Paseo Maritims I
Being surrounded by water on almost all sides presents a unique opportunity to the city bosses … instead of allowing developers build expensive waterfront homes only a few could enjoy, here, in A Coruña, they did the smart thing and built a fantastic walking path that everyone can enjoy. Of course Vancouver residents know exactly what I’m talking about, Stanley Park having one of the most beautiful Seawalls in the world, stretching all around the West End, Downtown, and beyond to False Creek. Yeah, the Paseo Maritims is like that, over nine kilometers of it. No wonder I feel so at home here except the ocean here is the Atlantic and not the Pacific and the wine is way cheaper and–don’t shoot me–way better. I was going to say there is more sun, too, but then I’d be lying. Galicia is not known for having a lot of sun, something that is definitely influenced by that Atlantic being right there with nothing to stop any clouds coming off the water, unlike Vancouver that is somewhat protected by Vancouver Island. But maybe that is a similarity as well.
It wasn’t the sunniest day this time around either, but the air was fresh, the wind pleasant, and the views spectacular. I tried to remember the paths through the nearby neighbourhood Fely had shown me but I ended up just picking a way that I thought would eventually lead me to the shore … and it did! Amazing how that works here: walk in pretty much any direction and sooner rather than later you will hit the wet stuff. What I didn’t realize was that I managed to find the Old Town on my way, though, in all honesty, I just skirted the area. A Coruña’s Old Town isn’t the typical tourist draw that most such neighbourhoods are in Spanish cities, which is probably why I didn’t even know I was in it. Pretty soon, however, I could see sparkling waves reminding me that my destination was the Paseo Maritims and not some pretty old churches.
As I mentioned, the weather was a bit iffy but that just resulted in amazing colours displayed by the rocky shore. I took way too many photos, once again, trying to capture that perfect wave hitting the rocks, a feat I have to humbly admit I have never managed to accomplish, at least not to my satisfaction. I guess you will just have to take my word for it. Alongside the Paseo, I saw the Escola de Arte Superior de Deseño Pablo Picasso, the local fine arts college, and I envied the students’ daily vistas which, I am sure, could only help their creativity. To accentuate the school’s proximity, I had earlier seen a number of very good murals in the neighbourhood, continuing the trend across Spain.
I have to confess that I didn’t make it far along the Paseo, maybe a kilometer and a bit, at most, but that was because I was getting hungry and walking on an empty stomach isn’t much fun. Normally that is not a problem, but unlike walking around a town, there were no cafes or restaurants or anything really that would solve this dilemma for me. I did manage to see some divers doing what I can only assume were lessons or practice dives, and cool little beach that was nestled between the main part of the peninsula and the Durmideiras neighbourhood, a recently-built subdivision (or a Spanish version thereof) that totally doesn’t fit in this area architecturally or otherwise. The locals all frown upon this aberration and are mad that it spoils their views, something with which I do concur.
