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Located on the NW corner of Spain on the Atlantic Ocean is La Coruña a municipality of Galicia. We visited this city while traveling down the coast of Spain toward Porto, Portugal. The medieval town served as political capital of the Kingdom of Galicia from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Upon entering the harbor, we fixed our eyes on the Wall of Glass, perhaps one of the prettiest spots in La Coruña. The curved buildings that hug the harbor with their walls of glass windows reflecting the sunshine is truly spectacular. There are many cafes, ice cream shops, restaurants and bars that line the avenue. It was a short walk through narrow, winding streets like we have seen in many countries and cities we have visited in Europe. Our first stop on the self, guided walking tour we did was, Plaza de María Pita. As we walked through the narrow streets, we suddenly came across this immense square, named after Maria Pita, who was a woman who led the revolt by the town when Sir Francis Drake landed there in the 1500’s. Immense is an understatement. The plaza is grand in the grand sense of the word. Striking architecture with the huge city municipal building as the centerpiece created a breathtaking scene. There is a giant statue of Maria Pita in the center of the square and sizeable selection of shops, restaurants and cafes lining the plaza. We watched a wedding party as they used the beauty of the plaza for their photographs.
Just across from the plaza and up the steep street was the Iglesia de San Jorge, a Catholic church built in the 1500’s. We went inside during a service and sat quietly until it ended. After the service the priest walked around and started a conversation wanting to know where we were from and if we had a religious affiliation. We chatted for a while giving us a chance to use our less than perfect command of the Spanish language. He told us that he had been the priest at the church for a number of years and we talked a little about the amazing art that adorned the church along with the old pipe organ which unfortunately was not being played while we were there. Like kids who eat strange vegetables we are classical organ music lovers. Yes, we are weird and relish every minute of it. Continuing to walk through the maze of streets we came upon the Plaza del Humor. It is a small square near the Municipal Market and the Plaza de María Pita that brought a smile to our faces with its cartoons of famous laughter-makers from Cervantes to the Pink Panther, along with sculptures and concrete benches for photographs with masonry figures to sit next to. That plaza as well had a number of cafes and shops along the outer areas. We rested our feet there for a while before venturing forward. It was getting close to lunch time which is when locals and tourists alike fill the local cafes for tapas, wine and beer. We found a little place where we had some delicious tapas, bread and a few glasses of local Rioja wine. It is not unusual to sit and relax for an hour or so reflecting on what we had seen and where we were headed. Finally, after some good food and wine we headed out for more sightseeing. Seems like Spain and Portugal are stops for the European tour of the rock group Queen, whose lead singer now is Adam Lambert. We saw posters with tour dates and locations on billboards in the city. Unfortunately, none of the concert dates worked for us. It would have been really cool to see that show while abroad. While touring the city we encountered a number of excellent street musicians. American music, especially jazz, is very popular throughout Europe. Like visual art, music is everywhere with artists of every medium chasing the same Euros to make a living. Not much different than here in the states. Late afternoons were usually spent, by us, at a coffee bar – bakery. There was never a shortage of great coffee and pastries that tickled the eyes and stomach. Great way to wind down the day relaxing and reminiscing about the sites encountered in yet another wonderful European city.
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October 2022
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