Beach of the Cathedrals
Today is August 16: it is the festival of the Cocos and big heads, which pay homage to San Roque and run through the main streets of Ribadeo to the beat of music, dances, huge dolls and, of course, seafood delicacies.
We are in the center of the town, very close to the busiest 'temple' on Calle San Francisco, the Villaronta (Casa Villaronta, actually. San Francisco, 9), where hordes of parishioners congregate every day, more than for redeem oneself, to sin. of gluttony The fault lies with its octopus, which since it opened this small place has had a reputation for being the best in Ribadeo . There are several places to eat it very rich, sometimes better, and sometimes worse, but here it never fails. That is his secret. Ribadenses know it. And better-informed visitors, too, which is why **better go first thing in the morning (before 8pm) or last thing (after 11pm)** if you don't want to wait in huge queues. The portions of octopus a feira are worth 10 euros (you have to ask for the cachelos separately), although they cannot be left aside either the finely battered squid and the Padrón peppers. For dessert: cheeses with quince and coffee liqueur.
Also with religious reminiscences in its name and also famous for its octopus is the restaurant San Miguel , but here the octopod is served accompanied with clams and baked potatoes.
Our gastronomic via crucis now leads us to Rinlo , seven kilometers from Ribadeo, a tiny picturesque town with many centuries of history where barely 150 people live in their tightrope walkers' houses on cliffs. One day it was a whaling port and it preserves the second oldest brotherhood in Spain. Its seafood has no competitors: lobsters, spider crabs, barnacles and lobsters, with which rice is made ( 30 euros for two; only on request ) who has made you a referral in the area. While the main course arrives, you can fool your hunger with its delicious squid. Of course, again, it is important to anticipate the rest of the well-informed and book early.
The lighthouse of Ribadeo
Dessert time: the Santa Clara Monastery (13th century) is the next stop. What the dozen cloistered nuns who inhabit it prepare here has no competitor: Mille-feuille with cream and (only if you have a plug), San Honoré cake , a sweet of French origin made with profiteroles, almonds, hazelnut cream, puff pastry, cream and caramel or chocolate. Unfortunately it is closed in August; however, those with a sweet tooth can quench their sugar cravings at Candelaria , a pastry shop whose name alludes to the patron saint of the Canary Islands, where its owner is from. His specialty is a doubly pious sweet, the Santiago cake in the shape of a scallop , in addition to the 'chocolate soles', a kind of palm trees that, for better or worse, are irresistible. Their pastelones de bonito, a kind of puff pastry empanadas, are also typical.
The spirit feeds on the viewpoint of Santa Cruz , next to a little chapel and with views of the Ribadeo estuary, or at the Mirador de la Atalaya, between the marina and the yacht club, a wonderful place, the latter, to have a glass of wine at sunset with views of Castropol.
Every route in Ribadeo must end in the same place: the Beach of the cathedrals. Older people know it as Augas Santas, as it was called when hardly anyone dropped by, long before Calvo Sotelo's photos appeared in Hola, and the beach and the name "Las Catedrales" began to gain popularity. . Corridors, cliffs and incredible rock formations draw this natural monument. To visit it, like the masses, you have to pay attention to its schedules, its tides, so as not to miss the walk between its naves, its arches and its little stone chapels. Surely in this cathedral there are more parishioners than you expected to find , but it has long since ceased to be a secret place. And that has to be paid for.
Beach of the Cathedrals, Ribadeo