For our last full day in Santiago, we had the choice of spending the day in town or taking an optional tour to Pontevedra and Combarro, which is what we chose.

Both towns are in Galicia, an autonomous community of Spain located in the northwest Iberian Peninsula that is equivalent in size to the state of Massachusetts. 

Galicians consider themselves (unofficially) to be a Celtic nation and think of themselves more as Galicians rather than Spanish.  They have their own distinct customs and culture; and, although they have their own language, only 17% speak it with each other.

Pontevedra is a small, riverside city in northwest Spain known for its well-preserved old town.  It is also a stop along the Portuguese Way.  We took a walking tour of the old quarter and visited the city market.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Next, we visited Combarro, a small fishing village famous for its hórreos, traditional stone grain stores on stilts.  This village is one of the only towns in the region to feature this kind of stonework, and I found it to be unique and charming.

Following our walking tour, we enjoyed lunch at a seafood restaurant that specialized in Galician fish stew, which is different from Spanish seafood paella, the specialty of southern Spain.  It was delicious!

Unfortunately, the cloudy skies weren’t the best for photography, but here are a few scenes photographed in the village:

Coming up next: SOUTHWEST FRANCE, NORTHERN SPAIN & PORTUGAL #20: WALKING THE CAMINO PORTUGUÉS & GORGEOUS GUIMARÃES