Our Way Walking The Camino: Exploring Park to Park in Santiago de Compostela

Deb and I are going to take the local bus, to the train station, to head to Madrid a few days before our flight home. I wanted to find our way and our proper bus today so we know exactly what we are doing when we leave.
So....yes indeed we have it figured out. But it isn't raining and we have no plans....so off on adventure we go.
Unfortunately, I didn't think I would need my camera to find the bus stop....BIG MISTAKE...but I do have my iPhone. These pictures are not the best, but they give an idea of how beautiful it was this day.

The photo doesn't really show how far down these stairs go! Trust me when I say it was a long way down.
We are checking out a park that is only a 5 minute walk from our Airbnb and we still haven't walked through it. I believe it is Parque de Pablo Iglesias.
Today is the day...quite an impromptu move...but the sun is actually shining so we are breathing in the air and feeling the warmth of the sun as we explore more Green Space in Santiago de Compostela.

Moss covered trees.

This month of November in this city, the precipitation is approximately 197 cm of rain! That is 77 inches!!!!

Every day there is fog and some amount of precipitation.

Thus the moss, the vibrant green, and the vegetation that just keeps on producing.

The Sweet Gum Ball Tree drops these 'spiky' pods. The tree and leaves (above and below) look like Maple trees leaves.

These trees can grow to 75 feet tall with a huge spreading canopy.

From the 16th Century to today, the resin from these spiky pod seeds, sweeten and flavour tobacco.

The other amazing property in these interesting pods is shikamic acid which is the main ingredient in the production of Tamiflu. An antiviral medication to treat or prevent Influenza A & B.

It is all over the ground here in this park.

I love the way the sun glistens through the moss and vines that embrace this tree.

A lovely woman, I met in another park, shared with me that you can literally walk from park to park following the river in this city? We accidentally came upon this manmade water way and we have decided to follow it and see where it leads.

A few overgrown steps....where do they go?

I walked up and they actually end at the top with a view of a green field.

It is the Parque de Fermin Bouza Brey.

There you go.

The fruits of the vines that engulf all that they are climbing on.

Crossing over the water....as it is the only way to go...to see where this leads.

An ancient stone wall......

......that directs us to another park....

Mass of green coverage along this ancient wall and the gate to the Parque de Xixon.

A welcoming gate to Parque de Xixon.

Holly grows quite free, wild and proliferates here in the city.

And the same park....with many flowering rose type trees.

As my niece Ashley says, this looks like 'The Secret Garden.'

Stunning greenery.

This is the other side of that same 'Secret Garden' gate to the park.

We have hit the Jackpot!!!

The water ends at this beautiful pond with a multitude of different birds habituating here.

The Estanque Parque da Musica en Compostela.

(The Pond Park of Music in Compostela)

When this man starting throwing bird food into the water, there wasn't a bird around.

All of a sudden, all the birds, geese and ducks, that were on the shore to his left, started squawking loudly. Then, one by one, in a line, in a row, they left the embankment and went into the water and made a b-line to him.

I have video of it.

Check it out on Facebook if you like.

We are now in the area of the University of Santiago de Compostela.

The University attracts 3,000 International students every year to study here in this beautiful city.

Very important to note: this city has one of the lowest crime rates in all of Europe with the highest public security.

It is the only university in the world to be part of three UNESCO's world heritage sites: the city of Santiago, the Roman Walls of Lugo, and the Way of Saint James. Pretty impressive to say the least.