Category: Europe 2017

Duke has been a John Mayall fan since about 1970. He was playing at Yoshi’s in Oakland in November but we had other plans so couldn’t attend. Duke checked Mayall’s tour schedule and realized that he would be touring in Spain while we are here. So he arranged our itinerary so we could go to the John Mayall Concert in Vigo tonight. 

Today was a gorgeous day. Lots of sun and temperatures in the 60s. We explored the coast some before heading to Vigo. We watched some paddlers training and walked along the beach. 

We are not staying at a Parador here in Vigo. We are on the seventh floor of a high rise overlooking the harbor. 

For dinner we had two small beers, bread and cheese, and fish brochettes at a tapas bar near the hotel. It all cost three Euros. 

The concert was great and a lot of fun. It seemed kind of surreal to listening to a British Blues Singer in Spain. The crowd was big and enthusiastic. The venue was comfortable and beautiful and new. And the music was full of energy and some exceptional playing.  John Mayall is 83 but you sure wouldn’t know it. He and his band played for two hours without a break. 

Today we followed the coast north to Cambados. It is a beautiful day, by far the nicest day of our trip so far. It is the first day that I haven’t needed my winter coat. 

We saw several interesting things during our drive. Soon after we left we saw a couple of guys scraping something off the rocks, perhaps barnacles?

Later we came across a beach with lots of cars parked and what appeared to be more than 200 people digging clams. 

Once we arrived in Cambados we went for a walk. There are the remains of a tower out on the point. The sign says they don’t know if it was originally built by the Romans or the Phoenecians. 

When we walked through town the streets were pretty much deserted. The stores were all closed from about 2:00 until 5:00. 

Cambados is considered the capital of the Albariño wine country. Albariño is a fruity white wine. We tried it as our free drink at our Parador. I liked it a lot. 

For dinner we had a fun chatty waitress which is unusual here. Maybe the fact that we were the only ones in the dining room made a difference. We both had fish. 

For desert Duke had chocolates, a warm butterscotch crepe and cake. 

I had something we have had a few times before on this trip. I had never heard of it before. It is lucious… cheese ice cream. 

We are overlooking the Atlantic tonight. We are in a Parador inside the Fortaleza de Monterreal overlooking the town of Baiona. This harbor is where Columbus’ ship the Pinta made land fall after Columbus and his fleet discovered the Indies. They have a replica of the Pinta in the harbor. It is very small!

We walked around the walls of the fortress this afternoon. 

When Duke was originally making reservations he wanted to stay here two nights but tomorrow night they were full so we could only stay one night. We wondered why they would be full in the middle of the week after Valentines Day. When we arrived we found out. They are setting up for a big conference of Coloproctologists. 

We drove our farthest distance so far on this trip today (165 miles). We also stayed almost entirely on main roads and divided highway. The infrastructure here seems excellent and well maintained. We are staying at Parador Castillo de Monterrei near the town of Verín in Galacia.   This Parador opened less than two years ago. 

As you can tell from my posts so far Duke and I really love Paradors.   Paradors are a government run hotel chain. In our  experience each one is unique but the quality is dependably high. They are often located in historic buildings like castles or monestaries. The one we are staying into tonight opened in 2015 but it is in a castle that was built in fourteenth century. 

The Parador we stayed at in Salamanca last night was in a new building but it had a stupendous view of Salamanca. 

On our last trip to Spain and Portugal we stayed in 14 Paradors. (One Parador is in Portugal.) This trip we are planning to stay in 14 different Paradors. There are 98 total so we will have to come back a few more times if we want to stay in all of them. 

The cost to stay in a Parador is usually quite reasonable, (often less than $100) especially in the off season and when you book in advance. Both of our trips have been in the off season. 

They have a program called Amigos where you get points for every dollar you spend in a Parador and then can use those points for free rooms. We expect to have four free nights on this trip. The Parador web site www.parador.es has a lot more information. They also have an app. 

After arriving at Castillo de Monterrei today we took a tour of the castle and climbed both towers. The guide told us the history of the castle and the church. I was impressed with the size of the key to the church, the thickness  of the walls, and the commanding views. We are only 10 kilometers from Portugal.  This castle was built for defensive purposes. 

We have a package deal here that includes dinner and breakfast. The restaurant doesn’t open for dinner until 8:30. We have adjusted our schedule to stay up late and sleep in on the morning.  Our meal tonight was wonderful. It was called the Monterrey Traditional menu.