Nigran, Panxon, Prado

It's hard to get an early night on this coast, the sun set last night at 10.10pm!   Yikes.  It still feels like play time when we really should be tucked up in bed. 

We have been winding our way up the coast, keeping the sea on our left shoulder as we head north.  What a fantastic coast line, bay after bay of golden sand beaches, small harbours that are dotted with local fishing boats, wide comfy boardwalks and just the right amount of cafes for rest stops.

 The topiaried Pohutukawa trees look fantastic! 

It looks like this may be an area with a lot of retirees. It's great to see so many seniors out each day walking the beach, carrying folding chairs down to the beach and soaking up the sun and sea breezes. Many small apartment  buildings are close to the beaches so the beach I guess becomes  an extension of their homes. 

The Cathedral of Panxon hails back to  an original 7th century church, unfortunately the arch is pretty much all that is still standing, 

The new Panxon Cathedral (circa 1930's) today sits proudly atop a small hill behind the beach village. It was designed by the famous  Spanish  architect Antonio Palacios Ramilo.

Palacios tried to preserve something of the old church using the 7th century  arch to inspire his design. There is a 30 metre tall tower to serve as a guide for sailors  at sea to find their way back to the small sheltered harbour.

The interior is quite beautiful with ceramic mosaic tiles used for the dome and ceiling decorations. The church is dedicated to the Virgen del Carmen (Virgin of the Sea). Appropriate for a fishing community. 

The church was built from donations from the residents of Nigrán who brought fragments of old buildings or ruins to the site that were used to build the church.

 

The mosaic work is really quite stunning, the photos don't  do it justice.

 

Architecture is always interesting as you walk between areas. There's a mix of traditional Galician seaside homes, old castles, newer low cost apartments and then we came across what looked like a stage set for the film Zoro. Half expected Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones to come bustling out of the Edificio  San Juan! 

Beautiful beaches we walked beside/on the last few days. Last night two lovely ladies, approx 75+yrs old I'm guessing, came down to the beach front in their normal house clothes and handbags and started dancing on the promenade to the music from a local bar - completely in their own world, getting exercise beside the sea in the sunset - perfecto! 

Came across a small surf academy on Patos beach. The water temps are still not that high so everyone was in wetsuits. I don't blame them, I think it takes a whole lot of sun to heat up the Atlantic ocean.

Enjoying what each day brings, soaking up the cultural and history and enjoying our conversations with locals where we use as much Spanish as we can, lots of sign language and smiles....it mostly works out pretty well.