Growing up, I lived in a house that looked out to sea. During those first ten years of my life, sand and salt water always found their way into our living room via flip-flops, damp swim suits and goggles. Sunny days always equated to beach days without a second thought, and the seashore was our backyard. I miss it often, and even though the other half of my days have been spent in a big city, I still get those sudden pangs of yearning for the ocean.
So last weekend I escaped for three days to a small fishing town on the northern, Galician coast of Spain. Arriving at sunrise, I opened my eyes to a distant view of the ocean, peeking through the windshield… And it felt like coming home.

I rode into the province of A Coruña early on Friday morning, after a nine-hour night bus from Madrid. Having booked this trip at the very last minute (at least when a bank holiday weekend is concerned), there were no longer any available train tickets, and affordable flights were out of the question. So, night-bus it was, and boy was it worth it. The town of O Pindo awaited at the bottom of a windy, coastal road, in between Finisterre and Muros. With nothing but a few bed and breakfasts, local grocery store and handful of small-town bars, there was not a tour bus or all-inclusive hotel in sight. A true getaway, if you ask me!
The days were long and slow, and time was spent among family and friends, reading on the beach, braving the ice cold water, walking by the port and around the bay, and savouring the local flavours of seared octopus and clams. One evening we ventured over to the neighbouring town of Cée for their summer fair and open-air concert. At midnight we watched the fireworks from the beach: one of the longest, most elaborate fireworks displays I have ever seen (it might even trump Paris!).

The next day was more of the same, except for a late afternoon walk up to the nearby waterfalls. O Pindo has its very own version of Mount Olympus, and water flows from these mountain streams directly into the sea. Our B&B looked up to the mountain in the back, and out to sea in the front, with nothing but the single road running through town separating us from the ocean. Some may prefer cocktails brought to them as they lie on a deck chair, two steps away from an exclusive resort. But not me… I’d go back to you, O Pindo, any time.