Hello everyone! How are you doing? Hope everything is fine. For today's blog we will travel to Coruña, the city where I have lived since I started my studies. To begin I will tell you a little bit about this charming city.

Coruña is an Atlantic city in the region of Galicia, northwestern Spain. Here the sea, history, and everyday life intertwine naturally. The Romans were already here, leaving their mark with the Tower of Hercules built on a hill, which is the main subject of this blog. Coruña has a beautiful old town, urban beaches, and a seaside promenade where I often walk and watch people fishing, riding their bicycles, skates, running, or just walking like me and enjoying the breeze. It reminds me of Izmir. However the weather in Coruña is colder and windier, and the sea is wilder, that's the difference between the Atlantic and the Aegean. The food is wonderful, the people are friendly, and everything has that balance between the ancient and the everyday that makes it so special. But let’s talk about the tower.

The Tower of Hercules it's a lighthouse almost two thousand years old. It was built by the Romans in the I century CE, probably under emperor Trajan. It was renovated in the XVIII century by the italian engineer Eustaquio Giannini which gave it its current neoclassic appearance with its 55 meters of height. Surrounding the tower there is a huge park with sculptures, archaeological remains, and paths that lead you along cliffs and through breathtaking seascapes. One of the sculptures represents Breogan, a mythical celtic hero. He supposedly built a tower even before the Romans, and from its top, saw the coasts of Ireland. At least this is what the Leabhar Ghabhála Érenn book tells us. Another legend is that Hercules buried the head of the giant Gerion exactly where the tower now stands, after finishing one of his twelve famous works. 

It's amazing to think that the lighthouse has been working since it was first lit by some Romans. It’s the only active Roman lighthouse in the world, that is why it was declared a UNESCO world heritage site. I love to sit near the tower just to listen to the wind and the sea, and think about all it has seen over the centuries. Storms, naval battles, shipwrecks, and the passage of countless ships, probably some coming from Esmirna to Brigantium, the Roman name of Coruña. 

Hope you enjoyed my city. See you soon.