Day 133 – A Coroña, Spain

After taking it easy for much of yesterday, I was ready to explore A Coruña, Spain, where we arrived this morning. We docked right in town, with beautiful views from our balcony. A Coruña is known for its beaches, architecture, culture, and rich history, which includes its role as a port of departure for the Spanish Armada and a site of conflict during the Peninsular War.

Views of A Coruña from Our Ship

Tim and I set out on the included excursion, “A Coruña and the Old Town,” to learn more about this city. The description was as follows:

Discover the treasures of seldom-visited A Coruña. With your guide, set out on a panoramic city tour by motor coach, passing San Antón Castle and the Tower of Hercules, an imposing lighthouse and UNESCO World Heritage Site. This seaside marvel has been operating continuously since it was built by the Romans 2,000 years ago. Follow the promenade past the newly refurbished aquarium, the Domus (Museum of Mankind) and the beaches of Orzán and Riazor. You will conclude your scenic drive in the heart of La Coruña, famous for its distinctive window balconies, called las galerias, that adorn historic houses. The glazed-glass style of these balconies was originally created for ships so that navy captains could see in inclement weather. Take a short walk through Maria Pita Square before returning to your ship.

A Coruña has been called the "City of Glass" for its unique glass-fronted buildings that face the sea, and Marina Avenue, where we drove as we left the port, boasts the finest examples of this architectural feature, known as a galeria. A galeria is simply a balcony that is enclosed in a glass frame to protect it from the city’s cool winters and allow it to be usable all year round.

A Variety of Architectural Styles Include Galerias on Their Facades Facing the Sea

We stopped in front of a row of these buildings and walked through an arched passageway into Maria Pita Square, A Coruña ‘s central square that is dedicated to Maria Pita, a sixteenth-century woman who warned the town of an invasion by Sir Francis Drake. Designed in the mid-nineteenth century, the porticoed square is the location of the City Hall.

Maria Pita Square

We walked from the square down a narrow pedestrian street to view the Church of Santiago, a small twelfth-century Romanesque church that was built to welcome medieval pilgrims as they disembarked from boats to begin their pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, a historic route that is still followed today.

Church of Santiago and the Scallop Shell, the Iconic Symbol of the Camino de Santiago 

After getting back on the bus, we continued our drive alongside the longest urban seaside promenade in continental Europe. The promenade runs parallel to the ocean's edge and was filled with walkers, joggers, and cyclists. I noticed the distinctive lamp posts that line the promenade and learned they are a significant part of the city's identity.

The Seaside Promenade and Its Iconic Lamp Posts

We stopped next at the iconic Tower of Hercules, the oldest working Roman lighthouse in the world. This landmark has served as a lighthouse at the entrance of A Coruña harbor since the late first century CE and has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tower of Hercules

We continued along the waterfront and stopped again for a photo op at the whimsical Octopus sculpture. From there, we could look back towards the Tower of Hercules and also see the Millennium Obelisk that was built to commemorate the beginning of the twenty-first century.

Octopus Sculpture, Views Towards the Tower of Hercules, and Millennium Obelisk

We drove back to the ship through streets lined with late nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings, which our guide referred to as modernist. I had planned to walk around this area, as well as the Old Town, after returning to the ship, but I simply could not bring myself to go back out again.

I sometimes think Newton’s first law applies to me. It states that a body at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and same direction, unless acted upon by an outside force. In other words, if I had not returned to the ship, I would have kept moving and would have continued my tour of the city. Instead, once onboard, I was at rest and remained at rest. Who knew that my actions would be governed by the law of inertia!

The sail-away from A Coruña was lovely, with one last look at its magnificent buildings and waterfront. This visit has confirmed that I really do need to return to Spain for a longer visit.

Sail-Away from A Coruña

In the evening, Tim and I watched Cruise Director Cornelia’s solo show “This Is Me.” She has a beautiful voice, and it was both delightful and touching to learn more about her through the songs that she selected.

Cornelia David in "This Is Me"