Galicia to Lisbon: The Iberian Atlantic Coast
PART 5: SPAIN & PORTUGAL - ATLANTIC COAST
A CORUÑA, SPAIN (GALICIA) [QR-232]
Coordinates: 43°22'N, 8°24'W
Marina: Marina Coruña
Berth Cost: €40-65/night
Character: Galician city, Tower of Hercules (Roman lighthouse, oldest working lighthouse in world), seafood capital
You made it across Biscay!
Tower of Hercules [QR-233] - Roman lighthouse (1st century AD), still functioning, UNESCO. €3.
Provisioning: Excellent.
Dining:
Galician seafood is world-class.
🍴 Taberna A Maceta [QR-234]
- Traditional Galician, octopus
- €25-45
🍴 Casa Pardo [QR-235]
- Seafood, local fish
- €30-50
🍴 For percebes (goose barnacles):
Ask at fish markets, expensive but unique
Stay 2-3 nights
LISBON, PORTUGAL [QR-236]
Coordinates: 38°42'N, 9°07'W
Marina: Doca de Belém or Doca de Alcântara
Berth Cost: €40-70/night
Character: Age of Exploration capital, Fado music, custard tarts, hills, trams, beautiful
Lisbon is magic.
Seven hills, yellow trams, Atlantic light, melancholic Fado music in tascas (taverns), Portuguese golden age monuments.
This is where Portugal launched its empire (Brazil, Africa, Goa, Macau).
Major sights:
Belém Tower [QR-237] - 16th century, Manueline style, symbol of Age of Exploration. €6.
Jerónimos Monastery [QR-238] - Massive, UNESCO, Vasco da Gama buried here. €10.
Monument to the Discoveries [QR-239] - Caravel-shaped monument, explorers depicted, rooftop views. €6.
Alfama District [QR-240] - Old Moorish quarter, narrow streets, Fado houses, Castle of São Jorge.
Tram 28 [QR-241] - Iconic yellow tram through old town. €3.
Pastéis de Belém [QR-242] - Original custard tart bakery (since 1837). Try pastel de nata (custard tart) here. €1.50 each. Worth it.
Provisioning: Excellent—major city.
Repair facilities:
Marina de Cascais [QR-243] (nearby)
- Full service
- +351 21 482 4827
Dining:
Portuguese food is underrated.
🍴 Belcanto [QR-244]
- 2 Michelin stars
- Modern Portuguese
- €150-250
🍴 Ramiro [QR-245]
- Seafood, casual, legendary
- Prawns, crab, beer
- €40-70
🍴 Time Out Market [QR-246]
- Food hall, diverse, excellent
- €15-30
🍴 For bacalhau (salt cod):
Everywhere (365 recipes—"one for each day")
🍴 For grilled sardines:
Summer street festivals, or any tasca
Stay 4-6 days - Lisbon is unmissable.
⚔️ The Spanish Armada (1588): God Blew and They Were Scattered
A Fairy Tale of Overconfidence and Storms
It's 1588. King Philip II of Spain is the most powerful monarch in Europe. Spain controls:
- Most of the Americas (gold, silver pouring in)
- The Netherlands (sort of—Dutch are rebelling)
- Half of Italy
- Portugal (conquered 1580)
Philip decides: Time to invade England.
Why? England is Protestant (Spain is Catholic). England supports Dutch rebels. Queen Elizabeth I won't marry Philip (he tried). And England keeps raiding Spanish treasure ships.
The Plan:
Assemble the greatest fleet ever: 130 ships, 30,000 men (soldiers, sailors, priests). Sail to the English Channel. Pick up 30,000 more soldiers from the Netherlands (Duke of Parma's army). Invade England. Restore Catholicism. Easy.
They called it the "Invincible Armada" (Armada Invencible).
Spoiler: It wasn't.
What Went Wrong:
1. Ship Design:
Spanish ships: Galleons—tall, heavy, built for Mediterranean/calm seas, slow, hard to maneuver.
English ships: Galleons too, but smaller, faster, more maneuverable, better cannons.
The English had been building warships for decades. The Spanish built cargo ships and armed them.
2. Tactics:
Spanish plan: Get close, board enemy ships, fight hand-to-hand (traditional naval warfare).
English plan: Stay at range, use superior cannons, pound them from a distance.
The Spanish couldn't get close. English ships danced around them, firing broadsides.
3. Weather:
The Armada reached the English Channel. English harassed them but couldn't destroy them. The Spanish anchored off Calais (France) to wait for Parma's army.
English sent fire ships—old ships packed with explosives, set on fire, sailed into Spanish fleet.
Spanish panicked. Cut anchor cables. Scattered.
Then: The Battle of Gravelines. English pounded the Spanish for 8 hours. Spanish ammunition ran low. Ships damaged.
Then: The storms came.
The Armada tried to sail home by going around Scotland and Ireland (couldn't go back through the English Channel—English fleet blocked it).
Atlantic storms hit. Ships wrecked on Scottish and Irish coasts. Crews drowned. Survivors executed by locals (England's allies).
The Result:
- 130 ships left Spain
- ~65 ships returned
- 15,000+ men dead
Spain's naval dominance ended. England rose. The Spanish Armada became a cautionary tale: Don't invade England in bad weather.
The English medal:
"God blew and they were scattered" (Flavit Jehovah et dissipati sunt)
The lesson?
Ship design matters. Weather matters. Overconfidence kills. The Atlantic doesn't care about your plans.