Continued from Ferrol: Parador, Harbor, and Pre-Camino Blessing
I woke up to the delightful sounds of children in a schoolyard across the street from the Parador. Then, I enjoyed a hearty breakfast in the dining room overlooking the harbor.
The breakfast dining room had great views of the harbor.
Continued from A Coruña Mont San Pedro.
I took a bus at 2 p.m. from A Coruña to Ferrol, which cost seven euros and took about thirty-five minutes. It was full of teenagers and business people. I was the only backpack-toting pilgrim. The bus driver was playing rock music quite loudly, but nobody seemed to mind. I found it amusing that a soundtrack from my youth had such appeal in this region of Spain. Most of the teenagers were wearing earbuds and fiddling with their phones. A few other passengers were dozing off. I gazed out the window and watched the world go by, as Foreigner, AC/DC, and Metallica serenaded us onward and upward. Ultreia would make such a great name for a rock band!
On my walk from the Ferrol bus station to the hotel, I was thinking about how much I enjoyed A Coruña and wondering whether Ferrol would be as captivating.
Casa do Concello (Town Hall)
Continued from Santiago Highlights: Free Walking Tour and Secretos de Galicia.
I have a thing for Paradores, a network of luxury hotels in Spain, usually located in a converted historic building such as a monastery or castle. My husband and I first discovered Paradores in 2007 when we spent a month in Andalucia, in Southern Spain. It was winter, and we took advantage of their lower rates and a special Amigos offer of the fifth night free. This allowed us to stay in Paradores in Málaga, Ronda, Nerja, Cádiz, and Granada for surprisingly reasonable rates. In 2014 my mom and I stayed at a Parador in Santo Domingo de la Calzada on a tour of Northern Spain for our annual mother-daughter trip. Paradores are all unique and have different degrees of luxury, but every Parador I have visited, even if just for a coffee break, had an understated elegance and historical significance. Needless to say, when I heard that Paradores offer pilgrim rates for rooms and meals, I was excited!
