Ferrol
Ferrol, Spain is located on the northwest tip of Spain. It is much cooler here than southern Spain and many Spaniards vacation here in the summer to get away from the heat.
Today was a beautiful day here. We have been so fortunate to have such great weather for our travels. Ferrol has not been a frequent port for cruises but we’ve been told that it is becoming more popular. This was the first time our ship had docked here.
From the cruise port in Ferrol we took a bus tour to the town of Coruna which is the westernmost part of Spain located south of Ferrol. Coruna is known as the Crystal City, so named for the glass enclosed balconies built on the front of apartments to keep out the extreme winds during storms. Residents can open them for airflow during the warm summers.
Our walking tour took us through the old part of Corona which dates back to the 2nd century BC when it was inhabited by the Romans. Some of the existing buildings date back to the 12th century.
We visited 2 old churches and the courtyard of a cloistered convent. The architecture of the churches has some similarity to other Spanish churches but is less ornate. One of the churches was a small church built by the fishing community. It was re-built around the old church as the community grew.
After our walking tour we took a small drive to the city’s Archeological Museum which is housed in an old fort. It contained a number of different artifacts from the city’s history. The cistern from the fort is still accessible after climbing some uneven steps in a dark corridor. There were nice views of the harbor from the roof, A pair of sea gulls was nesting in one area and dive bombed visitors who got too close to their nest.
Our next stop was the Tower of Hercules, the oldest lighthouse in Spain which dates back to the 1st century. It stands about 150 feet tall on the top of a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The climb to the base of the lighthouse takes visitors about 45 minutes which we didn’t have time for, but there were great views of the structure from a path that led down to a beach. On the path were some beautiful flowers and a variety of birds.
Our last tour stop took us to a restaurant up a steep hill overlooking the Tower of Hercules where we had some tapas and wine. We had time before we departed to take some photos of the spectacular views. One of the things we learned was that many of the multi-story buildings in Coruna, especially those exposed to the ocean are curved as a way to keep the structures from being damaged during storms which bring incredibly strong winds.
We returned to the ship mid day, just in time for the daily tea and scones cart which comes by our room every afternoon around 3 PM. It’s a real treat to sit by our window and enjoy afternoon tea.
As we sat and enjoyed our tea we heard bagpipes from the dock. Because this was the first time our ship visited Ferrol, the town had a local group of bagpipe and drum players come to the ship to play for our departure. Because of the Galic influence in the area, bagpipes became part of the culture. The Spanish bagpipes have 1 pipe instead of the 3 on the Scottish bagpipes. The players dress in a costume that includes pants, not kilts. The players were thrilled to be invited on board and play a few songs for guests. I was fortunate to be able to grab a perfect spot to get a video.
Our journey out of Farrol was picturesque. We passed by ruins of forts and one that must be a museum. As we passed by they shot their cannon (with blanks of course). Our captain returned the display with the ship’s horn.
Each evening there is entertainment in the ship’s cabaret theater which has comfortable chairs and small tables with lights. Tonight the ship’s band performed a jazz set and since we have enjoyed their talents a number of times we decided to attend the performance. It was exceptional. We were blown away by all of the players. The young clarinet/sax player was featured a number of times and he was incredible.
Tomorrow is our last stop in Spain, the city of Bilbao.