Beach day! But first we we want to share those harbor views with the boys so in the morning we stroll back out to the breakwater’s end, stopping en route to read local Asturian history in some bluff-side paintings and to watch the fishermen reeling in big 
baitfish. Then we climb a few hundred feet up to the bluff above where we can see it’s going to be a great beach day. The sun is already scalding, so we keep moving, finding shade where we can on our way back down to the flat.
There we don our swim suits, gather towels toys and cold water, then hop in the golf for the short drive across the bridge to the broad beach at the River Sella’s mouth. The Bay of Biscay is cold but bearable – Santa Cruz temperatures, with 3’ swells providing great body surfing. The boys stay for a few hours until the chill drives them out… sun baked they return for more. It’s a perfect family day at the beach.
Back home and hungry we tour the restaurant options, settle on the family-friendly place below our flat, and share salads, scallops and a local specialty chocobo – a cholesterol bomb of veal wrapped in ham and cheese, then breaded and deep-fried. No wonder these basques are stouter than their Catalan cousins. We’ll work it off during our River Sella paddle tomorrow…
Monday we’re up and out around 10:30 for the short stroll down to our outfitter’s office. There they hurriedly pack us into a van and off we trundle to the put-in at Arridonales. Now we understand the hurry – it appears every school in northern Spain is on the river today, and our guide service rightly wants to get us on the river ahead of the hordes.
(Editor’s note: Here’s Max’s description of our paddle…)
Today we went kayaking along the river Sella. The kayak outfitters drove us up to the launch point where we were surprised to find several very large groups of school kids, ranging from middle school to college. Our driver rushed us to the front, shoved us into kayaks, and pushed us down a ramp into the river. We quickly paddled downriver in an effort to get away from the kids, only to run into even more groups. For a half hour or so we paddled through masses of inexperienced paddlers splashing their way down, or sometimes up, river. After we eventually cleared the kids, we enjoyed some nice floating time down river, enjoying watching other people crash 
and get stuck in the shallow sections that only we seemingly knew how to avoid. Once we got to the pullout point. We loaded up in the van and returned to Ribadesella. From the kayak shop, we walked to the beach where we enjoyed some peaceful wave time. After an hour or so it looked as if it was going to rain so we packed our bags and walked back to the apartment. We did some homework and had dinner inside as we looked out our window and enjoyed the thunderstorm that we had predicted earlier at the beach.
Thanks Max. With half a day left we returned to downtown Ribadesella then walked across the bridge and along the Sella’s riverbank to its sandy mouth, where the boys snuck in another hour or two of bodysurfing. We haven’t seen enough of Asturias, and must race through Cantabria tomorrow en route to Basque country… this quiet Green Coast deserves more time, and we hope to return.
I picked Ribadesella for its proximity to the 
entry. Croissant in hand we cross the town’s pretty plazas and Roman bridge, but it’s getting hot, so we return to the Golf. To avoid 
the curves, traffic and bovines are too road-cozy… stressful roads are Dad’s responsibility. En route we pass proud and pretty little 
Up top it’s beautiful but exposed and hotter than we’d planned. We camel-up with water then begin our loop hike through a historic mine and around a knoll that separates Lagos de Covadonga from Lago de la Ercina. The cows here are healthy, horned, big and benign, so we weave through them to the west shore of Lago de la Ercina. There we find a picnic spot beneath a craggy bluff’s sliver of shade. Max deems Ben “The Goat Whisperer” as he engages in a “bleet” call and response with other kids scattered in the crags and crevices. 
After lunch we push on around the mountain: it’s not steep but the footing is irregular and the sun is too much for Sue and the boys, so we take breaks at the infrequent shady spots. Tempers rise with the temperature and pretty soon Dad’s in the doghouse. I coax the weary travelers on to Refugio Vega De Enol, where Max and Sue can cool down and hydrate up. Ben and I finish the hike and return down a dirt road in the Golf to find their spirits lifted and all forgiven: Mother Nature’s wounds are best healed by Father Time. 
Back down in Ribadesella we put our feet up for a bit then leave the boys to their devices and sally out to sample 
– the complex is out of proportion for this small city, and while the project has been scaled back, it’s still massively empty and has been. I had the place to 
myself, so explored and biked a bit on the sloping building sides. The development suggests high architecture and low construction quality… many of the millions of tiles coating the facility are loose or broken… oops. But kudos to the Galicians for keeping it clean and sleek… I hope they grow into the project.
To escape the forecast heat Wednesday we drove an hour north to 
Our day starts with science and a visit to a branch of the National Museum of Science and Technology (MUNCYT). The exhibits are fun and interesting – they include a 747 cockpit and important innovations ordered by decade. I’m a bit proud to see most are American, and hope we can get back to the business of innovation soon.
Next up we park under the harbor, surface at the Praza de 
Coruña against Sir Francis Drake’s English invaders. 
After old town we motor north to visit the Tower of Hercules. I can’t lure the family up the 245 steps so go solo. Always happy for the exercise and “me time”, it’s worth the 3€ entry fee to see the roman 
foundations, history displays and to take in the view. Then we’re off to the small but fun Aquarium Finisterrae, with its monster lobsters, Nautilus room and tidal seal chambers. The drive home is an easy hour with the 
Today’s Galician air is crystalline so we stay and enjoy Santiago’s perfect weather. Sue and I drag the boys out for a stroll through the market, then soothe the savage beasts with beef and gelato. A 
camino down through through pretty little Parque da Alameda, a shady stop above the swan pond then back home via grassy hillside parks and rest our feet. I drop the family off then hop on my bike to circle the city and pick up those last sites we missed – a 
necklace of hilly urban parks and trails takes 
the Natural History museum at the 
Most pilgrims walk west to 
And what a delightful welcome it is! We are the first guests in their beautifully remodeled 3rd floor flat, on the edge of old town with warm south views across Santiago’s ample green space to its new City of 
Culture development. They’ve stocked the fridge and larder with local organic goodies, and our boys instantly take to their son Aland, who comes armed with a playstation and basketball. The boys head off for hoops outside and in, and we get tips and local lore from Suso and Maria.
Monday we head for the Atlantic. Galicia sits on southern Oregonian latitudes, and as we wind west from Santiago across pristine, garbage and billboard-free highways, the similarities accumulate. On each west coast the jet stream pushes ocean breezes onshore, the evergreens lean east, and locals still live of the fishermen’s catch. But the mighty Pacific and North American plates collide more aggressively in Oregon, where cliffs are steeper and the beaches sandier, while Iberia’s rivers run longer, creating “Rías Baixas” – estuary inlets rich in sea life and aquatic recreation. 
We might need to double-down on this magnificent coast, so I elect to visit it early in our Galician stay to ensure time for a second visit. On our host’s recommendation we prefer 
seafood, and judging by the incoming boats this is a Pulpa town. Indeed! We feast on Polbo á feira – “fair octopus” – lovingly boiled octopus sprinkled with sea salt, paprika and olive oil… it’s delicious. We order an extra serving of the crusty sourdough to soak up the sauce. And Alberino to wash it down. Hard to keep the pounds off in Spain…
It’s even hotter there, so I parked Sue and boys in an air-conditioned gelato cafe, complete a lap of the sleeping old town, pick up groceries and return to Santiago where its… hot. Sue and the boys hide inside while this Californian ventures into the sun in search of a bike and a haircut. The bike is available but the barbers are not, so my peluqueria visit will wait a day.
rocktravels 