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Published: June 11th 2013
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In Honor of the Lace Makers
Camarinas is known for its lacemaking. This statute is dedicated to the numerous lace makers in this area. As we continue to move north up the coast of Spain toward the Bay of Biscay we have taken the opportunity to stop and wait out the worst weather. Camarinas is just such a harbor. It is located in a beautiful area of the northwest part of Spain. The coast here is very rugged and has over the centuries become known as Costa da Morte (Coast of Death), Yes, we know not the most pleasant name, but apparently well earned through history. The village here is quite small and a bit of a surprise. It is not what you typically expect of Spain as far as architecture. The assumption is that all of the houses would be made of red tiled roofs and white painted walls. This is true in southern Spain, but definitely not here in the heart of Galician Spain. The buildings here look similar to what we’ve seen in Germany or Switzerland. With the land being very hilly, the homes tend to be multi-story with the ground floor being used for storing fishing equipment. The roofs are clay tile, but they commonly have dormers that are quite different from what we’ve seen in other parts of the Iberian
Sunset from the Cape Vilan Lighthouse
We got up to the lighthouse just in time to catch this beautiful sunset. Peninsula. Even though most people speak Spanish, Galician, a language similar in sound and structure to Portuguese is quite common. The main focus here is on fishing for the men and lace making for the women.
While in a café the other night we met a man, Joe, who spoke quite good English. He told us of a few places we should be sure to visit while in the area. He then decided to drive us out to the nearby lighthouse which his grandfather was the engineer for. We got to the Cape Vilan lighthouse just as the sun was setting – what a beautiful sight. The wind was strong out of the northwest and the waves were crashing on the rock creating a spectacular scene. There has been a lighthouse on this point since Roman times – part of it still remains. The Camarinas coast has been the site of more than 20 shipwrecks over the years. In 1890 the British vessel, “The Serpent” sank with only 3 survivors out of 175 crew-members. The fire (which provided the light) had gone out in the Roman lighthouse. The way the system was set up, a fire was built under
A Generous Local
Joe was very gracious is driving us out to see the wind farm, fish farm and lighthouse one evening. What a nice bonus of meeting him. a pile of coal; the gas produced by this was then ignited and provided the light. As a result of this accident it was decided to construct the present Vilan Lighthouse (1890-1896). It was the first lighthouse to be powered by electricity in Spain. It is 25 meters high (82 ft.) and sits on a 105 meter (344 ft.) high rocky outcrop. The light can be seen for 25-30 nautical miles. It is quite unusual in that it is one of the few lighthouses where the tower and the light keeper’s dwelling are separate. They are linked by a tunnel (above ground) which hopefully you can see in the photo. Not only is the coast very rugged, but many of those rocks extend far out into the ocean. As a result of this we have been keeping a very safe distance, 3 to 5 nautical miles off the coast line and for the most part only travel during daylight.
On our way to the lighthouse Joe took us through the nearby wind farm. There are 13 turbines here with 16,900 kW of output per turbine. We have seen wind turbines before, but these were enormous. We stood directly under
A Need for a Lighthouse Since Roman Times
The lighthouse on the left is what remains of the one built in Roman times, the one on the right is the present day one opened in 1901. one and were surprised by how quiet it was – with the wind blowing we couldn’t even hear it moving. This region of Spain, Galicia has a total of 4,078 turbines and the overall production capacity in Spain from wind is 21,673 MW (this is Janice’s part of the blog, if you couldn’t guess). This is an increase from the year 2000 from only 2,535 MW. In the world Spain is only behind China, US and Germany in the amount of power produced from wind.
We saw where the Stolt Sea Farm is located in Camarinas, close to the Cape Vilan lighthouse. It is the world largest fish farm which produces flatfish and represents an investment of 17 million euro. They have fish farms located in France, Spain, Portugal and Norway. They also have 4 plants in the US for caviar production.
The women of Camarinas are very involved in lacemaking – you can visit many shops selling a wide variety of lace items including table clothes, baptismal outfits, collars to add to your outfit, and fans decorated with lace among others. Camarinas bobbin lace is known throughout the world and has been produced here since the early
A Reason for Lighthouses
One of the many reasons the lighthouse is needed in this area. 1800’s. Lace first came to this area through a variety of means – sailors from other countries, soldiers, and pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. There are an estimated 3,500 lace makers (palilleiras) in this area. Many use the ancient designs that have been handed down, while others have developed new designs to be used in the textile industry. Janice made it to the lace museum while here and was able to see some of the lace that had been used in wedding gowns in the 1800’s and saw examples of the new and the old bobbin lace that have been produced in this area. While visiting some of the shops she also had the opportunity to observe women actually making the lace. The speed at which they move the bobbins is amazing. We will put up a short clip of it for you to see on YouTube in a day or two (search for Janice Waller) The lace itself is incredibly delicate and detailed.
The marina in Camarinas is quite small which is nice in that you get to know your neighbors. Surprisingly we pulled in next to our friends, Toni and Chris on Gazelle that we had
Lighthouse View
Views as seen from the Cape Vilan Lighthouse here in Camarinas. moved up the coast of Portugal with. It was nice to re-connect with them again. While at the marina we were able to pick up lots of great information on various areas to visit when we get to Brittany and the UK and to share some of our information with others that were heading south. One night we had a great pot-luck dinner that was initiated by Cynthia, a Canadian cruiser. We had a great time getting to know each other better and enjoyed a great feast. It was an international mix of people from Germany, Canada, the Isle of Wight (UK), Scotland, Brittany (France) and us.
The area is a great one for hiking. One day we took a hike up to one of the wind farms and then on to the Balea Beach. It was a great opportunity to stretch our legs and get a little exercise with a bonus of spectacular views. Everywhere you looked there are wildflowers in an incredible assortment of colors. We were sorry we didn’t get time to do more of the longer hikes in this area, but it was time to move on. With our heading in a northerly direction you
Fish Farm
A view of the Stolt Fish Farm located in Camarinas that is producing sole. They have 6 farms in Spain, and 1 in each in the following: Norway, France and Portugal. They also have 4 plants for caviar in the US. need to take advantage of the weather when you can as normally the wind is from the north. We said good-bye to our new found friends and left with light winds headed to A Coruna. We made it in better time than we had thought and fortunately made it into port a few hours before the winds picked up and the rains came. It was one of the first times we were able to sail the entire trip. Looks like we will have a few days to explore another new town before moving on again.
We have been in A Coruna now for a week and it appears that we will be staying longer. We have seen quite a bit already and will be taking a train trip to Lugo tomorrow so will save this for another blog entry. Hope your weather is getting more like summer wherever you are - we did actually wear shorts for 2 days while in Camarinas so there is hope for us as well!
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