On to Ribadesella, pretty fishing village in Asturia

cliffs along Atlantic Coast just east of Ribadesella

Yesterday, we drove from Santiago to Ribadesella, stopping in the large city of A Coruna to visit it's old city, Roman lighthouse, and port, with our daily visit to a cafe for morning coffee thrown in.  The lighthouse has been rebuilt on the outside, but inside it is all Roman and, so we've been told, the oldest lighthouse in the world.

Maria Pita Plaza, A Coruna

Our driver, who spoke good English, followed his GPS since he didn't know the area or the routes, but his GPS failed him over and over.  So, after a number of wrong turns and more guidance than he needed from several of us with Waze and Google Maps on our phones, we finally stumbled into Oviedo, another wonderful medieval university city, 2 hours late for lunch.  But, the lunch was worth its 4 pm start, as the owners cooked the best meal we've had yet (Ca'Suso--right on the garden above the Oviedo cathedral in the center of the city).  Despite our tardiness, they seemed genuinely happy to have a group of 10 Americans and 2 Swiss spend 2 hours over their delicious fare.

Roman lighthouse, A Coruna

Hotel Villa Rosario

We came to Ribadesella because Don and I had visited the town last year on our planning trip and loved it.  We're staying in a large, nicely renovated, 12-room Victorian mansion, the Villa Rosario, right on the beach in a beautiful shell-shaped bay.  The beach is lined with these mansions, including more that are undergoing renovation.  While there aren't many tourists here now, it will be crowded in a couple of weeks, despite the fact that this is a rainy part of Spain with chilly water, but good surfing waves.

hiking near Ribadesella

Today, several of us went for a hike in the rainy/sunny weather.  We lost our way, but found a beautiful country road that led us to a small village in the hills above the Atlantic.  We stopped for coffee in a cafe and the owner, who probably doesn't see a lot of Americans in her establishment, gave us a wonderful Asturian stew of garbanzo beans, pork and vegetables to go with our coffee.  No charge--she just wanted us to taste some traditional food.

contented cow

view of Atlantic Coast from hiking path

The path eventually led to the Pilgrim's Way (or Camino Santiago), which runs through Ribadesella. We took a muddy path to the cliffs above the ocean for a spectacular view of the coastline and a tiny rocky beach below.  The wildflowers are blooming in the pastures with milk cows and their calves, so it is a very picturesque place right now, particularly since rugged mountains form a backdrop to the villages, animals and bright green fields.  Quite idyllic.

beach at Ribadesella