After spending Christmas and Boxing Day in England, the Tapas family headed to Spain to welcome the New Year and make sure we didn’t miss the Three Kings (Reyes Magos) as they came straight from Orient in their camels carrying gifts for all the Spanish kids, LittleT included.
While there I made sure I put my blogging cap on and took lots of photos to show you the place where I grew up. Actually, I grew up in Vigo (about 20-30 minutes drive from Playa América, locally known as Praia América) but we always spent our summers in this area. Back then it never occurred to me that it wasn’t normal to close the house in town for the summer and go to my grandma’s beach house for the summer (my grandma also lived in Vigo and closed her place there for the summer too). Totally normal, ¿no?
Let me take you on a little tour.
First off this is Playa América. Set on a beautiful bay with Baiona to one end and Monteferro to the other. This is a fantastic setting for sunbathing with a view, if you come before or after peak season you can enjoy the sound of the waves and the seagulls pretty much on your own.
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| Playa América, Monteferro and the Estelas Islands |
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| My first attempt at taking a panoramic photo with my iPhone |
This is Baiona, a historic town with crooked stone streets famous for being the first place that heard the news of Columbus’ discovery of the Americas. You can visit a replica of the famous carabela La Pinta that arrived to the port on March 1st 1493. If you like getting dressed up in period costume, every March you can take part in the medieval Festa da Arribada to celebrate the arrival of the caravel. If you decide to come, the Parador is THE place to stay. If you can’t stretch that far there are plenty of budget options in the area and you can still visit the Parador either on foot or by car, don’t miss a walk all around the wall, finishing off with coffee and a snack inside. Make sure you take in the force of the Atlantic Ocean as you face away from the bay.
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| The port of Baiona from the wall of the Parador |
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| Another view of the Parador with a glimpse of the Islas Cíes and the open sea |
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| The rompeolas, where the waves break with impressive results on rainy, windy days |
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| I seem to have developed a thing for street lighting, don’t ask! |
Back in Playa América for sunset before retreating for the night. There is something extremely special and soothing about sitting down to listen to the waves while watching the sun sink into the ocean.
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| Winter sunset in Baiona, in the middle of the photo is the Parador |
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| See? Another one |
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| The “castle” of Playa América, just a private beach house but LittleT loved it just like her mother before her |
Fantastically friendly locals and delicious food complete the
offering of this area, what are you waiting for? You can fly to Vigo
itself, Santiago, Coruña or Porto (yes, it’s in Portugal but it is
feasible). Well? Go on, they will welcome you with open arms, a glass of
Albariño and a cold Estrella Galicia beer.
Read more about sightseeing in Galicia here and its food here.
*All photos taken with my iPhone 4S
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Beautiful! I hope I get to visit one day…
Stunning Maria, it really doesn't look like early January at all.
I have very fond memories of Galicia – I spent 3 weeks on exchange in La Coruna when I was 17. So unspoilt!
You've convinced me, it looks amazing! It's on my list of places I have to visit, when I do manage it I'll have to get you to give me a must visit list of places in Galicia
Your weather over there definitely looks better than ours was up her in Scotland over the New Year! I could have run outside in Spain – but instead I was confined to the treadmill (both literally and metaphorically!). Galicia looks gorgeous 🙂
What a beautiful place to live Maria.I would love to the take part in Medievel fiesta if I ever have the money to go on holiday.It must been great going away for the New Year with the family.
Beautiful photographs! All that sunshine too! 🙂
I hope you do, it really is worth a visit, very different from the Spain everyone in the UK seems to recognise as "Spain" if you see what I mean
Thanks Laura, it really warmed up in the sun in the day, it did get quite chilly at night though as, like the UK, it gets quite damp.
There is a post in my travel section with a few ideas for when you come over but the best is to just get in the car and explore, then stop the car whenever something takes your fancy.
Thanks K! There is a foot path about 6 km long from Playa América to Baiona and people use it to walk and run to keep fit, because the weather was so good it was full of people making the most of it. It runs right next to the sea so it offers amazing views. Alongside it, there's a separate path for bikes too. Tempted yet?
We are lucky because we go to visit my family so we don't have to pay for accommodation but it's definitely worth saving for. With the economy as it is, you'll probably find some bargains too.
The first couple of days we had atrocious weather, a bit like when we left the UK (rain, rain, rain) but by the 2nd of January the sun was out and it was lovely and warm in the day but it got quite chilly at night.
It looks beautiful