Spain's Christmas Lottery

When I first came to Spain, I was surprised at how big of a deal the Christmas Lottery seems to be here. All around there were signs in bars boasting ¨We have number 83194 for Christmas Lottery.¨ Months in advance! All sorts of clubs, associations, and places of employment often choose a Christmas lottery number for people to go in on together. At the school where I worked at the beginning of December there was a note in the teachers' lounge to sign up for the school's lottery number. Barely any teachers skipped out on buying the ticket. ¨This is going to be our year!¨ 

I wouldn't mind participating if tickets weren't so expensive. 20€ for a décimo. That translates to tenth, because with that participation you're entitled to one-tenth the prize amount. Obviously, the more numbers you have, the greater your odds. Which is why it's quite common for people to share with friends and family, having people buy numbers from different parts of the country. Someone I know spends around 200€ per year on the Christmas Lotto. And I'm sure he's not alone! 

An example of a losing ticket

There are people who even say the Christmas season starts here with the announcing of the Christmas Lottery numbers. Every year the numbers are announced the morning of December 22nd with pomp and circumstance. In a theater in Madrid, some fanatics wait outside for hours --sometimes dressed in costume--to get to see the number-calling in person. In a way, it reminds me of shoppers camping outside stores for Black Friday. Except instead of amazing deals, these people have their eyes set on thousands of euros. On stage, there are two huge, golden-caged balls. The bigger one has all of the possible number combinations. The smaller one has the prize amounts. The winning numbers are called out --or rather, sung out-- by children from a private school in Madrid. First a student sings the winning number, and the other sings the prize amount. ¨Mil eu-rooos,¨ is the most common. Every once in a while, however, a higher prize amount appears. There is one first prize, one second prize, one third prize, two fourth prizes, and eight fifth prizes worth 4 million, 1.25 million, 500,000, 200,000, and 60,000€ respectively. But of course the prize doesn't go to just one person. For every décimo, one tenth goes to you. So maybe the prize isn't as huge as the multimillion lotteries back home, but it is more distributed since lots more people than just ten can be winners. 

Plus, if your number is one off from any of the winning numbers, you aren't a total loser. One digit up and one digit down also get (a much smaller) prize. And if you have the last two digits of the first three winning numbers, you also get a small amount. Also, all of the numbers within one hundred of the top four prizes get a fractional amount. In addition, any numbers that end in the same number as the first prize get the reintegro, or a refund of what they paid for the ticket. With so many chances to win, I might even be enticed to play next year!

Silleda and Surroundings

For Galicians, the town Silleda likely brings to mind two things: the oposicións-- the various exams taken en masse to obtain a government job-- or the annual mega-fair of farm products and more. This fall I went for the first reason, accompanying a test taker. When I was there, I was impressed by the facilities used for both the exams and the fair. In my opinion, it seemed more like a City of Culture than the modern buildings built at the beginning of this century on the outskirts of Santiago de Compostela and dubbed the Cidade de Cultura. The facilities in Silleda are unexpectedly massive. It makes sense though, since sometimes over a thousand people take a test at once. Aside from the huge buildings and lots of steps, there is green space crisscrossed by sidewalks with columns that are so reminiscent of a typical American college campus. I would be interested to see the place during the annual fair, brimming with all kinds of vendors and products. 

Since the exam takes up to three hours, I had plenty of time to not just go back to sleep, but also to do some exploring on my own. And now that I can drive, I wasn't limited Silleda's small town center. A 10-minute drive away is a Medieval monastery nestled in the hillside. The grand Mosteiro de Carboeiro seemed fit for Brother Cadfael. I later learned it was more likely fit for the criminals he caught, as it was later turned into a sort of monk prison. Not a prison with shackles and cells as we might imagine, but merely being isolated in the middle of nowhere was considered punishment enough for ¨bad monks.¨ It was definitely a downgrade from the luxurious life in big city monasteries such as Compostela. 

The monastery and church were eventually abandoned. While the reason was monetary, a legend cropped up related to the Ponte do Demo (the devil's bridge), a Medieval bridge crossing the river just below the monastery. The legend says that while building the monastery, the monks were sick of hardships so they made a deal with the devil. He would build them the monastery in a matter of days in exchange for all the souls that died on that Sunday. After his work was done, instead of the promised souls, the abbot went after the devil with his secret weapon, the Book of Psalms. The devil was infuriated and ashamed, but there was nothing he could do. Until, centuries later, when the Book of Psalms was moved to Toledo. The devil finally had his revenge and was able to destroy the monastery. 

Fainted Romanesque paintings

This legend explains the church's recent ruined state, but by now it is in good shape, after being restored at the beginning of this century. Such good shape that a wedding was going to be held there the day I visited. The church's roof had to be replaced, which I hadn't even realized until I saw historic photos with it missing. Inside the church there were a few Romanesque paintings still visible on the walls. You could also go down to the crypt, or up to the tower to enjoy the view. In the monastery next door, there is a small collection of historical photos of the monastery and church. Then you can ramble down to the devil's bridge where a hiking route starts. It wasn't in the cards for me, however. The short visit was the perfect length to occupy the test-taking period. 

Que Lindo O Pindo! (Pretty Pindo)

Years ago, when I had first arrived here, in one class I asked my students to name places in Galicia that I should visit. I am certain that I visited almost all of them within the first five years. But I remember one place in particular that I never got to. A Fervenza do Ézaro is a huge and famed waterfall. Being as it is, far from any ¨big city¨ as well as any beach town, it is not on bus routes. And that's mostly how I used to get around. Public transportation! Eight years later, now with my own car I was finally able to cross Ézaro off my To-See list. I weaseled it into the agenda of a long weekend getaway to the Costa da Morte that we took with another family. In summertime there isn't as much water running down, since it's dry season. I still found it fascinating the amount of different streams that came together to create one big waterfall. One big waterfall that leads right to the sea. Freshwater meets saltwater! The combination of size and seaside location makes Ézaro so well-known.

Ézaro Falls was only the first stop on our ride. The destination was the small village of O Pindo. The weather was not great-- so much rain that we were lucky to hit the beach only twice in our four and a half days there. The beach there was very deep, rather than long. The water felt tepid, probably because the outdoor temperature was cool for August. The backdrop, however, was the best part. In the back of the beach were a few colorful houses, in front of rocky hills. Just looking at it from the sea, I felt like I could be a guest in the early 1900s at an Alpine hotel promising fresh air and curative saltwater. Seriously, I'm sure that if this beach town with mountainous background existed in any other European region, it would be transformed into a flourishing resort town. But since it's Galicia-- specifically the mostly isolated Costa da Morte-- it has remained a sleepy vacation destination for few. Can't say I mind!

Pindo Scenery

Barnacles!

One key feature of these family trips to the coast is fresh seafood every day. I myself am not a huge seafood fan, but it's better than fish! Nearly every day the gang went to the local shellfish farm to see what was for sale that day. Everyone took turns preparing their own specialty shellfish dish. Except for me, who has no idea how to cook seafood. We ate rice with lobster plus different recipes featuring cockles, clams, mussels, crabs big and small, and barnacles. Barnacles for me were the most noteworthy. I know it's a delicacy here, and had seen a friend try them but had never actually tried myself. The kids and adults both offered me tips on how to eat them. You pinch off the rough outer layer and suck on the inner part, connected to the rock-hard ¨foot.¨ It was actually pretty tasty! Mostly tasted like saltwater though. 

I used one trip to buy seafood as an excuse to get a pit stop near an hórreo. The Hórreo of Lira is along with the Hórreo of nearby Carnota the purported biggest hórreo in Galicia. It's held up by 22 pairs of legs! They must have had literal tons of corn and grains to store! The tremendously long hórreo was part of the churchyard, so once again we are talking about really wealthy clergy. I say once again, because the other very long hórreo I've seen in Poio, near Pontevedra was the property of a monastery. (By the way, that one has 17 rows of legs, but is wider.)

Now that's an hórreo! Lira

Despite the uncooperative weather, I enjoyed myself in pretty O Pindo. I'm still not a converted beach bum, so it wasn't too disappointing to have so little time in the sand. Plus I got to see rocks--my favorite!--as well as a landmark that had been a long time coming. And finally I'm fully caught up with this summer's wanderings. Now I can give fall its due...

Costa Nova Stripes

No trip to Aveiro, Portugal is complete without visiting Costa Nova. Glancing at a map, Aveiro looks like it's on the coast. Actually though, there is a strip of land with beaches, then the lagoon, and then the city of Aveiro. So to get to non-lagoon beaches, you have to leave the city limits. Costa Nova is one such town with beaches. But more than its beaches, the area is known for its adorably-painted striped houses. The houses--called palheiros-- were originally storage shacks for fishermen. Most recently, they are family summer homes, cottage rentals, or cafés. We beat the rush on a Sunday morning to see them. On the downside, it was foggy and brisk that early in the morning. But by the time we had walked up and down the beachfront boulevard to see all of the cute houses as well as paid a visit to the market to see the fresh seafood, the sun was shining. The area also has the Lighthouse of Aveiro, but due to the impossibility to park, we craned our necks to peer up at it through the car window as we drove by. 

This concludes my Summer Vacation in Portugal 2021. From Aveiro we backtracked to Porto for a few days before I headed home to the USofA. But since it was my third trip to Porto, I shall end here. I'm sure I will be back to the sites and delicious, cheap food of Portugal some day soon!

Aveiro: Portugal's Venice?

A moliceiro

The main destination of our summer trip to Portugal was Aveiro. Since it has several canals and its own type of boat, it is often called the Venice of Portugal. No offence to Venice, but I enjoyed Aveiro way more! Probably due to the fact that even in mid August it was not overrun with tourists. The majority of languages we overheard were Portuguese with some French and Spanish thrown in. So while there certainly were people visiting from out-of-town, you could tell you were still in Portugal. It also had lots of Art Nouveau buildings, which I liked.

Another difference in Aveiro: the affordability of a boatride. Venice has its gondolas, Aveiro its moliceiros. I'm not sure what the going rate is for a private gondola tour nowadays, but we paid a little over 10€ each for a moliceiro ride. Granted, it wasn't private. Moliceiros-- previously used to haul and harvest algae-- are more like a minibus in size. They are brightly painted, with the image of a famous person at the head, and a dirty joke at the back. Yet even in the company of 20 more passengers, it was a pleasant ride along Aveiro's few canals. There's another difference: Aveiro only has a handful of canals which are sourced by the neighboring lagoon. On our moliceiro ride we passed under the colorful Friendship Bridge, passed by the salina, and turned around in front of the old ceramic factory. Much more interesting than your run-of-the-mill walking tour. 

Colorful ribbons hung on the Friendship Bridge

After seeing the salina from afar, we checked it out up close and personal. There is a free eco-museum where you can walk around the platforms yourself. The salt collects as the water drains out. It just happened to be close to salt-harvesting time, because a man was hard at work spreading the salt with a shovel. Across the street there is a private salina. For a few euros you get access to their salty beach and spa. The beach was really muddy, and we saw some people slathering it all over themselves. Must have some curative properties. Because of the high salt content, you floated a little more than in regular water. It wasn't too noticeable to me, though. The spa was a very shallow section with warm, pink water. Nice, except lying on salt isn't very comfortable. Ouch, poking crystals! 

Salt spa. Note the piles of salt in the background

Saltworker Statue.
The main canal at night

As in the rest of Portugal, we ate well and inexpensively in Aveiro. One jawdroppingly cheap place was within a mall, but we got there relatively early and snagged a table on its terrace facing the canal. For FIVE EUROS we got a soup, a drink, a choice of meat or fish dish, a dessert, and a coffee. Unbelievable! As we were finishing up, the line went all the way down the stairs. It certainly wasn't the tastiest food on the trip, but for 5€ what more could you ask for? Given our extremely cheap lunch, for dinner we ¨splurged¨ on a nice meal. At twilight we found a small terrace on a quiet side street. Quiet except for the soothing jazz musician playing nearby. Here we went all out with a scrumptious shrimp curry dish and a bottle of vinho verde, a typical white wine from a little further north in Portugal. 

And as far as sweets go, Aveiro's typical treat is ovo mole. It's an eggy (and very yellow-orange) sweet liquid inside of wafers. They have wafers of all shapes and sizes. We went for some barrel- and fish-shaped ovos moles. A bit too sweet for me, if you can believe it!

Praia de Mira: A Gem of a Beach Town

So...on the Portuguese highway headed south from Guimarães, I thought it would be a good idea to call the campground I had researched to make sure they had space. Ya know, just in case. After all, the planning for this trip had been up to me. Stubbornly, I didn't need any help. As you can imagine, I wouldn't be writing about it if they had had spots available. Desperately I tried calling a few other places in my broken Galician-Portuguese mix. While looking up campsite reviews online. And trying to stay calm and not get my vacation-planning privileges revoked. But honestly, it was just as well that our plan A didn't work out. That campground had been in the middle of nowhere, whereas our final campground was amidst a natural park with lagoons. It had a pool, a snack bar, and plenty of open area to pitch a tent. It was also just a short walk from the coastal village Praia de Mira.

Praia de Mira ended up being where we spent more time than Aveiro, as originally planned. It was a bustling beach town in the summer months, and likely quite dead in the winter. You know the drill. The area was curious because to the west was a long beach, which has been a Blue Flag Beach since the honor has existed. Then there was the town, a few streets parallel with the sea. Then there was an inner lagoon. That area was full of campgrounds. It had a nice, new boardwalk amongst the wetlands. In the evening it was lit beautifully and you could stop to enjoy the calm on large swings. 

Beyond the trees: the lagoon

Sunday afternoon was a scorcher, so we spent it at the Praia (beach) of Mira. As did just about everyone else within a ten mile radius. Colorful parasols and windbreakers made for a lovely scene. As far as taking a refreshing dip in the ocean ... there was not much of that. People were congregated at the seashore, just barely wading. Nobody was out swimming or in past their knees. The lifeguards appeared to be on high alert, leading us to believe there were immense undercurrents. But aside from that, the water was painfully cold! Perhaps it's because I haven't been to the Rías Baixas in a while, and have been spoiled by warm waters in Mallorca, Miño, and Costa da Morte. But that water was icy! We determined that the only people who went up past their knees were doing their business. Walking along the beach we saw the large wooden boats used for traditional fishing in Praia de Mira. We didn't get to see them in action, but heard that without a port, returning fishermen used to use oxen to pull their boats up in the sand. 

Note the tiny coffee cup

Speaking of fresh fish, we ended up dining mostly in Praia de Mira rather than Aveiro. There were plenty of small family restaurants with patios. Hard to go wrong: the food in Portugal is super cheap and also tasty. We kept the cod coming, and I even branched out with some fish pasta. Twilight dinner was almost always accompanied by vinho verde, a white wine from Northern Portugal. And for dessert, sometimes nibbling on something sweet, sometimes sipping Beirão (Portugal's unofficial digestive, my new favorite!), sometimes drinking a tiny but potent cup of Portuguese coffee, and other times all three. 

Side note on the coffee: the regular coffee cups are a little bigger than a shotglass. Looking up some Portuguese vocabulary we had found tons of different words for coffee styles. While seeking a coffee with milk, which would be served in a small mug here in Spain, they brought said tiny coffee cup, full to the brim. Huh? I wanted it with milk. ¨I'm pretty sure that is a coffee with milk.¨ I myself am not a coffee drinker, but to prove a point I ordered a ¨plain coffee¨ in the next place. Sure enough, the ¨regular¨ without milk was barely half of the tiny coffee cup. One sip and done! But it really packs a punch. 

Meandering in Medieval Guimarães

Of Galicia's seven cities, three of them have airports. That's a lot of airports for just one Autonomous Community with no city over 500,000 residents. On the southern coast is Vigo, which makes sense because it is a major port city with industry. Then there's Santiago de Compostela, perhaps Galicia's biggest airport. Aside from being centrally located, it's also the capital, so that also makes sense. Then on the northern coast is A Coruña, home to the fashion industry of Inditex. Basically each city has their reasons for having an airport of their own.

But one consequence of Galicia's multiple airports is that there is no single hub for international flights. Because of this, to fly internationally (to outside of the EU especially) it is often cheaper and quicker to fly from the Northern Portuguese city of O Porto. Depending on which part of Galicia you're coming from, it can be only two or three hours away. (Factoring in the time zone change to one hour behind, you can ¨get there¨ in as little as one hour!) That's much quicker than driving to Spain's central airport in Madrid, at least five hours away from Galicia. So thanks to the flight from Portugal, this year before my well-overdue trip home we spent a full week in Northern Portugal.

Castle of Guimarães

First stop: a day in Guimarães. Guimarães is a small Medieval Portuguese city. In fact, it's the birthplace of Portugal. Its attractions include the two-for-one Paço dos Duques from the 15th century, and the neighboring Castle of Guimarães. Inside the palace were enormous faded antique carpets, Renaissance paintings, and elaborate wooden furniture. The Castle, while potent from the outside, is empty on the inside. You can go up and keep watch as you walk along the outer wall, but there is nothing else to see. But hey, striding on top of a wall that's over a millennium old is quite enough for me!

Paço dos Duques courtyard

The square where we
had coffee, with its
Medieval monument

The city's Old Town is also its own attraction. No wonder the Historic Center of Guimarães is a UNESCO World Heritage Site! We got there in the morning and took in the Medieval barrio with little competition. But after our coffee in a lovely cobblestone square, the tour groups started appearing. We did plenty of walking (and even jogging) around the Old Town, between having to pay the parking meter every 90 minutes and me leaving my phone in the car but fearing I had lost it. Among the old whitewashed buildings was a convent selling pastries with a line of customers out the door. The bakery was called Divina Gula, divine gluttony. The Portuguese are known for their desserts. And nuns everywhere are too, apparently. So obviously we had to try some.  All almond-based. Not my personal favorite, but of course they weren't bad. 

We couldn't fill up on sweets, though, as lunch was right around the corner! Well, I was convinced that the Portuguese eat lunch way earlier than the Spanish do (here it's usually around 2 or 3 PM). I guess I exaggerated but all the better. That way we beat the rush and didn't have to wait. We ate in an old manor house turned-restaurant, with the huge, shady courtyard used as the terrace. In addition to pastries, Portugal is also known for its many ways of preparing cod. And so the Cod Fest commenced! Not for me, of course. Not a huge fish fan. But someone else may have challenged himself to eat cod everyday. 

After lunch we visited the castle and paço. No waiting at lunchtime. Then we skedaddled south, to spend a few nights camping...

Rinlo Round 2

 As promised, in good company we returned to A Mariña, to the tiny town of Rinlo's campground. We first went to a cemetery built by indianos (you know, the returned emigrants who made bank in the Caribbean and South America). Unfortunately, we could only sneak a peek from the outside as it was locked. At least the façade was in good shape and recently painted. 

Our friends arrived in mid afternoon, and after settling in, we all went to soak up the sun at the beach. The way down to this specific beach was a bit tricky to find. There was a staircase that looked promising but only led to rocks. The real staircase seemed to dead-end at another rock wall. But wait! There was a small tunnel leading into the wide, firm beach. Very cool! Once we got our towels set down, the two foreigners of the group decided to run to the sea. It was a long ways into the water with low tide. Soon after splashing into the water we heard whistles. The lifeguard waved us over. Now that my attention was caught, I noticed a tiny sign indicating people not to swim to the left of it. Right where we were. Oops. Guiri alert! I didn't last long anyways as the water was a bit cold for me.

Once the beach started getting too chilly/windy, we returned to Rinlo for a drink and dinner. The following morning we had a bit more beach time before lunch. Lunch of course was the famed arroz caldoso. The rice was great, but the service not so much. Honestly, since the whole town with its total of three restaurants is so well-known for the rice, people are going to come no matter what. It seems that they take advantage of the fact and aren't concerned about customer service. Maybe the fame went to their heads...

Arroz caldoso for five

Saturday night the campground had an outdoor concert. The place was packed, although with people mostly masked and practicing social distancing. You could tell people had come from all around the area, because while there are normally three or four cars parked outside the entrance, an impromptu ¨parking lot¨ in an adjacent cornfield was formed by a dozen cars. And to my delight, the music playing was traditional Galician music! A foliada, sans dancers. Since nobody else was dancing (I think in theory you can't dance with non-cohabitants these days), that meant I had nobody to compete with. Rather, there was no one to churn out some difficult steps that I would find impossible to replicate. Had to jump on that opportunity! Far away from the crowd, of course. I'm sad to report, however, that less than two years after abandoning Galician dance class, I could hardly remember how to dance the xota. Moi mal! Regardless, I did gleefully dance a few muiñeiras. My partner did his best to copy me with spunk. I swear, at one point one of the musicians yelled ¨eses bailadores!¨ Nobody else was dancing. That's us! A shoutout!

Rinlo at a distance, by Chris

On Sunday the men woke up early to go fishing. The regular fisherman acted as a father figure, reminding them how to fish since it had been years. Then we did a repeat of what we had done the last time we camped at Rinlo, essentially.  Drive to Illa Pancha. Walk to Ribadeo. Have lunch in the center. Walk back to Illa Pancha. Head home. 

Costa da Morte Rocks

I don't just mean it's cool. (It is.) The Costa da Morte also has many stones to consider. While some people prefer spending vacation at the beach, I can't travel without checking out some culture/architecture: churches, old buildings, museums, etc. This has been termed by some people as sightseeing ¨the rocks.¨ So before we part once again for the Costa da Morte next week (this time to the southernmost section), it's time to finish what I started. It has come to my attention while scrapbooking that I definitely only covered half of our long weekend to Galicia's 'deadly' coast last year. And I left out my favorite kinds of sights! Rocks! So here goes another highlight reel...

Under the Mallorcan Sun

My first big trip (re: plane ride) post-COVID was to the Mediterranean island of Mallorca. The first time I went to Mallorca it was December, so most coastal regions were essentially ghost towns. Despite being during COVID times, this time around in July it was noticeably livelier. As well as more international (to not say more German). As far as COVID restrictions go, after landing they stopped us three times in the airport to check where we were coming from. At the time, Galicia was a ¨safe zone¨ with very few cases. (Oh how times have changed!) Therefore we didn't have to provide vaccination records or negative tests. The week before we went, Mallorca had been all over the news in Spain, as teenagers from around the country celebrating graduation had flocked to the island en masse, with very little social distancing. The result was a huge spike in cases, and mandatory quarantine for many teens. Quarantine in very nice hotels, mind you. They received a lot of backlash for complaining about the situation. 

But I digress. We didn't go to Mallorca to party it up, but rather to relax with the fam. We rented a house with a marvelous patio, pool, and jacuzzi. The beach was less than 10 minutes away on foot. A pebbly cove. We ended up branching out to other sand beaches during our stay. I don't consider myself a beach person, but I guess after living for years in a region with over 1,000 miles of coastline, it's growing on me. In Galicia, however, they don't serve tropical cocktails on the beach! Lime and coconut concoctions tasted like vacay. Hard to resist. The Mediterranean Sea was not bathwater, as I had been promised. Certainly warmer than in Galicia though. And everywhere the water was crystalline!

The house location was perfect for the family fishers, who got up around 5 AM to head out in search of lunch. If these were hunter-gatherer times, we'd have been left starving. I was assured that in Mallorca there are ¨loads of fish to be caught.¨ After six early mornings and a few afternoons of fishing, they had only a handful of fish to show for it. Éche o que hai (it is what it is).

Fortunately there were also activities besides fishing. One day we did a high ropes course, something I haven't done in over a decade. The last time I went as a Girl Scout, I remember it being scarily high. And even though this time we went on a course for ages six and up, I still had my qualms. But actually it was quite easy, and all of the sets ended in a zipline. Plus, being up in the trees was a great way to avoid the summer heat. 

Another morning we cooled off on a visit to the Caves of Hams. Hams is mallorquín for hooks. These unique stalactites defy the laws of gravity! While the stalactites themselves grow downward, on some a small hook juts out and grows upwards again. Fascinating! The cave was all the more spectacular thanks to the colorful and dramatic lights they have set up. 

Kicking off 2021's Camp Season

The weather is finally warm (no need for a thick comforter anymore). Classes for me as a language assistant are over (although school doesn't get out til the end of June). I've suddenly got a lot of free time. Finally feels like summer! 

To celebrate the first summery weekend of the year, we headed to Lugo's northern coast A Mariña to go camping for a night. In A Mariña the climate is milder yet unpredictable, so I was worried it would end up raining or being really cold in the tent at night. But honestly, we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was sunny early in the day, and then in the evening although it was cloudy it was still warm. We camped at Rinlo Costa Camping, a cute little place a short walk from the village of Rinlo. I think the campground is worth mentioning because they were pleasant. Plus they didn't charge us for renting bikes because it was the off season. The tiny village of Rinlo used to be a whaling port. Now, rather than whale it is famous for its creamy rice with lobster. This was my third time having the famed arroz caldoso, compared to somebody who had never had it before. Out-galicianing the Galician! 

With our bellies full, it was naptime. For me, at least. So we borrowed bikes (for free!) and took a 20 minute ride towards a deserted cove. I had been gung-ho about biking because it's something I rarely do, plus A Mariña is generally flat with hardly any traffic on the country roads. It should have been easy. It was easy. However, the last time I rode a bike was three years ago on a trip to Amsterdam and other Dutch cities. So let's just say I'm not used to the tiny bike seat. Fortunately, I was able to rest up in between short rides to and from the secluded beach. You have to climb down a ladder to get to the inlet, protected by cliffs on both sides. They say the water on this coast is warmer than the southwest Rías Baixas, but before June I only dared dip my feet in. 

Little Illa Pancha & its lighthouses

Sunday morning after a short fishing expedition in which I did not participate, we drove a few miles east, just short of the town of Ribadeo. We parked at the Illa Pancha Lighthouse. It's a tiny island that seems like a peninsula, depending on the angle. A very short pedestrian bridge connects the island to the mainland. It has two lighthouses: one built in the 19th century was converted into a mini hotel. So now, you can only access the Illa Pancha if you're staying at the hotel. From the park area near the island, there is a coastline walkway into the town of Ribadeo. So off we went, passing a fortress and loading dock on our way into town. The fortress of San Damián is from the 17th century, meant to protect Ribadeo's estuary (Ría de Ribadeo) from attacks. You can glimpse inside, but this historical place is also off-limits. The old loading dock is from the early 1900s. Now there is a gangway and part of the stone building where they stored iron mined in A Pontenova (in the middle of Lugo province). 

Once in Ribadeo, we mostly ambled around enjoying the nice weather. Ribadeo and its surroundings have tons of indianos. There is even a route of Indiano houses. We stopped to see a few. I was also shocked to see all the stores open on a Sunday, but I guess that is normalized in a touristy town. All the terrazas were packed (especially due to COVID-19 limitations). So we got some sub sandwiches to go, walked back to the car, and enjoyed our lunch gazing at the crashing waves. We had thought about making a stop on the way home, but we were just too pooped. Besides, we enjoyed ourselves so much we've already convinced some friends into going back with us. There are more indianos and coastline to be seen!

Indiano action in Ribadeo

The Former Capital Known as Betanzos

In the Middle Ages, Galicia was its own kingdom divided into seven provinces. Most of the former capitals remain important cities today: A Coruña, Santiago, Ourense, and Lugo. But three haven't grown much since their glory days. One of those former capitals partially caught in the past is Betanzos. I'd been wanting to check the place out. After all, I had already seen all the other former capitals (including Tui and Mondoñedo). So one sunny Saturday, we took advantage of the fact that a teacher at the school I work at lives there to pay her a visit. It was awesome to have a private tour. Like the good old days of travel! Anyways, I liked what I saw, and am already planning a return visit. There is more to be seen, especially since we didn't go inside any museums. Too busy soaking up the sun and trekking all around town.

I mention that Betanzos was a former Galician capital because you can totally tell. It doesn't have an entire wall, but still holds on to three of the five gateways from its Medieval town wall. And no capital is complete without a handful of pazos. It also has multiple churches from the 14th-16th centuries. By multiple I mean four churches and two convents all within the city center. To me, the most interesting one (from the outside) is San Francisco. It has a little stone pig on top, symbol of the Andrade family-- nobles who had the church built. 

Igrexa de San Francisco, Betanzos

The wash house

One thing I enjoyed about Betanzos is all the modernist architecture. Buildings such as the school-- which is still used to this day--, the slaughterhouse, and the current graphic arts school stand out with their vibrant hues. Perhaps part of Betanzos' modernist boom was thanks to the García Naveira Brothers. Like many of their Galician peers, they emigrated to Argentina in search of fortune. Unlike many, they actually found it! Upon their return to their hometown of Betanzos, these indianos invested a lot in improving the place. Some of their donations included the aforementioned school, homes for the elderly or ill, and a large public wash house. We stepped inside the empty, echoing wash house. It has two floors: the lower by the riverside with stones for scrubbing out stains, and the upper filled with trails of boards bordering gaping holes for drip-drying. The surrounding yard also has about 100 feet of clothesline to dry clothes in the sun. It's easy to imagine the place bubbling with action and hot gossip 100 years ago. 

Another such improvement by Betanzos' benefactor brothers was the one-of-a-kind Parque do Pasatempo (the Past time Park). In its heyday, this 22-acre park brought the world to Betanzos. It was like a theme park. People could be awed by the statues of mythology and exotic animals; a house of mirrors; clocks with the time in every corner of the world; a small zoo and labyrinth; grottoes; and much more. But today, only about one-tenth of the park remains. And you can only get a glimpse of the glamorous past from the gate. The park is now closed. What's left of the place is on the brink of destruction. They'd need a lot of money to even begin to restore this historical treasure. That's where the Association of Friends of the Parque do Pasatempo comes in.  Their goal is to defend the park as the historical heritage site that it is. They also have tons of resources about the Pasatempo, and here you can even find a few in English. Hopefully soon enough the government (on any level) will invest enough to revive this gem.

Tiny part of the Parque do Pasatempo

But wait, there's more! Betanzos is known in Galicia for having great tortilla de patacas (Spanish omelet). So a visit there would not be complete without some tortilla from a bar purportedly serving the best of Betanzos. Soft, but not too yolky. Perfection! Since we had learned about the wine in Betanzos during our fabulous guided tour, we were itching to try some ourselves. Although nowadays it's not as popular as other Galician wine regions such as the Rías Baixas or Ribeira Sacra, it has a strong history of wineries. Along the river bordering Betanzos you can peek at a few hillside grape vines. But alas, official Betanzos wine in such short supply that in the bar they had none. The local gourmet shop saved the day: we picked out a bottle of white Betanzos wine as well as a jar of chocolate peanut butter. Both pending taste tests. 

PS. Special thanks to our marvelous tour guide for her insight!

Galicia's Green Countryside

As a delayed birthday present (due to Covid restrictions, of course), this weekend we finally went to a casa rural. The morning of our fieldtrip was spent in Betanzos, but that's a post for another day.Right in time for a sesta we arrived for check-in at the casa rural. A typical and refurbished Galician countryside home, it was spacious and made of stone with wood accents. We chose to stay on the first floor, in what used to be the kitchen. It still had the stone counter/basin for washing dishes. Upstairs there were five other bedrooms, as well as little nooks and a balcony. And being springtime, a few of the trees in the yard were in bloom. Lovely!

Dinner and breakfast were served in the large, open living/dining room. The indirect lighting paired with the light wood ceiling and beams gave it a chalet/lodge vibe. Because of Covid restrictions, all the couples were at their own table, spread apart. We got to sit closest to the behemoth fire place. Despite the sunshine in April, in the stone house it was still a bit chilly! The fireplace had benches around it, but not much fire going. Dinner itself was very tasty. We savored the food knowing it was homegrown: lettuce from the garden in the salad, beef from the farm's cows, and soup from the garden greens. Similarly, breakfast was bountiful and homemade. Butter from the cows, homemade jams and jellies, honey from the area. We loaded up on toast, juice, and milk to keep us going on our hike. 

Right be for noon on Sunday, we embarked on a 7 km hike through Fragas do Eume Park. Fragas do Eume is one of the best-conserved forests on the Atlantic coast. I'd been there before but hadn't exactly gone hiking. This was a circular route that went high and low. We started walking through pine trees, then through open fields with views of the Eume River in the distance below. At first we saw a lone cow grazing about 20 feet from the trail. Less than half an hour later, there were a dozen cows! They were interspersed between the trail and the grass, accompanied by their calves/teenage cows. How exciting! They're not wild cows, but belong to someone who lets them graze yearlong. At one point we passed a shack with hay for them. The landscape changed a bit as we walked downhill through a forest of birch, chestnut, and oak trees. As we continued out from between the trees, we were exposed to the sun and wind. As well as some more great views of the river! I thought that we had arrived to a miradoiro (look out). But in fact, that was still further uphill, past an abandoned house and tons and tons of blooming toxos (apparently called gorse, but I've never heard of it outside Galicia). That miradoiro was even better: the river below, the green and yellow (from the toxos) hills and valleys as far as the eye could see. 

Once we arrived back to the car, we dug into some empanada, apparently from one of the oldest bakeries in Spain. On our way home, we passed by one of two monasteries within the Fragas do Eume Park. On my last visit there, we saw the monastery of Caaveiro, and this time it was Monfero's turn. Monfero's monastery looks surprisingly modern. I imagine it's because the majority of Galicia's old buildings are Romanesque and this was Baroque. Granted, as with many Galician treasures, half of it is overgrown and completely uncared for. The only decent part is the church with its checkered façade. The monastery itself is half collapsed, half buried under brush. As I said, unfortunately this neglect is nothing new here in Galicia. 

Signs of Spring in the Ribeira Sacra

Long time, no write! Not much of interest has been happening lately. For obvious reasons. Between now and my last entry, bars/restaurants were closed for several weeks, as were most city limits. We even went 100% virtual with English classes. Honestly, for me it wasn't that bad because I was in the countryside and only had to connect to class for brief chats with each group. For the regular teachers, though, I'm sure it was a headache between bad connections, difficulty hearing/seeing students, and suddenly having to plan everything online. But classes are back in person, and bars are back open now, at first until 6 and now until 9 PM.  

Last weekend I ventured out of Lugo's city limits for the first time since October. Five months in the same place! We didn't even escape very far: Ribeira Sacra in the south of the province. By now I've been several times, but it's a lovely daytrip and the views never disappoint. I'm never sure if I want to keep Galicia and its treasures a hidden secret, or let the whole world know and discover their beauty! When we were out and about on a Saturday, there were few cars and zero tourists. The only potential tourists would have to be Galicians, since the borders are closed, but still. We had gone specifically to see the cherry blossoms. A student had mentioned that in the area of Chantada there were a lot. Unfortunately, I think we were a week too soon! That's alright. Every time I spotted blossoms, I pointed them out exaggeratedly. ¨Wow! Look at that tree! Isn't it marvelous!?¨

Archway below/next to 
Santo Estevo de Chouzán

Because we had left early and didn't have much of a plan besides to search for cherry blossoms, we had plenty of time to spare before lunch. We were planning on doing a hike, but there was a logistical error with the starting point. Anyways, we made up for that by walking uphill and downhill a few times. First, to se the Cabo do Mundo, a lookout over the Miño River. From there we observed those hilly family vineyards, complete with a smattering of folks taking advantage of the sun to work. We also climbed very far downhill to visit a Romanesque church. Galicia is all about that Romanesque art! I was surprised at the size of Santo Estevo de Chouzán Rather than a small chapel, it was a full-blown church, on a hill seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Not even next to a hamlet! Originally a Benedictine monastery, it was moved decades ago when the area was flooded to build a dam. Apparently inside there are still Romanesque paintings. Unfortunately, I couldn't make out much from the keyhole. 

For lunch we stopped at a little hole-in-the-wall, with terraza views of the Miño and Sil Rivers. On the way home, we also stopped in Portomarín. But I'll save that for another day, when we return to see the underwater remains. Like a lot of important buildings of the region, the entire town of Portomarín was moved decades ago when they built the dam. 

Os Peares: Where the Sil and Miño meet