La Coruna is one of the largest cities in the Galicia region of Spain but before booking this cruise I knew very little about it. I recognised the local football team, Deportiva La Coruna, who had a successful run in the European Cup in the early 2000’s but precious little else. Therefore it was a pleasant surprise as we sailed in this morning almost right into the city centre.
The city is known as “The Crystal City” due to the reflections of the sun on the glass balconies of the tall apartment buildings along the sea front. The weather today being perfect to show this feature off.
A short walk from the quayside brought us into the old town with its centrepiece of Maria Pita square. Here is found the magnificent town hall building. With its copper domes glistening in the beautiful Spanish sunshine.
Around the square are many more apartment buildings with their glass covered conservatories on the upper floors. In the centre sits a statue of Maria Pita herself, she is apparently famous for warning the locals about an imminent attack from our very own Sir Francis Drake.
Sylvia and I took a stroll through the old town exploring some of the churches on the way many of which contained very ornate altar pieces which are known as Reredos. An excellent example is shown below.
After a couple of hours it was time for a bit of shade…..
……and a refreshing cup of coffee.
I left Sylvia on a bench overlooking the marina while I made my way to the Central Market which I was assured had a good display of freshly caught fish. Knowing how readers of my blog enjoy my fish photos I was eager to get some good shots. Unfortunately the market was in the process of closing for the day and very few stalls had any seafood on them. I attempted to take a view of one of the remaining stalls but I was stopped by some locals shouting “No Photos”. Sorry to disappoint everyone!!!
A couple of facts about La Coruna that you may not be aware of , firstly it is the closest European mainland port to New York and secondly it is the home to the World’s oldest operating lighthouse . Known as The Tower of Hercules it has been in constant operation for almost 2000 years. It is located approximately 4 miles from the city so a little too far for us to walk today but as we departed this evening the ship sailed past it giving a perfect photo opportunity.
The captain informed us on departure that we would be taking a more Southerly route to our next destination, Bermuda, to avoid poor weather. Hopefully I will be able to report a calmer crossing on my next post.