The Beautiful Sites in Spain - My Column - July 27, 2012

Day nine of our transatlantic cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse was to bring us to the port of Cobh, (pronounced Cove), Ireland. On the eve of day seven, our captain announced that a bad storm was stirring with 26 foot seas off the coast so arrangements were made to re-direct our stop to La Coruña, Spain. Smart man, I didn’t want to put my life boat skills or my air sickness bag into play. With those seas we would really rock and roll. My husband and I took the attitude that it was another country to see but many were disappointed as that was the only stop in Ireland. My husband had planned to fly to Ireland after the cruise ended in England, so I was happy. As I woke up on day nine, the ship was docking and I could see the lights of the city. The captain had informed us that it was a national holiday, Labour Day, in the port so shopping, etc. would be limited. We disembarked and began walking the streets which seemed deserted. We found a beautiful church, San Jorge, went in and lit a candle at the statue of Jesus with the Sacred Heart for our fathers and for our Sacred Heart church in Homestead. You’ll note on our trip that we visited churches wherever we went. Just saying, I want God to recognize me when I get to those pearly gates. As time passed, the streets slowly came alive and I was able to snag free internet and a few souvenirs - don’t get me wrong - I paid for the souvenirs, remember, I want to go up. Little alleys were filled with shops and it seemed to me that many families came out just to walk the town. We saw booths being set up and later ran into a band of protesters as evidently, this is the day in Europe when the people air their gripes about the government. Gee, we do that every day! We also saw a booth where a woman was boiling octopus, slicing it and serving it with olive oil, a local delicacy. Although I like to taste the local cuisine, I passed on that one. Later in the day, we did taste the local cuisine as we sampled a soup with the biggest white beans I have ever seen. The soup also had chorizo (sausage) and morsilla (a blood sausage) in it and it was delicious. Of course, that was accompanied by wine and the local beer (I said you had to sample the local cuisine - beverages included). The day ended with a street person serenading me with his violin, all the while grinning with no teeth. What more could I ask for? So far, the cruise was so restful and the ports enjoyable. Our day in La Coruña was very nice. Next stop, qui qui, Paris!