Onward to Spain and the beautiful Galician coast

foundations of stone houses at Castro de Barona

Driving north from Portugal to Spain, you'll go through high hills and valleys covered with vineyards and farms.  Whitewashed villages with red tile roofs dot the bright green landscape.

Castro de Barona with its old port in the distance

Once across the border into Galicia, you can continue straight to Santiago de Campostela, the famous pilgrimage city said to hold the remains of St. James, one of Christ's apostles, in its mammoth cathedral, or take the coastal roads along the deeply indented and rugged Galician coast, which is what we did.   Pilgrims flock to Santiago from all over the world, particularly, of course, from Europe, and you can see them along the roads walking with their backpacks and hiking poles and, occasionally, their dogs.

There are an average of 1000 new pilgrims per day joining the trek.  To qualify for a certificate, you have to walk or ride horseback at least 100 kilometers or bike 200 kilometers.  Many travel much further, over 800 km from France.  Once in Santiago, you get to attend the noon mass at the cathedral and get a certificate.  Pilgrims are one of the major industries in Santiago in addition to tourism and its old and famous university.

Roman bridge, Ponte Maceira

fireplace in Castro de Barona home

On our way here, we stopped at Castro de Barona, a Celtic town on the rocky and rainy Galician coast, one of many.  What I hadn't realized is that the Celt culture is still dominant in this part of Spain, having survived and thrived for more than 2000 years.  The Celts came from northern Europe and spread across the British Isles and southern Europe, leaving a large mark here in Galicia.  Our guide told us that, while most people are Catholic, virtually everyone here still practices a smattering of the Celtic religion, including using Celtic symbols in their buildings and daily lives.

spring flowers in Castro de Barona

Castro de Barona was probably inhabited about 200 BC.  Homes were circular and made of stone and thatch from the indigenous rock and trees.  At Castro de Barona, the Celts built a religious center, now long gone, on top of the rocky promontory.  Today it was chilly, windy and rainy, probably just like it was in the days of the Celts.

Next was Ponte Maceira, a pretty Roman bridge in a tiny village near Noia.  This is reportedly the loveliest part of the pilgrimage that moves on to the coast from Santiago, for those who haven't had enough walking.  We thought it was beautiful.

millhouse at Ponte Maceira