Galicia
EXPLORE La Coruna and Eastern Galicia
julio
Entering Galicia from Cantabria through Ribadeo was a shock. The clothes got blacker, the people more somber, the food got fishier, the scenery greener, and the sky got mystier, yet all in all…more magical. This is the birthplace of my father and home of Spain’s most enterprising, adventurous and strong-willed inhabitants, the Galicians. Galicia would open up to us through Praia de Augas Santas/Catedrais or the monolithic beach with hundreds of giant rock formations that dot the coastline from Ribadeo to Illa de Xangal known as Cathedrals Beach. At low tide it is stunning, eerie and powerful.
From there, we drove all the way down to the border of Portugal and Spain to visit Santa Tegra, an archaeological site at the hilltop ruins of a 1st century B.C. Celtic castle with a museum. Seeing the Celtic origins of Spain was fascinating - the written language and symbols are spirals, what look like runes and knots.
We then headed to remote Mougas to the Talaso Atlanico - a resort that offers thalassotherapy, which is the use of seawater as a form of therapy in pools with various methods of applying the water in different force and location. Really delightful. We sampled the local delicacies from the sea and enjoyed the quiet stillness that was missing from the rest of Spain.
We then drove to our final destination, the capital of the region Santiago De Compostela, the Catholic stronghold of Spain which is the culmination of the Camino de Santiago. The city was established after the fall of the Roman empire and is one of Spain’s most famous monuments to a historical past. Pilgrims from all over the world take the various routes, whether through France, Portugal or Spain to arrive at the city’s courtyard and cathedral to pay homage to the Saint of Pilgrims, the Apostle Saint James.
christina
Galicia is a mystical place filled with spirit and essence around every corner - it's not surprising Julio descends from this area as the land itself captured something very much like him. The different pieces of the puzzle in this region all contribute to the whole - there was the jaw-dropping grandeur of Cathedrales beach, the axis point and Celtic stone art of La Coruna, the ancient circles of civilization down in Santa Tegra and the focus of pilgrims in Santiago de Compostela. It feels like there's much to uncover here and one trip will not be enough.
Cathedrales was a technicolor dream for me. I was enthralled by all the beauty of nature coming up in the small variations and striations in color around every rock, nook and cranny of these monstrous rock formations. There is so much beauty on Earth – I am blown away constantly by this fact – and brought into deep reverence for the living breathing entity known as Gaia – a truly magical being. A reminder that if you dig deep and connect to Mother Nature you will see we are all living in accordance with her laws, her truth and her grace. It’s such a blessing to be on this planet and to awaken to the divine mystery unfolding.
The Celtic ruins at the village were awesome in the sense that they were all circular - I don't think I've ever seen a site like that and I've seen quite a few archeological sites. I was in awe of the museum and it's remnants of all the spirals and sacred geometric forms they found onsite - it reminded me of Knossos in Crete and even some of the things we used to see in Hawaii when we lived the - truly reenforced for me how interconnected we are and how civilizations have passed knowledge and creativity to each other not just in one direction but maybe "like wildflowers" organically intertwined.
It was such a blessing to witness Julio here in this region especially as we no longer have his dad with us. It really felt like he was there with us the whole time - showing us around. I can't wait to go back.
