Tag: spain

Illa de Arousa, Galicia, Spain

This was a paddle boarding trip where the afternoon was me vs. the rolling fog. Not a lot of photos from the water. This was one of the first kayak rentals I have seen in Spain, and it is the perfect spot for it. The water is calm with a mix of depths, boulders, and other interesting features.

The shore was a mix of granite and sand. Huge boulders separate smaller beaches of white sand. Some of those little beaches were better accessed by water than by land. I was able to find quite a lot of beach glass.

It is important note that they farm mejillones near of here. So it is an absolute must to stop for the best mejillones for you life at any of the beach side restaurants. Many of them will still be chewing their own dinner and you will have to remove their salad before eating.

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.