A walk along the Getxo coast: La Galea

Life is always a formidable adventure, and the journey, full of alternatives, circumstances, picturesque charm, and unbridled emotions, directs our steps toward those spectacular places on the northern coast of Spain, where the sea and cliffs immediately seduce us with their imposing beauty.

The Bay of Biscay welcomes us on the Getxo coast with paths that, as soon as we set foot on them, inevitably invite us to stroll, contemplate, and above all, reflect, our temples caressed by a wind that, unlike in winter, is now gentle and soothing.

We are in La Galea, the entrance to the so-called Nervión estuary, and from where, looking into the distance and ignoring the ugly attack on the natural surroundings of the windmills, ideal, however, for distorting any landscape worth its salt, we can also contemplate the coasts of the neighboring Community of Cantabria.

Indeed, in front of us, sharing those wild waters, which, now calm and affected by the sunlight, produce a magnetic siren song in our gaze, we have another of the main ports of the Cantabrian Sea, whose media-friendly idiosyncrasy we have already visited on previous occasions: Castro Urdiales, the ancient Roman city of Flablióbriga.

We also see, on our authentic tour, the welcome golden sand beaches, which serve as an amphitheater for that metaphorical and immense natural pool, which will soon attract the attention of countless bathers. For much of the year, they also welcome practitioners of a sport that increasingly attracts more interest and motivation, as surfing is an extraordinary adventure to ride the waves.

There are still a few hours to go until noon, and we can already see numerous athletes, authentic wave cowboys, metaphorically and comparatively speaking, taking advantage of the weekend hangover to dance on waves that are beginning to cooperate, rearing up like a brave bull accepting the challenge of a bullfighter's cape.

We leave behind the festive splashing of these sea riders and continue our morning stroll, where Neolithic sailors already set traps for hake and cod and where the patience of the water left sculptures of abstract naturalness all along the coast, we reach the vicinity where one of the historical elements of this picturesque coastline stands: the fort and lighthouse of La Galea.

Built in the 18th century on the site of an old 16th-century citadel for military purposes and now completely unused, the solidity of the walls is nonetheless surprising, crafted with the skill of a time when the mason's trade was a true demonstration of craftsmanship, where, in addition to ensuring unchanging solidity, no detail was left to chance.

Like many others along the length and breadth of Spain's roads, this fort also saw the flag of Napoleon's French armies raised from its parade ground and its famous towers.

The French army encamped there during the Peninsular War, and it experienced the effects of English naval artillery, which, back in 1827, was the most powerful in the world.

La Galea, therefore, in addition to being a symbol, is also one of those special places where hiking, beauty, adventure, and echoes of the past undoubtedly invite you to let yourself go, to come into contact with alternative realities, and above all, to ensure that, in the end, the trip continues to be an extraordinary force for awakening sensibilities.

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