Ep28 | A Coruna: Towers, Monuments & Sealife

Welcome back to Sailing ELANE! We were really excited to head off to A Coruna early in the morning this autumn day as this was the city we had originally planned to sail to after crossing the Bay of Biscay from France. A Coruña is well-known and the main port of entry for most sailors sailing over the Bay of Biscay from France. And, THIS IS where we "finally" meet Enfant Terrible. I say finally - because they later become our buddy boat for over a year and some of our best friends for a lifetime. Also, they had actually sailed to Norway before heading south and had stopped in almost all of the same places we had stopped! What a small world this is (especially among sailors)! In A Coruna, we rent bikes and take the bike trail around the city's peninsula on which is home to not only beautiful marinas in the Old Town, but also a fascinating Romanesque ensemble of medieval streets, squares and churches. (spain.info) We happen upon almost all of the city's iconic attractions, visit the seaside aquarium and realize even more how relaxed the Spanish are to Corona than the French! This place was so beautiful in so many ways. Not only was the Marina smack in the middle of the most beautiful area of Coruña - the Old Town, it was also not too far to go to many of the monuments & attractions in the area. I think Eivind said that this was one of his favorite cities by far, so far, and I was also happy to get back to civilization From Viveiro, we decide to sail quite a large berth from land in order to give ourselves good clearance of any hazards, but this also gave us quite a bit more large waves in the open sea, as well as a longer passage, but we made it fine into the harbour, despite the sun going down on us upon arrival - something we try to avoid as much as possible. As I mentioned earlier, THIS is where we meet the crew of Enfant Terrible for the first time on their elegant 50ft Hanse who we ended up tying up right next in the huge Marina Real, where many of it's 350 berths were vacant. Eivind, being the social bug he is, struck up a conversation with the captain, Martial, soon after arriving, while Sonja & I were separately down in the cabin dealing with our kids. We didn't end up meeting each other til later. Marina Real lies right in the Old Town, and is ideal also because it is very (!) secured from all wind directions, also because of the mile-long wave breaker for the Bay of Biscay. Monument for the Heroes of Orzan Beach: The boys saw an irresistible sand-mound to play on at Orzan beach where Orzan's Heroes is found - a monument dedicated to the dead policemen, the heroes, that died trying to save a drowning person on January 27, 2011. "Fuente de Los Surfistas" : the dual-sculpture abstract figures are surfing on a lake-like fountain, designed to honor the local surfing community. The bronze landmark is located near both Orzán and Riazor beaches, two popular nearby surf spots. Aquarium Finisterrae is a public interactive science center that opened in 1999 and is dedicated to wildlife preservation, particularly the sea ecosystem and sea life. They house more than three hundred marine species and four exhibition halls, including the Nautilus - a room submerged in a pool of more than five million litres of water where sea bass, sea bream and even sharks swim. The Tower of Hercules, one of the symbols of the city, is the world's oldest functioning lighthouse, dating back to Roman Hispania, and the seafront promenade is Europe's longest, a whopping 12 kilometres (7 miles), the UNESCO-listed ancient Roman lighthouse dating from the late 1st century A.D. Built on a 57-meter-high rock overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the lighthouse has been in continuous operation ever since and is the oldest lighthouse in the world still in use. It is 55 meters (180 ft) tall, which makes it Spain's second-tallest lighthouse. The whole site also features a sculpture garden, the massive statue of Breogán, rock carvings from the Iron Age and a Muslim cemetery. The Maritime Tower Control Center of A Coruña stands directly over a very long wave-breaker pier that offers protection from weather from the Bay of Biscay to it's many berths. After our unique bird-encounter, we end our bike-tour at the Obelisco Milenium. The Obelisco Milenium in A Coruña is known for several distinctive features: It was erected to mark the beginning of the 21st century. Standing at 46 meters tall, it is made of steel and 147 rock crystals imported from the Netherlands. The first 13 meters of the obelisk feature engravings that depict significant events and figures from A Coruña's history. At night, it is illuminated by 142 spotlights, creating a striking visual effect. Credits: MOVAVI SUITE 24 EPIDEMIC SOUND: PHOTO CREDITS: wikiwand.com Britannica cruiseeurope.com tripadvisor.com visitacity.com flickr.com El Comercio Thanks for watching! Blessings, ELANE Instagram: SailingELANE