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