Ribadeo

16th / 17th July

I wasn’t going to come here but when I left Gijon I had a beautiful easterly pushing me on and I’d reached my destination by 2 o’clock so I carried on another 4 hours and clocked another 20Nm (1 nautical mile = 1.16 statutory miles). I was also racing a French boat that left Gijon just behind me and he stayed there all day…..ha ha!
Galicia and Asturias are poor regions, they are very nationalistic, as poorer small regions along way from Capital cities tend to be and they are Celts and believe that the bagpipe is a musical instrument! They even have a bagpipe museum in Gijon which I bypassed thank God. They celebrate with statues in the main square a host of successful former residents who emigrated to make their fortunes in Argentina, Brasil etc. They are poor, the buildings are decaying but the place is spotless and they welcome visitors like me with open arms so I like Ribadeo; the Rough Guide describes it as having crumbling charm……… a bit like me then!
I’m in this marina and to get to town you have to walk up a very steep hill, to the main square, Plaza Espana, original hey?, where the only buildings worth a look are, the building with the spire is in fact empty, boarded up and sadly falling down.
The fella on the city halls step, what’s he doing? I think he’s either demonstrating how to pat his head and rub him stomach at the same time or is he saying he wishes he was an inch taller or has someone just nicked his hat? Who knows.
I’m off to Cedeira tomorrow which will take me just one step from La Corunna where Debbie will meet me next week, I will also be turning south for the first time since Bilbao which will have a powerful psychological effect on me I can tell you.