The Galician Night Watching Top

Galicia’s northwestern coast has one of the highest rates of shipwrecks in Europe. The jagged Laxe granite reefs, sudden Nortadas (northern gales), and the absence of safe harbors earned the stretch from Malpica to Fisterra the name Costa da Morte . Before modern GPS and lighthouses (the first Roman lighthouse, the Torre de Hércules , still stands in A Coruña), local “night watchers” would climb to the highest croas (hilltops) to scan the black Atlantic.

: A guided night walk held during September's full moon. the galician night watching top

Galicians collect seven specific herbs (such as fennel, rosemary, and St. John’s Wort) and leave them in water overnight under the moonlight. Washing with this water the next morning is said to heal the body and soul. The Starlight Sanctuary Galicia’s northwestern coast has one of the highest

: A megalithic dolmen in Carballo with very low light pollution, perfect for seeing the Galactic core starting in April. : A guided night walk held during September's full moon

One October night, a thick, unnatural fog rolled in from the coast, swallowing the stars. This was the "Noite de Néboa," the night when the boundaries between the living and the spirit world grew thin. Brais found himself trapped on a high ridge with his flock, the sheep huddling together, their eyes wide with a primal fear. From the darkness came the rhythmic, haunting sound of the Santa Compaña