Exploring

Wednesday Waves

After a great day at school, Dan phoned to tell us (Cameron and I) that we HAD to walk down to the beach to meet him and Aminah. He wouldn’t tell us why, so naturally our imaginations were running away... Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at the beach to witness the largest waves I have ever seen! It was incredible! Most of the water looked white because of the bubbles, and the spray was reaching at least 10m – if not higher?! (I’m not the best at judging things like this, but it was very high!) There were small crowds of local people also taking photographs, and expressing the same excitement as us.

Saturday Sightseeing

After our well-deserved lie in, the Calasanz crew went out for a day of exploring around A Coruña. We started off on the bus… but soon decided that it would be more exciting to get lost walking to, and around, the Old Town instead. First stop: Aminah needed tea – shock! (Big love) 😄

After wondering around some of the shops, we then were in search for some food and found a pizza place… I know, fully experiencing the Spanish culture.🙈 Once fed, we walked to the María Pita Square (the most important square in the city). It is known for the City Hall and statue of the local heroine, María Pita.

Following a deep and meaningful conversation in a beautiful café, we meandered towards the sea to watch the waves and take some more photographs.

Our final stop was The Tower of Hercules. It was breath-taking. The sun was setting and you could hear the crashing of the waves. It was perfect. 😍 We didn’t want the day to end and so we followed the path to the end of the peninsular and contemplated life... It was late, and almost dinner time so we headed back home to see the rest of our fabulous Erasmus family!

View from the Tower of Hercules

The Tower of Hercules

I had so much fun, laughing and reflecting on this amazing experience. Couldn’t be happier!

Sunday Strolls

Our first excursion started with an early breakfast and a fairly short minibus journey to Santiago de Compostela.

What a beautiful city!! Our very informative guide met us at the café, provided us with a headphone and radio set, and then directed us towards the Cathedral (highlighting points of interest on the way).

The cathedral is spectacular! It has a medieval structure that has been preserved since 1075.   After looking around the museum and viewing the relics, we had the opportunity to watch the large incense swing. It was originally used to cover the smell of the pilgrims who would stay in the cathedral overnight. (I hope the video works on here 🙈)

The Cathedral of Santiago is open all year round for visitors and Pilgrims who have either walked, cycled, or ridden on horseback to view the Tomb of the Apostle Saint James the Elder. Here, the pilgrims receive their last stamp from their journey and the traditional certificate, known as the Compostela.

There are over one hundred different pilgrimage routes to Santiago, including the French Way (the most popular), the Northern Way, the Primitive Way, the English Way, the Portuguese Way and many more. The pilgrimage has become more popular over the past few years, bringing more tourists to the city.

In the afternoon, we had some free time to eat and look in the shops. I ordered a hot chocolate but received a glass of melted chocolate… obviously something was lost in translation. 😊 It tasted amazing! But I couldn’t finish it...

At the entrance of Santiago park, we were greeted by the 2 o’clock ladies. They were women (now statues) who used to dress in brightly coloured clothes and wear lots of makeup, whilst everyone else mainly wore black. They were the light during a very difficult time for their family.

I wish I recorded all of the information that we were being told as it was really interesting. I think the next picture describes the day best:

Such a great team! 💖

 A massive THANK YOU to Fran for organising this trip!!

Chloe J