Thu, Jun 8 - Driving to the Bay of Biscay

We checked out of our very comfortable hotel and drove south around Santiago and headed northeast on the toll road AP-9 to A Coruna and Ferrol.  The sky was overcast, but with fairly light cover.  

There is a large park with some of the last old forest trees in Europe, the Fragas do Eume,  just inland and we turned off on a small road to find part of it. 

Fox Glove

We drove down a steep hillside into a river canyon, passing by through huge stretches of eucalyptus plantings - the other side of the canyon seems to be a natural woodland.  We crossed an old bridge and found a sign with trails marked and started walking down the road and came upon a hydroelectric plant.

Hydroelectric Work in Progress

  The workers just waved us though; we stepped over their tools and we started on a narrow trail overlooking the rushing river.  The trail was full of tree roots and rocks which made for difficult footing.  It was pretty but we didn't see many large old trees and so turned back after an hour.

We continued on a small highway through lush green rolling agricultural countryside ending up in the village of Galdo, just short of Viveiro and the coast.  The roads were reduced to tiny lanes and we found the lovely old building of Pazo da Trave, our hotel for the next two nights.  We got a simple room on the third floor with a wonderful view of a vineyard, the hotel's tile-roofed hórreo and a small chapel. The hotel is filled with oil paintings and ceramic artworks as well as old family photos. 

Hotel Pazo de Trave 

Our Room View: Hórreo, Chapel, & Vineyard

Bob didn't want to eat dinner late at 8:30, so we drove to a nearby cafe serving menú del día and split a large chicken salad, paper thin breaded beef with fries and yogurt with honey.  Not great, but filling.  After a nap,  I walked around the village taking pictures, as we so often drive through places like this but so seldom have a chance to really look at them.   Quite overcast by 9:30.

Art-filled Hotel

Interior of Our Hotel's Chapel

Slat-roofed Farm Houses