DAY EIGHT PARADOR PONTEVEDRA and SURROUNDING COASTLINE

The team assembled for breakfast and war games planning at the usual 0930 for the Parador buffet. Cool but showing signs that the light haze will soon burn off this fine Wednesday as Jane and Paul start their second week in Spain. The game plan is to head north and huge the western coast of Spain towards O Grove which is just short of reaching the nearest next Parador Cambados in the heart of the albarino wine region and a Parador that Jane and Paul stayed on their 2014 split trip between the North and South of Spain.

Along the way the tourist office lady had said we should stop in Camborros to view the huge selection of Horreos, the stone elevated drying sheds. The village was hosting three large bus tours of American tourists visiting the maritime villa ge and their cute collection of Horreos. The sheds had been built along the harbor and was used by the populations to hold their harvests from their gardens which were higher up and inland but way too far to bring their field greens, corn and vegetables nearer to their homes along the harbor and so it became a collection of horreos large and small of various types and decorations. Of course there was the odd collection of tourist shops with the usual fare of trinkets and post cards for sale. Refreshed and restocked with bottled water we loaded back into the car and continued northward to O Grove a harbor city on the Atlantic.

The old part of town had very narrow steep passages ways, stone houses with different balconies. A balcony with stone balustrades indicated a person of comfortable means; the poorer fishermen had wood or iron balconies. Very picturesque fishing village and I imagine a hard life for many. We talked to a very interesting fisherman who was preparing his ropes for the mussel farms. He serviced three platforms but the norm is just 2 platforms. It is all very regulated for quality. Hard work indeed but he was very philosophical about it. The worst is in the winter but otherwise it is no harder than other jobs and most definitely better than an office job inside all the time! After our meal in O Grove we drove onto the little island of Toxa or Toja in either Spanish or Galician. Most of the lavish homes were shuttered for the winter however, there were 4 ladies with trinket displays at the grounds and garden entrance of a 5-star hotel. Inside the gardens and on the grounds was a tiny church entirely covered with scallop shells built in 1912 no photos allowed on the interior though. Why it was covered in shells is unkown but it is the most photographed church in all of Galicia!!

The four of us decided to see and explore the capital of the alboriňo wine region at Cambardos a Parador which Jane and Paul had stayed in 2014 but which remains on the Dave & Joyce ‘bucket list’ TBD. We all had an ice cream and looked into the grounds of the local bodega who also conduct tours including wine tasting, too. We did not return to the Pontevedra Parador until 7:30 PM, completing a full days activities. Tired the small group changed into evening wear in order to search for the night’s finale of tapas.