundays, the entire city turns into a flea market called the Feria de Padron. It is like the rastro in Madrid. But smaller and more rural. Some weekends there are antique dealers. You can buy fruits, clothes, shoes, housewares, tools, plants, cheese, vegetables… There is a restaurant for pulpos y churrasco.

The cathedral here overlooks the city and the feria.

roses, tapas, and beer. — This sums up my shopping trip! I carried this rosebush everywhere.

San Andres de Teixido, Galicia, Spain

After visiting the Pozo do Inferno, I ended the day in Teixido. Apparently there is a saying that if you do not visit this place in life, you will visit in death. It was so beautiful I hope to do both.

There is a big parking, and you can walk into the town or go to the restaurant. If you walk into the downtown, there are two women selling traditional galician cookies. The second woman tells you everyone stops at the first only. The first woman says her cookies are best. I recommend buying a few from both women for good luck.

Once you make it past the cookies, you enter a strange looking town. The buildings are white and stone. There are shops

The entire town is on a tall cliff overlooking the sea, but this stone church is the centerpiece.

Inside the church is a strange alter where the people of the town place what they have. Small gifts, odds and ends, and little toys.

Just past the market and vendors are a few homes. I’m not sure how much is the rent here, but this guy isn’t having any issues getting his own place. He was so cute, but he tried eating my jacket and left a little hole.

Past the village, is some farmable land. You can walk all the way to the edge along the cliff to enjoy the view. It’s pretty muddy though.

Pozo do Inferno, Galicia Spain

This is a short and easy hike with nice views. Not a lot to say about it. I was only out for two to three hours round trip. But it was a pleasant visit if you’re in the area. If you are interested in the route, you can see it on Strava.

Fragas do Eume, Galicia, Spain

This was a fun hike. You can choose your difficulty level and end up at Monasterio de Caaveiro. If you are interested in my route, you can see it on Strava.

On one side of the river, there is a paved road running near to the monastery. You can drive most of the way, or walk here on even terrain. On the other there is a hiking trail that follows the rivers with small waterfalls all along the route.

The río Eume is a striking shade of blue. If I understood correctly, there are some restrictions to swimming here due to a unique ecosystem. It is not a warm day for swimming, so it isn’t hard to resist the temptation.