Domingueiros, Dominguieras (Sunday Drivers)

Sundays without plans are a perfect opportunity for a drive south of the border; and northern Portugal still has many gems to explore. We usually take the ¨long way,¨ opting for quiet country roads instead of paying for the speed of the turnpike.

Arcos de Valdevez
Our first stop, and the ¨biggest city¨ on the agenda (population: around 20,000), Arcos de Valdevez was a quiet town on a river. Quiet, perhaps, because it was Sunday morning and people were at mass. It has twin churches at different ends of one plaza. A third church can be seen in the same line, but it's an odd shape for a church: a rounded square. In this town we tested out two different cafés and noticed some differences between Galicia and Portugal. The grocery stores were open, which on a Sunday in Spain is unfathomable.

Soajo

Espigueiros in Soajo

A short drive away, this tiny town is famous for its group of hórreos. Well, what Galicians call hórreos, the Portuguese call espigueiros. They are one in the same though: elevated stone or wooden granaries to store and dry grains above ground where mice couldn't get into them. In Galicia they are a common site in many yards in the countryside, with designs often depending on the region. In Portugal it would seem that the tradition was to have all the espigueiros gathered together, since the only ones I've seen in Portugal were in conglomerations. In Soajo, there are more than 20 grouped together on a huge slab of rock. They aren't used any more, but sure make for a pretty picture amongst the green and mountains.

Part of our adventure in Soajo included listening to google maps, which actually doesn't always know best. It sent us towards the village's fastest exit, which included hills, difficult turns, and not to mention incredibly narrow streets. We saw villagers' cars parked in their driveways, so we persevered, knowing it was possible to get through with a car. At one point the car scraped between two buildings. Glad it wasn't me driving! We ended up turning around anyways, because we were being led down a steep hill with a difficult turn at the end. Luckily a villager was passing by and helped direct the car towards the main road.

Lindoso

Lindoso Castle in background

Further into the Peneda Gerês National Park, which straddles the eastern part of the Galician-Portuguese border, is the hamlet of Lindoso. Here there were even fewer houses, but just as many espigueiros. Except rather than being on top of a rock, they were in the backyard of a castle. Delightful! The inside of the castle was closed, but we were able to walk along its outer wall and look out at the espigueiros. It was easy to imagine them full of corn to keep my castle and kingdom fed for the winter.

View from the castle

Between stops we came across some cows with HUGE horns, just chilling.

Sistelo
After lunch we headed to Sistelo, a hamlet surrounded by lush green hills. They took advantage of the hills by leveling off the land so that they could have gardens and place for animals to graze. To take in all the views, we went on a super quick hike to the church, down a steep set of stone stairs, over a river, and back up the stairs again. Not much to say here, the photos speak for themselves. Although they don't even do the green hillside justice.

Sistelo from the other side of the hill

Mondariz's Medicinal Fountains

Gándara Fountain

Mondariz-Balneario is the smallest town in Galicia. Well to begin with, they organize land a little differently here so let's review. Galicia itself is a comunidad autónoma (Autonomous Community) of Spain, divided into 4 provincias (provinces). Within these 4 provinces are 53 comarcas (regions). These regions are made up of 313 concellos, or town halls. These ¨town halls¨ are usually made up of one city/town, plus a little aldeas (hamlets, villages) and even lugares (sets of 2-5 houses). Mondariz-Balneario is only 2 square kilometers, next to the original town of Mondariz. Why bother separating? Because this part of the town has multiple springs of medicinal waters which when rediscovered in the 19th century, drew a lot of attention. It became a sort of theme park for the wealthy. The name of the town literally means Mondariz-Spa. Not to be confused with boring old Mondariz.

Troncoso fountain has seen better days.
You can still glimpse its fancier days though.

A charming riverside stroll takes you to the furthest fountain, Troncoso. The fountain is surrounded by an elaborate fence, and two sets of staircases lead down to it from the promenade. Nowadays, it's shabby. Yet it is easy to imagine that a century ago it was a fabulous place to meet your neighbors (or wealthy visitors). 

The other main fountain, Gándara, is right next to the Mondariz spa. This one is grandiose; reminiscent of an ancient temple or observatory. According to the sign, the water treats gastroenteritis, liver issues, diabetes, and cardiovascular issues, among other things. With that in mind, I gave it a try. Hint: it tasted sour and awful.
After scoping out the grounds, we headed into the Mondariz spa for some R and R. The spa was opened in 1873, and has since been visited by illustrious Galicians and Spaniards including authors, politicians, and royalty. At the turn of the 20th century, the Grand Hotel was opened to host these visitors in opulence. Due to a fire later on, it went to the wayside. But in the past decades it has been restored to its grandeur of the good old days. The ¨Water Palace¨ as they call it, is quite nice with plenty of different pools, jacuzzis, saunas, and showers. There's even a small thermal bath outside which was a wonderful contrast on a winter afternoon.

Nearby Mondariz is a castle and a castro (Celtic settlement) which we also checked out. Sobroso Castle is a medieval fortress that gets its name from the forests of cork trees which surround it. During the Irmandiña revolts, it was mostly destroyed, but was later reconstructed. Nowadays you can get in for just a euro, although there isn't much to see. We did, however, enjoy its exhibition on underwear throughout the ages. Most of Galicia's Medieval castles aren't the endless collection of rooms and secret passageways you might imagine. Or maybe that's what they want us visitors to think!

Sobroso Castle, view of tower from second floor guard path

About 20 minutes on horseback (I'm guessing; we used modern transportation) from the castle are the ruins of a Celtic castro. Over 1000 years ago, Troña Castro was a Celtic settlement with at least 30 homes. Its residents dug a ravine, which along with a wall, kept out enemy clans. And wouldn't ya know it, centuries later the Catholics decided it would be a fine place to build a chapel. Nowadays you can walk around the bases of the Celts' circular stone houses. You can also observe a mill carved into a rock. The castro is famous for its snake petroglyph, but we weren't able to spot it. 

Troña Castro