You don't need much excuse to spend the day in this enclave in the Ferrolterra region (A Coruña), a
charming little town with a seafaring essence and a commercial vocation
.
But it also turns out that we are celebrating our birthday.
The good old Alfonso X was kind enough to grant Pontedeume the town's charter of foundation on December 30, 1270, so we are, in practice, in full celebration of the
750th anniversary
of these streets.
Go this dribble to the health of the wise king.
10.00.
Unhurried breakfast
Nobody here is a very early riser, and the sensation of sweet morning laziness can be enjoyed on the terrace of any of the four cafeterias in
Plaza Real (1)
.
The most attractive and traditional one is that of
Stollen,
from whose first floor there is a better perspective of the square: buildings of classic northern galleries that look towards the City Hall and its illustrious tower.
Everything here is tiny and secluded.
And life goes by in slow motion.
My dear
.
10.30.
Four streets and three squares
The old town occupies four parallel streets,
Pescadería, Santiago, Real
and
Ferreiros,
steep and designed to get closer to the very elegant
parish church of Santiago (2)
, with half a millennium of history in its pillars. A milestone on the English Camino de Santiago, although it is rarely open. The most characteristic of the four streets is the Real, largely arcaded and the epicenter of tapas with the most pedigree (A Raiola, Zas, Compostela, Varadoiro).
It is obligatory to stop at three more squares:
San Roque (3)
,
del Pan
(in front of the lustrous pazo of Archbishop Rajoy)
(4)
and, above all,
Do Convento (5)
, very beautiful and with a very steep slope, which is not it prevents the kids from playing ball every afternoon.
The old convent of San Agustín, today the
House of Culture,
guards in its gardens the stone figures of the bear and the wild boar that serve as local symbols: they appeared on the coat of arms of the lords of Andrade, the great men in medieval times .
The Caaveiro monastery, built in 934. Getty images
11.30.
Stop for sweet tooth
The Pontedeume confectionery is a benchmark, and no small part of the blame falls on the
El Carmen confectionery
(Calle de Santiago, 10)
(6)
, where they pamper local specialties: almond
gingerbreads
,
proias
with anise and cinnamon and, above all, everything, the sacrosanct cream puff, a kind of soft and fluffy sponge cake with which to incur addiction. Even more so if Javier Cabana, continuator of the family tradition, attends us. To fill your saddlebags, the best thing is the recently remodeled
municipal market
(Betanzos, 1)
(7)
, just in front of the
torreón dos Andrade,
today tourist office.
It is small, but offers good meat, very fresh fish from the estuary and garden products such as collard greens, navizas and cabbage xenos.
And it has a delegation from the
Patricio bakery, an
absolute institution since 1936. Nobody makes half-kilo bagels or
larpeiradas
(another typical sweet) like them, and there is no more entertaining conversationalist than Susana, their manager.
enlarge photo Rose window of the church of San Miguel de Breamo.
getty images
12.30.
From pilgrimage to Breamo
No eumés de bien will consider our complete tour if we do not visit
Mount Breamo (8)
, which is guarded by the municipality and treasures a 12th-century Romanesque hermitage at its summit, to which the devotees of Saint Michael go in pilgrimage every May 8 .
The ideal thing is to get there on foot, from the narrow and steep path, of medieval origins, which begins just after passing the church of Santiago, at the end of the urban area.
The walk does not take three-quarters of an hour and the whole area is reminiscent of the animated forests of
the Coruña writer Fernández Flórez
, but the slope brings some sweat.
Those who do not feel so brave can go up by car.
The case, we insist, is to know it.
15.00.
To the rich scab
If we want to pay tribute, what better than the
Cantina Río Covés
(9)
. Theirs is to walk, which allows you to walk along the promenade and see the two emblematic bridges: the stone that gives the town its name, which in its
current appearance of 15 arches is over 130 years old
; and the iron painted in blue that since 1913 has served the Ferrol-A Coruña railway line to circumvent the Ares estuary. Rail traffic is so meager that the bridge also
acts
as an
unusual pedestrian walkway
. Alfonso XIII, promoter of the original layout, would not give credit.
In Río Covés it is a spectacle to taste the
crust
: a giant empanada, endemic to Pontedeume, which combines
cod, octopus, prawns, scallops, scallops, ham and mushrooms
on its three floors.
It is so laborious that it is only offered on weekends.
Fragas do Eume, seven kilometers from Pontedeume, is one of the best-preserved Atlantic riparian forests in Europe.
It is full of viewpoints and Romanesque art.
getty images
17.00.
Hiking in Fragas do Eume
From Covés we are within walking distance
of the Fragas do Eume Natural Park (10)
, a 9,000-hectare paradise that is well worthy of successive excursions.
The dense forest around the river contains half a dozen routes for hikers, but the main one runs along the riverbank (there are a couple of hanging bridges) and ends, after a steep slope, at the
Caaveiro monastery.
That in the heart of the forest, so far from civilization, those anchorite monks lived since the 10th century is between magical and inconceivable.
After the temple, the remains of the mill offer a verdin microclimate.
Fernández Flórez, again.
21.00.
A well deserved dinner
We will finish ground, which justifies the prize of good food. In the summer months, it is best to cross the bridge to the spectacular
Magdalena beach (11)
, in Cabanas, and peck at
Argentina
or
Los Pinares
. Both beach bars have already closed the summer season, but you can always enjoy the evening show on the Ares estuary. Now it's time to stay for dinner in Pontedeume. On Avenida del Doctor Villanueva there are the famous
Os Cen Pasos (12)
, hidden and narrow, with unbeatable octopus and peppers, and the
Avellaneda (13)
, with a soulless air but tasty and more intrepid cuisine. For the final cup, let's opt for the bustling
Beer’s
(14)
, in front of the mall.
Another one of those corners where the clock seems to advance at a rate much lower than the Earth's rotation.
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