Aaaaah, home...the envy!

This is Galicia and it is my home. It is the north western tip of Spain and borders Portugal to the south.

This is not the Spain that most tourists will know...in fact, most of the tourists you find here will be spanish. If you ever wondered where all the spanish people go on their holidays...you found it.

The northern coasts of Spain and Galicia...or Galiza, to give it it's native name, are unspoilt, green, rugged, and immensely beautiful.

As may be seen from the map, the coastline is really cut away, transformed by the open Atlantic ocean. The result is a myriad of inlets, bays and coves where it is still possible to find a deserted beach or small fishing villages where you can sample the excellent local food and drink or just relax in the knowledge that at no time are you going to be surrounded by busloads of beer-swilling idiots from Club 18-30.

Up to now, not many people have travelled this part of Spain. Mainly, it has been the traditional preserve of pilgrims who have travelled here since the 9th Century AD to visit the Holy Sepulchre of St James at the grand cathedral in ancient Santiago de Compostela. Nowadays however, the local autonomous government is keen to exploit the history and beauty of the region and, with the addition of Santiago to the stable of Ryanair destinations, this seems likely. It is a tremendous destination if you want peace, tranquility, fun, culture, good food and drink out of your holiday destination.

Background:
You can find all you need to know about the region easily on the net...visit the website of "Xunta de Galicia" (the region's government) or the Spanish Tourist Office for detailled information of how to get there and where to stay, but I'll give you a brief introduction.

People:- The population of this region is Celtic in origin and we have much in common with other Celtic peoples of the world, such as those from Cornwall, Scotland, Ireland etc and, the gaita (bagpipe, which for many is a tangible symbol of Celtic people) is shared with many of these places as the traditional instrument of the area.

Language:- The language of the area is Galego...it is language, not a dialect. Everyone speaks it and you are more likely to hear this than Castellano (Spanish) although everyone does of course speak the latter being the national language of Spain. Galego is a language full of history. It is more closely related to Latin than Spanish as it is devoid of the arabic influences of the national language of Spain as the northern areas of the peninsula were not properly subjugated by the moors during their occupation from 711-1492. Of the Romance languages nowadays, it is the westernmost. During the recounquest wars of the 11th-12th centuries, Galicia pushed south towards present day Coimbra, Lisbon and the Algarve. "Today, the southern dialect of Galego is known as Portuguese. Galego was considered the elegant court language in Leon as late as the 13th century. Troubadours sang Galician songs in the great alls, and King Alfonso X used the language for his famous Cantigas to the Virgin" (Gitlitz & Davidson 2000).

Anyway...I digress...(I could talk for hours on my native land...if anyone wants to know more, get in touch haha) the whole point of this page is that on one of the well known Guzzi related forums (fori?) I came accross a travel account by a chap called Orson, who had travelled around Galiza on his V11 Tenni...how surprised was I? Well, I contacted him and asked for permission to include it on our site...and, good egg that he is, he agreed, so here it is!

The red numbers relate to some explanatory notes that I have added at the end to, hopefully, complement Orson's commentary.

Galiza on V11 Tenni, by Orson:
"I departed from my friend's house near Porto, Portugal heading north towards the Spanish frontier.

Narrow streets of Ponte de Lima...	...first glimpse of the Atlantic ocean...
Sometime after lunch, I arrive at the river crossing just a mile or so inland from the Atlantic Ocean that separates Portugal from Spain. Boarding the ferry to Spain...note geezer in red cap frozen in his tracks by the sight of a Guzzi in the wild	The Atlantic coastline...
Galician fishing harbour on the Atlantic.	I believe this is the fishing village of Cangas. The inhabitants of Galicia are descendants of the Celts who inhabit Scotland and Ireland. Galicians even play a form of bagpipes.
Around 5 P.M. I find a small hotel near Vigo. I think I had seafood for dinner 1	The Galician coast.
The next morning I proceeded to head north, sticking to the coast as much as I could. I had hopes of finding a coastal road that would approach California's Pacific Coast Highway but, alas...it wasn't to be...2	...although there were stretches that were undeniably beautiful, the coast was too populated. Every time I seemed to get a clear run, I would enter another small town and would have to reduce my speed. 3
I stayed another night at a hotel along the coast. I believe it was in Rianxo. I was just beginning to think that this would be a lovely place to live...then it started to rain ...	...there's a reason Galicia is so green. Fortunately, although the skies were ominous, I only received some scattered showers. I made my way northwards to Cape Finisterre before turning around.
Finisterre means end of the earth as they must have thought in the days before Columbus discovered the New World. 4	I made my way inland and started to head back to the south through Santiago de Compostela and then onwards to Ourense. 5
I managed to drive in circles near Ourense before I found a cabbie who showed me the right road back to Portugal	I stayed the night in a restored monastery. It was quite nice but seemed HUGE as I was the only guest. 6
The next day would be my last day on the road. I found my way back into Portugal and back to Porto. Galicia and Northern Portugal are a great motorcycling destination as they are far off the tourist radar and have some great motorcycle roads. I would definitely like to return some day.

Have you been to a destination with your Guzzi that you think should be recommended to other Guzzisti? Tell us all about it and we'll feature it here! joe@guzzista.com. Thank you ever so much to Orson for his kind permission to feature his trip!

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Explanatory Notes:

1: Seafood:- The Galician coastline is teeming with excellent quality seafood. The cut away inlets or rias are sheltered and washed by the clean Atlantic waters making it an ideal place to cultivate an enormous range of excellent seafood. People traditionally live off the sea and this is reflected in the cooking. If you are in the area and wish to sample the excellent Galician cuising you should visit my aunt's restaurant, Casa Boveda, it is one of the most renowned restaurants in the region...tell 'em I sent you!

2: Coast roads: The region has seen a great deal on investment on infrastucture in recent years and a lot of this has gone into building new roads, motorways etc. It is however still possible to use the old roads which are now mainly unfrequented and challenging in many places if you like the twisties.

3: Populated coastline: The bulk of the region's economy has traditionally been focused on agriculture and in seafaring. The fishing industry is huge in this part of the world. For this reason, the bulk of the population has tended to settle on the coast. Inland, the terrain is more hilly and rugged. The roads also have clever gadgets installed on the outskirts of villages A sign will warn of a radar controlled crossing ahead. If you break the beam exceeding the speed limit, as you enter the village you will find a traffic signal on red, often with a waiting traffic officer...be warned, it is easier to slow down, keep to the speed limit and enjoy the villages as you travel through.

4: Finisterre: Many aficionados of the radio weather stations will be familiar with Cape Finisterre. The name originates in the Latin Finis Terrae. It was given this name by the romans who first travelled these parts several tousand years ago as they were building their empire. The romans were an extremely superstitious people and this part of Galicia terrified them as it was extremely rugged and, seemingly, perpetually shrouded in mist and cloud. They feared the treachorous rocky coastlind and would not generally venture out if they could help it. For this reason they called it Finis Terrae...end of the world...which, to them, is what it seemed. Today, it is quite a place to visit, quite desolate, and...foggy...it is worth visiting though. The rocky promontory of the cape is one of the most western points of the european mainland. If you stand here and look west, if you could see that far, you would be staring at North America. There is a massive lighthouse here as the coastline is still treachorous today. It has a hugely powerful and deafening fog horn that can apparently be heard 30 miles out at sea.

5: Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the region. It is the seat of the autonomous government and is famous world wide to Christians as a place of pilgrimage. The town is a beautiful medieval city and is dominated by the enormous cathedral dedicated to the Apostle St James. Pilgrims have been travelling to this town for centuries. It is easy to get to now by air as airlines such as Ryanair have included it i its list of destinations...although I guess getting there by Guizzi would be more fun! You can ride from London to Galicia in approx 25 hours!

6: Paradores: Spain possesses and eniviable chain of hotels, Paradores, which are a wonderful way to enjoy the history and culture of the extremely diverse federation of cultures more commonly known as Spain. These hotels are state owned and are top quality although not necessarily in price. They are part of a tremendous project by the government to preserve some of the most important historic buildings. What they have done is to restore and turn many castles, palaces and monasteries into hotels where one may experience the building from a unique perspective. Because of the nature of the buildings themselves, many occupy strategic positions offering the guest panoramic and spectacular views of the town or place being visited. The cuisine in each Parador generally reflects the traditional fare and gastronomy of that area. It really is a unique way to visit Spain and I cannot recommend them enough!




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