OUR WAY

 5th Jun 2025

Rest & relaxation - Spain

Cíes Island - a beach day

You’d think it would be simple - ten days to do whatever we want, go wherever a train or bus from Santiago de Compostela will take us. Just make a decision and go.

So we decided to head to the beach at Albufeira in southern Portugal. Then we decided it was too far and switched plans to explore the rugged Galician coastline. Then we checked the weather - sunshine down south, so Portugal was back on. Almost booked a Ryanair flight to Faro, then noticed their cabin baggage allowance is smaller than EasyJet’s - our bags wouldn’t fit. Fine, train instead. Or maybe a bus. No, journey’s too long. Back to Galicia. This time a different stretch of coast. No public transport there - ok, rent a car. But wait, no supermarkets nearby and we’re self-catering. So another change of plan to somewhere accessible by public transport. Cue hours lost looking up accommodation, checking dates, prices, locations - then scrapping it all and starting again. Flights to Spanish islands, trains inland - all considered and rejected. An entire rest day consumed by dithering, and we finally manage to plan just three days. We’ll need another rest day to figure out the rest.

We booked the 9:45am bus from Finisterra back to Santiago de Compostela - three hours according to the ticket - an hour and a quarter in reality. Then a one-hour stopover - now three hours as the bus arived early. We rebook our trains tickets to Vigo, Spain’s biggest port city. Exciting, in theory.

Cíes Island

The plan is to visit Playa de Rodas, a beautiful beach on the Cíes Islands national park. The Guardian once named it the best beach in the world back in 2007, so we’re curious. Train booked, apartment booked. Next, book the boat to paradise. The national park limits daily visitors, so you first need a permit - simple form filling online. Only then can you book a boat using your permit number. We do all that, only to find the boat’s fully booked. Now we have to wait two hours for the unused permit to expire before applying for a new one and trying again for a different day.

The train journey to Vigo was straightforward. Reserved seats, air conditioning, peaceful. The new station is built underground with a massive shopping centre above. We couldn’t check into our apartment until mid-afternoon, so we had lunch and wandered up Vigo’s steep streets. Eventually checked in, did a supermarket shop, and finally stopped to rest - we have, after all, walked 800 km.

Next morning started with a trip to the hardware shop for wood glue to repair a drawer that fell apart in Gaby’s hands - like to leave places better than we find them. Then we took the 15B bus to a local beach for a swim. Well, a paddle. The water hasn’t warmed up since Gaby’s last attempt. Spent the afternoon exploring the city, including the outdoor escalators. Vigo’s escalators and lifts are part of “Vigo Vertical,” a public system helping people navigate the steep hills. It’s free, reduces car use, and blends into the rhythm of the city.

Street escalators - ideal for weary walkers

A street lift - The Halo, 50m tall

I even put my feet in the sea!

The evening followed a familiar pattern - trying to decide where to go and where to stay next.

The following morning, we caught the 11am boat with Piratas de Nabia to the Cíes Islands. The boat was full of noisy schoolchildren on the lower deck, so we escaped to the top deck hoping for peace and a sea breeze. We got the breeze - and loud music from two giant speakers. No safety briefing, just tunes. If the boat had gone down, at least we’d have gone down dancing.

It was overcast when we left but sunny by the time we arrived. The water was clear, and we’d already agreed not to just lie on the beach all day and do nothing. We walked to a lighthouse first - it wasn’t as far as we’d expected - then returned and did exactly what we said we wouldn’t: sat on the beach and did nothing. Or rather, three beaches. The last boat back left us in Vigo at 7pm. We cooked dinner and relaxed, already looking ahead to tomorrow’s train journey into Portugal.

Sunset from our Vigo apartment