24 fantastic hours (in Vigo)

Life is a dream, and in my dream I was sitting on the beach at the end of October, eating a giant burger in good company, still trying to process the fact that I had finally seen my favorite Spanish band in concert. 

This pic doesn't do it justice

So in my dreamy life, we went to Vigo, a coastal city about 2 hours away, for the concert on Saturday. En route we drove through the scenic Ribeira Sacra, which has vineyards lining the hillsides of the Río Miño. Last time we were there, it was December so it was all dead. Now that it's autumn, the leaves were lovely shades of green, orange, and red.

It says "AMA" --love!

The concert was at 10 PM. No openers, just pure Extremoduro. The place was packed, but we dared to move forward. Well, not the first few rows, but more than halfway up. As I told my friend, "So much smoke. So many people. So much excitement. I forget how to breathe." The concert finally started at 10:30, because fans were still coming in. They played straight til midnight, then had a 20 minute break, to return until 2 AM. That's THREE HOURS of concert! Holy Toledo!!! They played some of my favorites, but even with 3 hours they couldn't fit in some other classics. The ones I didn't know were likely from their newest album which I haven't listened to. Anyways, it was a magnificent experience, hearing the band, and singing along with +/-2000 other people. Afterwards, we ended up waiting 1.5 hours for the free buses back to the city. But it was worth the wait, because just before our bus came, a van with tinted windows stopped in front of about 30 fans. One guy went up to it and peeked in, and it was Extremoduro inside!! They waved/hit the window. La vida es sueño, ya te lo dije.

Sunday we woke up late and took burgers to the beach. Diego has been talking about this burger place since last year, and the result was good, huge, and cheap just as promised. It was a beautiful day, probably around 80* in the sun. The water was too cold to swim, but nice for dipping your toes in. The lack of a beach is really Lugo's main drawback. After a few hours on the beach it was time to head back home. But we left feeling that we sure did 24 hours the right way.

Islas Cíes in the background--a trip for another weekend

Taking advantage of global warming

The weather has been summery lately, thereby filling the terrazas and plazas until the sun goes down. Sunday Lauren and I took advantage of the sunshine on a 12 km hike going from a town in Asturias to another in Galicia. The "railroad route" took us through several tunnels. Unlit tunnels, might I add. We came unprepared, so Lauren downloaded a flashlight app to calm our fears. Thank you, modern technology! Nonetheless we did run hand-in-hand through the first tunnel, and sang songs/talked loudly through the rest. But the tunnels made it an experience! The rest was mostly flat walking with some wooded hills for a backdrop. Aside from being in nature, I enjoy hiking because of the camaraderie--hikers almost always greet other hikers. You know you've reached the town when passersby just look at you rather than saying "Hola!" In our destination town A Pontenova, we checked out huge furnaces used back in the mining days.

In school, most of my students are on strike again. So the few that actually come are getting some fun, personal English practice. For example in one class we played a board game and read horoscopes. In gym class there were only 2 girls, so when the teacher left for a minute, I suggested we try out the stilts. When the teacher came back and saw us having a gay old time, she decided to bring out the 18-inch stilts that you actually tape to your feet/calves. Only one student dared to do it, so I tried, too. I was pretty good at at,  and even managed to walk a short distance without holding on to someone. A new hidden talent?!

Then there is the youngest group that is obsessed with proving that I speak Spanish. A couple of students will stay back to observe me with teachers of other subjects, who I obviously speak in Spanish with. Then in class they yell (in Galician) "She speaks Spanish! She spoke Spanish yesterday, and with a good accent!" And I say "No, I only speak English." It took them a few minutes, but they finally made the connection that yes, I am replying to what they've said in Galician, so clearly I understand them. Also they never made the connection that when I explain a word in English, and then they confirm it in Spanish, I clearly know some Spanish translations. Haha, oh youth!

San Froilán: Se acabó

The weeklong Lugo festival is now over, so things are about too seem very quiet around here. Sunday morning I arrived home later than my roommate--approximately 8:30 AM. One goal accomplished for the year. There were some good concerts this year, but I did miss Os Heredeiros, La Pegatina, and Love of Lesbian from last year. We did get to see a pretty good rock concert, but it wasn't free: Costas, Rosendo, and Los Suaves, before San Froilán technically began. This year Buena Vista Social Club performed as one of the 'big names.' In other concert news, I finally convinced someone to go to EXTREMODURO with me in two weeks. Toma!

Aside from the never-ending (until last night) festivities, school has gotten off to a great start. It's nice knowing most of the students already. In one class, they've clapped for me both times I've had class with them! And the new students seem fun. For example the new class of 1* ESO seems younger than the group last year, and they are so precious! They all say hello to me, and debate about the pronunciation of my name with "rr" which sounds different in English than it does in Spanish. Last week some even hugged me! Or the new kids in 1*BAC (sophomore/junior age) make the class huge but a good time. Here's hoping the first two weeks are a sign of things to come.

Oh and here's a random picture of us with the mayor. He stopped us as we were checking out some San Froilán food/craft tents and told us to stop by if we ever have morriña (homesickness). Kind of a big deal? But you know how politicians are. He was later ousted for corruption, so...