Walking in a Winter Wonderland

It hasn't snowed again since last Friday, but I've still got snow on the brain. Reminded me of my last encounter (not including the beginning of this year when we went to Pedrafita looking for snow and were disappointed) with the white stuff in Galicia. I got an unexpected taste of snow when I went hiking in mid-November last year with the youth of the city. In Galicia at least, the major cities dedicate part of the budget to youth. There are a variety of free or dirt-cheap activities and classes throughout the year. This was one of them: a fantastic option especially for people who want to hike but don't have a car. Transportation is included and it's a free, fun way to socialize. Before COVID-19, of course.

This particular hiking trip was to O Bierzo, right over Galicia's eastern border. While O Bierzo is no longer technically in Galicia, a lot of the population speaks Galician and they can study it in school. That's because traditionally it was part of the Kingdom of Galicia (Europe's first kingdom, by the way). It is a mountainous region, part of the Ancares. On the way we passed by my beloved Becerreá as well as Pedrafita do Cebreiro. We were headed to a trail within a beech forest for our hike. When I had signed up for the hike, I thought to myself, 'Pretty fall colors! Changing leaves!' Um, wrong.

The night before, they warned us that it was supposed to be 1º C. Brrr! Since I don't have snow pants here (I'm always tempted to bring them back from home, but since I normally visit in the middle of summer, it just seems ridiculous), I instead wore normal sweatpants with a pair of tights underneath. My normal waterproof hiking boots were at the cobbler's getting fixed so I borrowed a friend's. Important detail because I assumed hers were also waterproof. They were not. I also was ready to go with a newly acquired thermos that really kept my infusion scalding for hours.

OMG, snowshoes!

As our minibus chugged up the sinuous hills, getting closer to the town near our beech forest destination, the snow started falling. The town mayor himself came to plow a path for us! Once we got to the hamlet, they opened the snowed-in bar just for us to get a coffee before hitting the trails. At this point our guides were unsure about how much snow we would find out there. And at this point one of them indicated to me that me shoes were definitely not waterproof. Luckily for me, he had a spare pair of snow shoes! Apparently not being prepared sometimes has it advantages. I was the only one in the group who got to snowshoe. At first it was weird to walk in them, since I wanted to keep picking up my feet. But it's more like a glide. Despite falling a few times, I had a blast! The hardest part for me was not crossing the shoes in front of me, and a few stairs which were obviously more narrow than the snowshoes so I had to sidestep them. 

On the hike the snow slowed us down. It took us two hours to walk just two kilometers! That was partly due to waiting time-- we had to stop and wait for someone to go ahead and see if the path was clear enough. And we ended up turning around in the middle anyways. But we did get to see a small cave, used during the Civil War as a hideout. I could hardly imagine spending a night there, let alone an extended period of time. We also came across a beautiful, snow-capped waterfall. The majority of our hike was through the woods, but at one point we came to a clearing. A field of snow! There we broke out into a mini-snowball fight. Others fell onto the ground to make snow angels. Afterwards we headed back to our café starting-point to get warm and have lunch.

Fervencia do Beiro

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

When you're looking for snow in Galicia, your best bet is the hills (mountains?) on the east side. When I worked as a language assistant in a town in the Ancares, close to the eastern border, it snowed there quite regularly. In the southeast corner of the province of Ourense there is even a small ski resort. Or so I've heard. As far as Galicia's cities go, seeing snow is a rarity. In the city of Lugo it used to snow once a year, but with global warming, it's no longer guaranteed. Last year I don't recall any snow in town. Meanwhile in my hometown they've already had the first major snow of the season; several inches!

Therefore when this morning I awoke to massive, fluffy flakes, you can imagine my delight! I skipped breakfast to throw on some warm and weatherproof attire and get out there. After all, the few times I've seen snow it had lasted barely an hour, and who knows how long the snow was going to stay. A walk around town in the snow really seals the deal in terms of Christmas spirit. Perhaps I would be less enthusiastic if I had to drive in it, but luckily for me in the city there's no need for a car. My snow-white walk coincided with kids going to school. What a treat for them, in this bizarre and unfortunate year. At least they got to enjoy the snow on their trek to class. An excellent start to what is going to be a 4-day weekend with no travel (we are still unable to leave the city).

Aside from the snow (which to my surprise is still falling --albeit not as intensely-- hours later) those working in bars and restaurants are having their own holly, jolly day. Today after about a month of mandatory closure throughout Galicia's cities, bars and cafés can open their doors once more. There are limits on capacity, but for them something is better than nothing, I'm sure. We are also allowed to see people who aren't from the same household as us. This whole time schools and classes continued, and shops were still open. But you couldn't meet up with your colleagues outside of work. Here's hoping the snow sticks but the Coronavirus does not. 

Galicia's Bean Town

Back when the leaves hadn't yet fallen, nor were we on a semi-lockdown, a group of less than 10 of us (the limits for congregating at the time) took a weekend getaway to Lourenzá. Although Lourenzá is in the A Mariña region, it's not on the coast. But that also means it's even closer to Lugo than A Mariña's coastal locales. When we arrived, Lourenzá's valley was brimming with bean plants. Because they're strung up similarly to grapes, for a second I assumed they were grapes. Although, realistically, a Mariña is one of the few regions of Galicia not known for its wine. 

The fabas of Lourenzá are famous throughout Spain. While other faba beans might cost 4€ per kilo when buying at the bulk food store, faba beans from Lourenzá will set you back 12€ a kilo. They've been a hit since the 18th century at least! Growing beans in a tranquil setting... not a bad way to make a living. And I imagine it's not as labor intensive as say, raising cattle. We did have a debate though about how they harvest those beans. Someone insisted that there must be machines for that. The next morning, we noticed some very intricate machines in action: two people picking beans by hand. That answers that.

The refurbished house we rented had a manicured lawn facing the rest of the green valley. Rows of corn and beans made up the view. Hey, sounds not unlike my home state! And the host reminded me of that good old Galician hospitality. Like they say in their anthem, Galicians are bos e xenerosos (good and generous). Upon arriving, the house was stocked with every imaginable commodity, including some fresh fruits and veggies in the fridge. They also came by to bring us firewood and ask if we needed anything. The next door neighbors had a sheep and two little lambs: black and white. Adorable! This brush with farm life might have been more exciting a few years ago, but now that I'm chummy with a pair of goats, a sheep, and some chickens, I wasn't as starstruck.

The weekend weather mostly held out for us, raining only after dark. At times it was clear that with global warming September is now becoming more like summer than autumn. The place had a wood-burning grill, so we were able to cook out and enjoy the great outdoors. Especially pleasant for the apartment dwellers in the group who don't have a yard to run around daily. And because there were two asturianas in the bunch, of course their was plenty of sidra to go around. Homemade and store-bought. 

Saturday morning just the two of us got up early to walk around. After passing some cows and perhaps a million beans, we came to Pazo de Tovar. This pazo is the only non-religious site to be seen in Lourenzá. The rest are churches.Before it was a pazo, it was first built as a tower in the 12th century. Then more was added on as it became a sort of fortress and eventually now can be considered a manor. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions it wasn't open for visiting. But we did walk around the place. Another reason to go back again to relax in Galicia's bean town.

It's Chestnut Time!

Chestnuts are a big deal here in Galicia. You can tell by the sheer amount of words en galego associated with them. There's a verb for specifically picking up fallen chestnuts, soutar. There are also several words to describe chestnuts that leave the spiky burr on their own, restrelo, baguto, degaro. Words to describe chestnuts that didn't quite reach their peak (also valid for potatoes), bolerca. Words for chestnuts that have been boiled with their shell, zonco, mamota. Plus Galicia's favorite autumnal event: magosto. And with such an abundance of chestnuts in the provinces of Lugo and Ourense for centuries, structures were built specifically for them. Two-storey shacks (sequeiros) can be found near some forests, used expressly for drying chestnuts. Ouriceiras are small, circular stone structures without a roof, and a narrow opening just wide enough for a person to fit in. They were used to store the chestnuts in their burrs while safeguarding them from animals such as wild boars. On a visit to Marronda Forest which has a trail lined with chestnut trees, we noticed several of these ouriceiras. If I hadn't just recently read about them, I would have thought they were some sort of castro. 

Inside an out-of-use ouriceira

Pumpkin dip and wine bowl

This year for the first time, I've spent sunny fall afternoons collecting chestnuts myself. Sixteen pounds in three days! And there are still more to be collected. Needless to say that is a lot of chestnuts for one (or even two) person. One way to eat chestnuts is boiled with milk and cinnamon. I had never tried it like that until now, and it's delicious! Like eating a bowl of cereal. Chestnuts are actually more like a grain than a nut. That's why before America was discovered, Galicians basically lived off of chestnuts. Now potatoes have become a staple, and chestnuts are reserved for autumn snacking.

With so many pounds of chestnuts collected this year, we just had to celebrate a mini-magosto of our own. I'm not even sure it could be considered a real magosto since that is traditionally saved for the first 11 days of November. We did, however, have all the necessary foods. Aside from chestnuts roasted on an open fire, we also roasted chorizo and sweet potatoes (a tradition imported by our Catalan friend) and sipped red wine. And a very festive kuri pumpkin spread, if I do say so myself. With COVID-19 looming, that may have been our only magosto for the year. 

Some of the harvest drying, but alas, not in a sequeiro

The end of summer at 💀 A Costa da Morte (the Coast of Death)

Before fall turns to winter, time to look back once again at this year's Galifornia summer. People here often compare Galicia to California (jokingly, at least) because of all the coastline and beaches. Half of Galicia's borders are with the sea. While every summer people from Galicia and parts of Spain flock to the southwest region ---the Rías Baixas-- en masse, the Costa da Morte --a little further to the north-- remains relatively unoccupied. (Perhaps because the temperature there is set at 75º F for weeks on end, whereas in the Rías Baixas it can get hot, hot, hot) This was especially true for our visit in September, when visitors from other parts of Spain had already gone back home.

In the Costa da Morte, there really is a lot to see. This time we focused on Muxía and Camariñas, leaving plenty more to be seen on future trips. My previous experience with the Costa da Morte was a visit to the end of the earth: Finisterra. Although the Romans thought it was the end of the Earth at the time, it's not even the furthest west in continental Europe. In the summer months, the last rays of sunshine can be observed from Cabo Touriñán, close to Muxía. Right next to Touriñán's lighthouse is where we spent one of the trip's sunsets. A few other groups were there for the occasion as well. But we were the only ones who came prepared with some food for a makeshift picnic. How romantic! On another night, we watched the sun dip behind Muxía and the sea from the comfort of our campsite. It's funny how an occurrence that happens literally everyday is considered ¨romantic¨ or ¨inspiring¨ when we actually take the time to acknowledge it.

Left, monument. Right, A Virxe da Barca

But back to the trip! The campground we stayed at was halfway between Muxía and Camariñas, so we took a day to explore each. Muxía is unique because it juts out as a tiny, densely-constructed peninsula. It's claim to fame, however, is a small church at the tip of said peninsula. A Virxe da Barca is built atop giant stones, rising above the sea. Legend has it that the Virgin Mary came in a stone boat to tell St James (Galicia's patron saint) to keep on spreading the word. The stones currently around the church are supposedly remnants from that holy stone boat. Very close to A Virxe da Barca is a massive stone monument, cracked in half. It recalls the oil spill of the Prestige in 2002. That was an environmental disaster that spawned the catchphrase ¨Nunca maís¨ or never again.

Even the lacemakers
wear a mask

Camariñas is another seaside town, famous for its lacemaking. We visited the Lace Museum which had some lovely patterns including some decked-out masks for the COVID-19 era. I couldn't resist shopping local and got a more subtle black mask with some simple lace on the sides for ¨formal occasions.¨ Aside from walking along the boardwalk of the Costa da Morte's biggest port, there wasn't much else to see in Camariñas. So we got in the car and headed north along the coastline.

The first stop was another lighthouse: Faro Vilán. It included a delightful little museum about lighthouses and the Costa da Morte in general. The name, evidently, comes from the amount of shipwrecks that happened along the coast in the past centuries. But what makes it so dangerous? Several factors, including the simple fact that it was on the main route between the rest of Europe and southern Spain/Portugal/the Mediterranean. More ships, more shipwrecks. The random changes in depth near the coast don't help either. Suddenly its shallower and your boat has been destroyed by the rocks. It is also said that perhaps the fierce name was used ages ago to scare off rival traders from checking out the area. Who wants to risk sailing around the Coast of Death?

Red, white, and blue (sort of)

Faro Vilán

After the lighthouse, we followed the winding dirt road to some deserted beaches. Well, actually there were a total of two people on three beaches. Continuing our journey, we some how missed the English Cemetery, where they buried the dead of a British shipwreck in 1890. One downside of the Costa da Morte being mostly unspoiled is the lack of signage. We got lost/missed the turn-off several times. They don't even have the basic signs that say ¨TOWN NAME¨ when you enter and ¨TOWN NAME¨ when you leave a place. At one point we were driving through a village but weren't even sure which it was! Good thing we kept going because our destination Camelle was the next village over.

Camelle is a parish of Camariñas with only 1,000 residents. It is noteworthy, despite its size, for the creations left by a German artist named Man. He constructed dozens of sculptures of rocks along a jetty. Unfortunately, because they are right along the sea, each year they are in worse and worse shape. Before going, they warned us that it isn't as great as it used to be. But we had no expectations to compare it to. A few curious statues are still standing. That was good enough for us. 

Remaining art by Man

On the way back to the campground we stopped at a beach. With such sunny weather on the coast, one beach a day was the minimum. Although I myself am not a huge fan, I did go in once or twice. But after the warm water in Miño spoiled me, everything else seems frigid. In the Costa da Morte we mostly stopped at beaches with few sunbathers and surrounded by forests. The campground also had a beach right below it. That was handy for the recreational fisherman who caught us something for lunch! 

Wrocław

Rounding out our trip to Poland last summer was a visit to the city of Wrocław. Hard to remember it's not pronounced rock-law, but something like vrotz-wav. Anyways, since we were flying out of the airport there, we decided to stay 24 hours to check the place out. It actually ended up being more than enough time to see the city. Unlike in Krakow and Warsaw, it didn't feel like we had a bunch of things to see before our time was up. We honestly spent about a quarter of our time eating and drinking. Had to cram in as many pierogis as possible before heading back to Galicia!

Wrocław's old Town Hall

Like our other stops, Wrocław's Old Town was full of different pastel hues. I'm seeing a theme here in Polish architecture. Surprisingly, the center of attention in the main square is not a Cathedral as per usual, but the old City Hall. The Gothic structure is now an art museum. As we did the rounds, we noted the main plaza and a conjoined plaza were brimming with eateries and terraces. Feeling we had the luxury of time to spare, we plopped down on a patio to have a beer while taking in the colors.

Sufragette gnome

A curious part of Wrocław is the gnome population. Over two dozen bronze statues of gnomes can be found scattered throughout the city. Each is frozen doing something different: drinking, sleeping, reading, riding a balloon animal, etc. There are even special needs gnomes! My personal favorite was a gnome seeking ¨Votes for Women.¨ Spotting the tiny statues made sightseeing more entertaining.

Outside the Old Town by the riverside is a nice green area to walk. Nearby we checked out some churches (one with an elaborate painted ceiling), a bridge loaded with locks (placed by couples in love), and the market. And that's how we spent our last hours in Poland. Of course, there is still more to be seen. Between it being the ¨Old Country¨ with homey foods, and everything being so inexpensive, a trip back to Poland is certainly a possibility. 

Historic Krakow: A (Friend's) Storybook Wedding

Back to our trip to Poland for a friend's wedding last summer...

Inside the church

While Warsaw was pretty and colorful, Krakow's Old Town was like a fairy tale. An idyllic place for a wedding. When we arrived from the train station, we had to cross the enormous main plaza-- the biggest market square in Europe-- with its long Renaissance market building (Cloth Hall) in the middle. Eleven streets converge to make this square! In one corner is a brick clock tower, and in the opposite a brick church. As we traversed the plaza, we had to be careful to avoid horse-drawn carriages trotting with happy couples in tow. A few hours later, in another Krakovian church, another happy couple was tying the knot. The inside of the church was decked in gold, and during the ceremony tourists popped in to take pictures. Like paparazzi at a royal wedding! And no fairy tale wedding would be complete without the couple being whisked away in their very own horse-drawn carriage. The rest of us walked a few minutes by the riverside to get to the reception. It was held on a roof with amazing views of the Vistula River and Wawel Castle. 

View of Wawel from the reception

What's the difference between a Polish wedding and an American one anyways? Based on my extensive research--that is, attending one Polish/American wedding in Poland hehe-- there are only a few striking differences. Once gathered for the reception, there was a toast in honor of the bride and groom. The usual. Except, afterwards the couple broke their glasses on the the floor and then cleaned it up. Sounds like wedding traditions in other countries, representing working together in the years ahead. The other main difference was that after dinner they put a bottle of vodka on each table. I wasn't surprised per se. After all, it's Poland! However the extra vodka bottles seemed extravagant on top of the open bar. Nothing wrong with that! Na Zdrowie! Booze wasn't the only thing available all night long. Nowadays it seems somewhat common at weddings to have a snack bar to replace any calories lost dancing in the hours after dinner. At this wedding, in addition to that, they had two different sit-down meals after dinner, before and after midnight. One of those was my new favorite soup, zurek.

A corner of Krakow's Market Square

Observing the university
 courtyard

Despite having plenty of vodka at our disposal all night, we were able to do some sightseeing the next day. (Perhaps there's a difference between Galician and Polish weddings. We the stragglers left at 3:30. In Galicia the stragglers last past dawn. Or so I've heard.) Everywhere you look, Krakow feels historic. No wonder the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Vestiges of the past are spread out further than just the expansive Old Town. Even when we ventured out, seemingly far from the historic attractions, we came across a centuries-old church. In a corner of it there is a small metal grid. Unnoticeable, if not for the little sign. According to legend, it's protecting what is supposed to be the footprint of Queen Jadwiga. In the 14th century, the young queen took pity on a poor construction worker and stuck her foot in the wet cement so that he could sell the gold clasp from her shoe. Her footprint remained. This was only one of many historic sites we came across. We also stopped by a small college courtyard from one of Eastern Europe's oldest universities. Another curious visit was underneath the Cloth Hall in the main plaza. The underground museum is all about the history of Krakow and definitely worth the visit (especially since it just happened to be free the day we went). It was very interesting and interactive. Among other things, we got to compare our statures to people in the Middle Ages, as well as weigh ourselves using their units of measurement.

Inside the market building and above the Rynek Underground 

Inside Wawel

But the clear gem of Krakow is perched atop a hill, behind fortress gates. That's the Royal Complex of Wawel. A castle, tower, palace, gardens, cathedral, artifacts, fire-breathing dragon: Wawel's got it all! It made for a lovely afternoon going on a tour and wandering around the gardens and courtyards.

Krakow also has a lot of Jewish history. Kazimierz is the Jewish quarter right outside the Old Town, housing synagogues, Jewish cemeteries, and a lot of cool restaurants and bars. One such restaurant was called GALICIJA. We didn't go in, but appreciated the connection. Instead we opted for decked-out pizza baguettes from a stand in Kazimierz's lively flea market. Just on the other side of the river from Kazimierz are two more sites related to the wrong side of Jewish history. Unfortunately Schindler's Factory was sold out for the day, but we did get to check out The Eagle Pharmacy. This now-museum was right in the middle of the ghetto that the Nazis created. The pharmacy remains as it did in the 1940s, except now the drawers all have artifacts or information related to the ghetto and Nazi invasion.

Overall, I really enjoyed Krakow and could see myself living there, if only for a short time. There were so many things left to explore! And it has plenty of greenery, including a park that surrounds the Old Town. Plus I finally found my ideal paczek shop. Donuts everyday! 

Vamos Para Noia!

Let's go to Noia! Sounds funnier in Galician because it's like ¨let's go, paranoia!¨

Even though plane rides for me are out of the question these days, living in Galicia (aka Galifornia) means there are still plenty of awesome getaway options close to home. This weekend we visited Noia and its surroundings, smack dab in the middle of Galicia's west coast.

San Martiño and its cursed,
unfinished tower

Noia's Old Town is true to its name, full of beautiful sandstone buildings (including pazos!) dating back to the Middle Ages and beyond. A place to remind me, I'm in Europe! Everything is historic here! We spent our first evening there walking around the pedestrian-only center. There are two noteworthy churches. San Martiño is lopsided, and legend has it that whoever tries to build the second tower is met with a grim demise. Apparently the original builder died before it could be finished, and then a movie director who had had a fake tower constructed for the sake of his film died on the last day of shooting. The other church, Santa Mariña A Nova, has a tremendous collection of stone tomb covers. They are carved with symbols either associated with the person's trade or the family crest. Very cool! The adjoined cemetery is also for some reason one of the most important in Spain.

Old hydroelectric plant by Palacios

A few miles inland from Noia are more natural and man-made landmarks. First, an early morning (by Spanish standards) visit to the still-active hydroelectric plant. Well, we got a bit lost and actually walked around the current plant when what we really wanted to see was the original building from the 1920s. It was designed by Antonio Palacios, the same Galician who went on to design-- among other things-- O Carballiño's unexpectedly large cathedral ; the Palacio de Cibeles, Madrid's current city hall; and the hotel at the Spa in Mondariz. When we finally located the building and surrounding park, it was so peaceful. The river was completely still. The only other people there were a handful of fishermen. There are three possible hikes starting from the park, but we stuck to crossing the small suspension bridge and walking along the river for a few minutes before going back. Just in time, because although it was sunny it had started to drizzle.

Long before the Tambre River's power was harnessed to create electricty, it was a place to fish. (It still is, as a matter of fact.) Especially lamprey. In the Middle Ages this specific section of the river supplied a local monastery with fish. And that was our next stop: San Xusto de Toxosoutos. This time there was a marked trail which I assumed led to the waterfall I had read about while researching the area. We trekked mostly downhill for about an hour, and still no waterfall in sight. We decided to turn around as we weren't exactly prepared for a hike, and certainly weren't convinced that it actually led to the waterfall. Lo and behold, once we made it back up the hill to the monastery, we discovered the waterfall was actually right behind the monastery, in the opposite direction of our little trek. Oops. But hey, at least we got some exercise in before lunch. Right in front of the beach we ate cockles --Noia's specialty-- and squid croquetas. Black like tar, but a thousand times tastier!

Tranquilidade: Mosteiro de Toxosoutos

After lunch we were set to carry out my favorite coastal ritual: the beach nap. But once we put our towels down on the beach in front of the restaurant, the wind picked up and grey clouds covered the sky. We packed up, and although I was so sleepy and grumpy I just wanted to go back to the hotel, we drove in search of those clear, blue skies that could be seen beyond the rain clouds. Amazingly, after about 30 minutes, we did indeed find a beach under the sun! And what a beach to come across-- A Praia das Furnas. This ¨beach of caverns or grottoes¨ has massive, dark rock formations which create a small watering hole protected from the wild sea. Handy because the constant white-capped waves sure made the scenery picture-perfect, but after going in only up to my ankles, I could feel the tide wanted to drag me away. And technically it's not even part of the Costa da Morte (the Death Coast)! In addition to the beach's beauty, it is well-known as the place where Ramón Sampedro (who the movie Mar Adentro is based on) became quadriplegic after an accident.

On top of the crag/cavern, the ocean below in the background,
small pool in the foreground

On Sunday we wrapped up our getaway at Noia's outdoor market. Suddenly the Old Town and riverside were full of dozens of stands selling everything from apparel to kitchenware to food. It wasn't too crowded, so everyone could practice social distancing while perusing the wares. A burger at yet another beach bar-- empty because of the gusty wind-- was our last hoorah in Noia before heading home.

Warsaw: Rewired

One of the downsides of living abroad is missing out on important events back home. For example, weddings. Since I've moved to Galicia, a lot of my peers seem to be getting married. But unfortunately it's not plausible to just hop on a plane home for the weekend. So last year when a friend from home was set to get married in Poland, I was thrilled. Finally, my side of the pond! Not to mention Poland had been on my list for a while. The old country! Home to some of my favorite comfort foods which I couldn't find in Galicia-- pierogis and paçzek. I vowed to eat them everyday on our trip.

View from above:
Old Town Market Square

The first stop on our whirlwind tour was Warsaw. Only 11% of the city's housing dates back to before 1944. The rest was destroyed during World War II. Some of it was rebuilt respecting the older architectural styles. That is the case in the Old Town Market Square, one of the Old Town's main plazas. To my untrained eye, the pastel-hued buildings tightly squeezed together could have been centuries old. They sure fooled me! One such house of the Old Town Market Square is home to the Warsaw Museum. Here we learned all about the city's history, as well as enjoyed a rooftop view of the plaza. On top of that, it was free because it was a Thursday. 

Other top historic sites of Warsaw include a Castle (more like a palace) and the Barbican. We didn't go in either, but observed them from outside. The Barbican is a 16th-century wall fortress. With origins in the early 14th century, the Royal Castle was home to Polish rulers for centuries. Later it was pillaged by Russians and most recently by Nazi Germans. On the side of the Royal Castle facing the river are some gardens we wandered through. The other side of the palace is part of an open, spacious plaza in the Old Town. Again, like the vast majority of Warsaw's historic sites, both the Royal Castle and Barbican were mostly rebuilt after WWII. The Castle along with the Old Town are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

Plaza with the Royal Palace on the right

Barbican in the background, to the left

  Wooden Synagogue in POLIN   

While we spent most of our sightseeing time within the Old Town, another highlight of Warsaw in the ¨new town¨ was the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. The place was enormous. And rather than just focus on the tragedies of the Holocaust (which were also included, of course), it went through Jewish history in Poland throughout the ages. Interactive with lots of maps and information, it also includes a beautifully-painted reconstruction of a wooden synagogue.  

Mmm! Pierogies everyday!

Our hostel in Warsaw was a 30-minute walk (or speedy subway ride) from the city center, in a very industrial part of town. Perfect location for two evenings out, feeling like real Poles. The bars/restaurants in the area felt very hip, and not at all touristy. One such bar had an open lot, sheltered from the wind by big brick buildings on all sides. It actually reminded me a lot of my ¨industrial¨ hometown. Except it was full of groups of people lounging on beach chairs. Here we were treated to a concert by a fun band with a ukulele. Another cool, candlelit bar used antique sewing machines as tables. And for dinner, a small, casual restaurant for locals and foreigners alike: Pyzy Flaki Gorace, a Polish diner with delicious, delicious food for cheap! I knew this trip would be a treat for my tastebuds! Don't get me wrong, Galician cuisine is great, but variety is the spice of life. And using spices other than paprika and oregano also helps. I'm not even sure what I had at this diner exactly-- it was potatoes, bacon, sauce, and dough inside a Mason jar. Now that's comfort food! Plus my new favorite soup: zurek (sour rye). Seriously, so good! I had it several times throughout the trip and even bought a packet to make it at home. Obviously it won't be the same though-- no kielbasa here. :( 

The mermaid of Old Town Market Square

The morning of the wedding, we had a train to Krakow, where the ceremony was held. Risky? Nah! Except, while riding the subway to get to the train station, we had a typical travel incident.¨Where's the suitcase? I have the backpack, and you're supposed to have the suitcase.¨ I imagined our poor, lonely suitcase forgotten on the platform as our subway car sped further and further away. Luckily, though, we had left it while checking out of the hostel. At least it wasn't lost. We had to go back three subway stops and then someone had to run to the hostel and back to the subway stop. That somebody was not me. Despite the hiccup, we made it to the train station in time to board with dozens of other travelers. This is why I always leave early! Next stop, KRAKOW! 

Going to Market

A bouquet of garlic

How I adore the market! I really have to start going regularly. Two mornings a week, people come from the nearby countryside with their produce, cheese, and eggs. While the Plaza de Abastos contains numerous shops (butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers, etc) open Monday through Saturday, the biweekly farmer's market takes place in the hall below the permanent market. The vast majority of sellers are women over 70 years old. But every rule has an exception; in this case, a guy my age. 

I realize farmer's markets exist in the USA, but I never had the habit of going. Also when I think 'organic,' I associate it with a bigger price tag. Here that is definitely not the case. Although in general the insanely cheap prices in Galicia-- specifically in Lugo-- are normal to me, every once in a while I remember how inexpensive everything here really is. Case in point: at the market today I got seven garlic heads for 3€. Garlic is usually the most expensive food per kilo that you can buy at a produce store. I was thrilled to find some homegrown at the farmer's market. Next on the list: onions. As the lady was tossing them in, filling my bag, I thought to myself that was way too many onions for just me. But she wanted to get it to a full kilo (about two pounds) to charge me the euro. One euro for a month's --or two's-- supply of onions! Lastly for seven peppers (light green, smaller than our green peppers, these are from Ourense) because it was half a kilo (one pound) it was only 60 cents. SIXTY CENTS! Can you buy anything in the USA for 60 cents?!

I honestly wonder if the money they make even pays for gas or the bus fare into town. How can it be worth it? They must break even, at least, or I doubt they'd go back week after week. The only people that I imagine go home with more money in hand are those who sell eggs. A dozen free-range eggs goes for about 3.50€. But as I've been learning from personal experience, gathering a dozen eggs is no easy task. The ¨extra money¨ for fresh eggs is well earned. 

The farmer's market: what's not to love?!

• Supporting local families, who in turn spend their money around here. Economics, my dear Watson
• Hardly any emissions from the transportation, unlike when you just have to have bananas imported from the Canary islands, or quinoa imported from South America
• Very few pesticides, if any. Most likely some compost or similar natural products
• The price tag! 

World Heritage Sites Visited in Spain

As I've been trying to be ¨productive¨ this summer for once, I've been tidying up old blog entries. Not the content so much as correcting spelling mistakes (apparently I wasn't a fan of spellcheck), fixing confusing (or just plain bad) grammar, and the like. I've also been improving and increasing the tags for posts. One of the things I've noticed reading through old entries-- aside from the fact that I use the word ¨STROLL¨ entirely too much...maybe because it's the Spanish way-- is that throughout my travels I've seen a lot of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. So I've decided to compile those I've seen in person. Not all received an entry the first time around. That's due to my own laziness, not their lack of ¨blogworthiness.¨ So now's the time to briefly summarize those places that didn't make the cut. And if I wrote about it before, the title is a link to the original post about each place.

Since there are a ton of World Heritage Sites throughout Europe, I thought I'd start off with those visited closest to home, in Spain. It's no surprise that Spain is high on the Eurocentric (four of the top five are in Europe) list of countries with the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites. As of 2019, Spain is ranked number 2 or 3, since first place is a tie between China and Italy. Again, this is only a collection of places I've personally visited. The full list of sites is available here. And because I'm not one to make a countdown list (one might say that I've picked up the Galician traits of diplomacy and indecisiveness in my years living here), they are in no particular order.

 Get ready, this is gonna get long!

Miño (not the River)

Recently I learned that half of Lugo capital heads to the beach in Miño in summer, while the other half heads to Foz (in Lugo province's coastal region A Mariña). That's why some people jokingly call Miño ¨Lugo's beach,¨ despite it being in the province of A Coruña. Since I've already been to Foz a few times, now was my turn to check out Miño--the town, not to be confused with the Miño River which separates Galicia from Portugal.

After a straight-shot hourlong highway drive, we arrived in Miño early Friday afternoon. We quickly settled into the apartment --with views of the Ría on one side!-- and headed straight for the beach. At that time there weren't many people around, perhaps because at 4 PM people were still having their dessert, coffee, and post-lunch chats, or perhaps because it was kind of cloudy and barely 80º F. Nonetheless, I decided to test the waters. And it was actually bearable!  Compared to the dozens of afternoons spent at numerous beaches of the Rías Baixas (Galician's southern sea inlets) with people who are used to the water temperature and consistently tell you ¨Está boa¨ (it's nice!) even though it's so cold you can barely get in past your waist, the water in Miño was so warm! During our 48-hour stay I got in all the way 6 or 7 times. That's unheard of for me! I probably got in as many times during two years at Rías Baixas beaches. Logic would say that the further south, the warmer the water. So why are the Rías Baixas in the south colder than the Rías Altas in the north? Something to do with currents. I don't have all the answers

Friday evening we stayed around the beach to see the sunset and a folk-punk concert. We dined with a friend at a food truck serving up American treats. I thought the apartment buildings, and handful of bars/restaurants near the beach were all there is to Miño. But Saturday morning I discovered that the town is bigger than I thought. There are around 6,000 year-round inhabitants, and what I thought was the town was actually just the beach district. Miño has a city center with multiple bakeries, butchers, and banks. You know a town is ¨big¨ here when it has two or more banks. First we strolled around the port where a smattering of people were fishing. Then we passed Miño's second beach, less appreciated because once you get in it's swampy rather than sandy. Once in the city center, there wasn't much to see, but there were plenty of people enjoying a lovely, warm day on the terrazas.

 In addition to it being a Saturday, it was also Galicia's national holiday, the day of Santiago the Apostle. That would explain why the beach got quite crowded early on: daytrippers from Lugo and A Coruña. The beach is long though, and there was still enough room to maintain a 2-meter distance in between towel groups. I was also happy to see most people abiding by the mask rule-- wear it when walking around the beach, but not necessarily when swimming or sitting on your socially-distant towel.

For dinner we ate out with some more friends, once again on a terraza. Hopefully any potential viruses wafted away in the fresh air. I never was a huge fan of seafood or fish, but when in Rome! Now I'm starting to actually enjoy typical dishes here such as clams (almeixas), mussels (mexillóns), (there's a difference in English--who knew?!), and fried big and small calamari (in Galician/Spanish they have two different words-- chipirón and calamar-- but apparently the only difference is size). On the other hand, in spite of numerous Galicians' attempts to convert me to fish, I still only like tuna and smoked salmon.

Flat Earthers (Lugo's Terra Chá)

To round off a perfect summer weekend, on Sunday we decided to spice things up and explore the waters of A Terra Chá-- a region in Lugo which literally means ¨flat Earth.¨ A Terra Chá includes nine municipalities, flat and fertile thanks to its many rivers and streams. And all of those grassy pastures mean a lot of cows. This region is one of the biggest producers of milk in the European Union.

View from the observation deck

Because the day started off cool and covered in clouds, we first checked out A Lagoa de Cospeito. This little lake is a nature preserve home to all sorts of wildlife. The trail surrounding it is about 2 miles, to give you an idea of its size. It used to be even bigger, but in the last century it was slowly conquered to make more of that aforementioned fertile farmland. On the trail around the lake we identified honeysuckle, birch, European alder, chestnuts, oak, and what I swear were olive trees (I am currently working on my plant-identification skills that I learned as a Girl Scout but have since forgotten.)! Along the way there were also few cabins on stilts to observe the lake and birdwatch. We didn't see any of the park's resident mammals or birds, but I did hear an unidentified bird we don't typically hear closer to the city.

Dam and non-existent ¨waterfall¨
in the background

Our next stop was Caneiro do Piago. For those of you keeping track at home, it technically isn't in A Terra Chá, since Outeiro de Rei is part of Lugo's capital region, but close enough. Caneiro basically means dam and piago means pool (It's also the name of the nearby village. Funny how toponymy works). Attached to the dam is an old  hydro-electric plant which still works. In summertime the waterfall produced by the dam was a trickle compared to what it must be in winter. But more exciting than the dam and virtually non-existent waterfall were the rock formations carved out by the river. We hopped along the riverside boulders until we found the perfect place for a picnic. By the time we had taken a quick post-lunch sesta, the sun had come out! We didn't go swimming like other people, but I did stick my legs in. We could see trout as well as some tiny fish that will nibble dead skin off your feet. Just like at the spa! I definitely hope to return here to cool off on another hot summer day. Can't resist those amazing rock formations!

Lastly we went to another swimming hole, this time in Guitiriz. Sete Muiños is the name of the recreational area of this village because it has several abandoned mills. They made the river into a pool by putting cement borders and ladders to get in and out easily. It gets progressively deeper: on one end you can wade, and on the opposite end you have to tread water. The nice thing about river swimming is that there is usually plenty of shade on both sides. We got their later in the afternoon, at which point less than half of the river was in the sun. I went for a dip in a sunny section and then dried off in the shade. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of this peaceful river pool.

After living in Lugo for four years, discovering these great ¨flat earth¨ spots reminded me that there is still a lot to be seen nearby. I've started making a detailed list of places in Galicia to visit. With Coronavirus still looming, travelling by plane just isn't in the cards. The plus side: it's the perfect excuse for everyone to finally explore places close to home!

Western Towns of Asturies

This weekend to keep our quarantined spirits up, we had an Asturian themed afternoon. Asturies, party of two! It was complete with fabada (bean soup typical of Asturies), sidra, queso de Cabrales (a strong Asturian goat cheese), and Asturian tunes. Not long before the quarantine, though, I was actually in Asturies. So here goes another post:

A couple of months ago, we took a little getaway to the western part of Asturies. Despite being the part closest to my home in Galicia, the west was essentially the only part of Asturies that I hadn't yet seen. I'd been to the major cities of Xixón and Uviéu; as well as up and down the coast in Cuideiru, Avilés, Llanes, and Ribadesella; not to mention the national park region in the southeast.

Salas

Salas and its market

Salas is the capital of the municipality of the same name. This region of Asturies is full of green hills, but then again so is most of Asturies. Salas is small but with a really cute Medieval town center. When we arrived they had a decent-sized market set up. I would have thought we had travelled back in time a few centuries if it weren't for the stalls selling socks, bras, and fuzzy pajamas! There wasn't much else to see here, so we strolled around and soaked up the winter sun.

Malleza

An indiano complete with palm trees

This parish of Salas has a smattering of houses, including some really lovely indianos. Indiano describes a style of large house built by returned emigrants. In the early 20th century, many Galicians and Asturians emigrated to Cuba and South America in search of a better life. Those who struck it rich returned with enough money to build a mansion in their homeland. Bonus points for bringing back palm trees! There are many indianos in A Mariña (northern part of Lugo province) as well as in Asturies. I'm not sure if all of Malleza's indianos are inhabited, but they certainly were well-kept with colorful, fresh coats of paint. Unfortunately, the same is not always true for historical buildings and sites in Galicia.

Tuña

Neighboring hórreos

This little village had a surprising number of mansions. Two or three, actually. My favorite was a noble palace from the 18th century. It still appears to be occupied, although I imagine they only live on one floor. Apart from the architecture, I liked the amount of sun it got. It was also just a hop skip and a jump from the Roman bridge over Tuña's River. Convenient! In Tuña, just about every house had its own hórreo. Galicia also has hórreos, but in Asturies they are around 3 times the size. And they're pretty uniform: almost always brown and square. (In Galicia they're made of a variety of materials and rectangular, with lengths varying on wealth.)

Cangas del Narcea
After visiting hamlets of barely 1,000 habitants, this town of 12,000 people felt so cosmopolitan. The fact that a lot of people were better-dressed than us helped, too. But the pedestrian shopping street also felt like a European city. Here we had lunch at a sidrería. When in Rome! The highlight of Cangas was actually in the village ¨next door,¨ Corias. The top (re: only) attraction in Corias is a gigantic monastery, now converted into a Parador. And that's where we spent the night. A luxurious, centuries-old building. Inside it has a museum of the ruins the present monastery was built on. And the old wine cellar has been converted into a swimming pool!

Just one section of the Parador. It was huge