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Bob's Workshop
Bob can make a workbench out of any place – a bench or even the electrical outlet post at the marina. This time the job he was working on was fixing our windlass. It took on a major transformation after he was done scraping and painting it. May 7 - May 14, 2013
We seem to have accomplished quite a bit in our first week in Spain. Unfortunately one of the things we have not done well is not transition to Spanish! We seem to say our greetings easily in Portuguese so we have to stop and think before speaking to be sure we change over to Spanish. Fortunately Cangas is located in Galicia, an autonomous community in Spain which historically also had its own language, Galician. It is a language closely related to Portuguese and had declined in use over the years. Since the re-establishment of democracy in Spain in 1983 there has been a re-surrence of its use with a generation that has attended Galician speaking schools. This has been good for us as people can understand the Portuguese we do say. Hopefully the Spanish will filter in soon as we will definitely need it more as we head north and way from the the Galicia area.
Cangas has been a wonderful stop for us. We found two very good chandleries within easy walking distance. This meant that Bob could pull apart the windlass to diagnosis the problem. It looked as if the motor
The Marina in Cangas
We have been pleased with our stay in the marina at Club Nautico Rodeira in Cangas. needed to be replaced. A call to the company confirmed that we could buy just the motor and the local shop was able to order it. To our pleasant surprise the order went in on Friday morning and we had the part by 11AM on Saturday. That is service! Bob had hoped to get the rest of the windlass sandblasted and painted but we could not find anyone to do that, so the scraper came out and Bob did the job himself. He hooked up the motor yesterday and unfortunately the windlass still didn’t work so back to the drawing board. He felt that there were a few electrical connections that seemed to be suspect and fortunately that was the case. The weather has cooperated as well so work has continued and it appears that he will be able to get it installed tomorrow as he has to wait for the caulk to cure so too late tonight. Update – he got it caulked and installed and everything is working well – success!! Bob says he now needs the title of Chief Engineer and I gladly bestow that on him.
In the meantime we also have taken in a
Friday is Market Day
Friday is market day in Cangas – the fish market, the flower market and the gypsy market were busy with lots of vendors and shoppers. It made us wonder who was still at work on Friday! few of the sights. Janice always hits the information bureaus for details on what is in the area and we found that market day is Friday. As you may have guessed if you have been following our blog at all, we enjoy the market so took off time to go. It was a combination of fish market, fresh flowers, sausages, homemade cheeses, fruits and vegetables. This market also included the gypsy market where clothes, rugs, thread, wallets and anything else you might need are sold. We needed a replacement rug so was able to find one that we will adapt to fit our area. Samples of cheese and sausage were handed out so had to support that vendor as well with a purchase. No wonder we enjoy market days – good thing they are not every day!
Sunday promised to be a nice day so we took the day to explore Isla de Cies, one of the archipelagos’s which make up the Atlantic Island National Park. A 16 euro ($21) round trip ferry ride is all it takes to get out to this fabulous island directly from Cangas. We would have loved to take our boat out there but
To Look Like the Old
Many of the buildings are made to fit in with the old – this one happens to have a date of 2002 on it, but blends in nicely. you have to apply for a permit to anchor and we understand it can take up to 2 weeks to get it. The ferry fit the bill for getting there and we didn’t have to take the dinghy off the deck to go to shore. Life is good. This particular archipelago consists of 3 islands. The ferry takes you to Isla Norte o de Monteagudo which is connected by a small dam to Isla del Medio o del Faro. The 3
rd island of Isla Sur o de San Martino can only be reached by private boat. Campgrounds are located in the park and we found that they were well used the weekend we were there. The ferries only go out on the weekends now but they will add other days to their schedule when it warms up more. We were glad to be here at this time as there were already quite a few people on the island when we visited. We can’t imagine what it must be like in the summer with people coming out to the park. It is nice to see the facilities being used.
One of the most impressive things you notice right away is
Lots of Ferns, Lots of Moisture
The Rias of Spain are known for being green – the amount of ferns growing here is proof that there is lots of moisture here. Fortunately for us this week has been dry. the beautiful, white sand beaches. There are 9 beaches on this island alone and they are proud of the fact that one of them was named “best beach in the world” by the British newspaper “The Guardian”. The island also is home to a breeding colony of yellow-footed seagull and the common shag. They have set up observatories to be able to view these birds nesting along the cliffs of the island. The island has 4 marked hiking trails to see the variety that the island offers. We were able to complete 2 of the routes during our time on the island. We enjoyed the scent of the eucalyptus forest, seeing the scrub pine forest, visiting the bird observatory and one of the lighthouses. One of the viewpoints allows you to see both sides of the island, the sheltered leeward side with its white beaches and the wilder Atlantic side with its crashing waves. If you find yourself in the area, you need to be sure to put this on your itinerary of places to visit.
In the evenings we have been taking walks around town which help us get oriented to the area as well as help us
A Nice Bike Path
There is a nice bike path around the waterfront here in Cangas. to stretch our legs. One evening took us to the now empty Masso cannery. It is quite an impressive complex and it is clear to see that it was more than a cannery. In checking on the history of the place we found that the Masso family had been in the cannery business in a nearby location since the 19
th century. With a growth in sales by providing for the army during the civil war, In 1941 they opened another plant here in Cangas but unfortunately closed in 1996. The building structure itself showed improvements from the past by using reinforced concrete and steel. They even included a clock tower with the name of the plant in modern blue font which still remains today. The Masso family was quite progressive in their thinking as they not only provided a place to work, but they also had a daycare for the children of their workers and housing for employees. This complex housed not only the fish cannery, but also a flour mill, packaging plant, mechanical shop for repairs, boatyard for the maintenance of the fishing fleet. It is a shame to see such an impressive place abandoned and going to ruin.
Nice Plantings
Flowers and flowering trees line the streets in Cangas. Nearby the whale processing plant was also abandoned leaving a large hole in the waterfront area of this community.
The marina is conveniently located in town within walking distance of 3 grocery stores which allows us to have fresh bread every day. We have not made it to a restaurant for dinner yet but will have to try as we understand the area is known for its mussels and seafood. Fortunately for us we plan on staying longer. Even though the windlass is now fixed, we have talked to many and they have told us we should not leave this area without taking a train trip to Santiago. We also want to explore the town of Vigo across the river. We needed some pilot books (guidebooks) of various areas that we are missing so ordered them from the UK –we should get them sometime next week so definitely have to be here to pick those up. As I knew we would be taking lots more photos on these day trips that we will be taking, figured it would be best to get this posted so you can see what we have been up to this week.
We have
A Working Sawmill
This sawmill is located right in the middle of town here – guess it has been around much longer than the more modern buildings surrounding it – nice to see that it was left intact and is still a working mill. decided to keep moving north, but at a slow pace. We want to stop to see various places on the way north and figure we will not be coming back this way again. We have not set a timetable for our travels north, but will probably be moving sometime next week, weather permitting. Will keep in touch as best we can as we continue our journey.
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Madeline
non-member comment
It looks almost Caribbean there! Beautiful beaches and great markets. Wish we were there to enjoy it with you - or, wish you were still here to enjoy the beaches and markets with us! It's great to see what you're seeing - keep up the great blogs.