Lugo Roman Wall 12.9.25
We are now moving on after three nights in Vilalba and we are now heading east having largely been heading west until now. Our first stop today is the town of Lugo which is the only town to retain a complete encircling Roman wall. So once we are there we head to an easy to access section with ramps as one or two of our number are not as agile as once was the case.
Lugo Wall 12.9.25
The town is quite attractive and our meander back is enhanced by a visit to an excavation of Roman remains under the town centre.
Lugo Excavations 12.9.25
On our outward journey the route was along the coast with the Picos Mountains on our left hand side. Today, making use of the excellent roads, we actually head up and up and up and over the mountains seeing an entirely different countryside. Very green because of the rain but also very thinly populated as tehre are simply few people living in this area.
Once we drop down onto a plateau this is mainly grain and sunflower growing, no doubt getting good rainfall but again not that heavily inhabited about the towns we pass. Much of our route is tracked by the local rail network, however I cannot recall seeing many services so they cannot be particularly frequent.
Leon Cathedral 12.9.25
Our second stop is Leon and one of our party has checked the local Dotto service and we almost run down the hill to ensure we catch the last trip around the town before the long lunch time break – by the end of which our coach will be on its way. So we have a gentle trip around the town.
Parador de Leon 12.9.25
We did pass the above Parador which looks spectacular and I hope the inside lives up to the external promise – in itself it might be tempting to plot a return!
We then mosey back up the main drag and find a a quiet looking restaurant in a side street. We do not venture inside until we have eaten and find that it is actually quite busy. Nothing special – but a reasonable meal.
The rest of the day rather reminds me of why I am never overly keen on coach holidays as it is a long schlep to the final parador – Parador de Santo Domingo de la Calzada. I cannot blame the coach driver – he was driving along at all times at a decent speed – but there are some distances to cover on this trip.
Dinner this evening is a little awkward. The staff here are again overloaded or ill prepared. There are two dining rooms and it is not obvious that they are being treated equally as finding anyone in ours seems rare. One of our travellers is treated in what seems to be a rude manner and another demands that an apology should be offered – but I am not sure it crosses the language barrier but it leaves a sour taste. The underlying problem is that the paradors have clearly cut staff to the minimum and they are over worked.