To the Ends of the Earth

This weekend our travels took us to Fisterra, on the Costa da Morte. Fisterra is named such because the Romans thought it was the end of the earth. Finis terrae. Obviously that is not the case, as we know there is a whole other set of continents in the distance, not to mention it's not even the westernest part of the continent. Nowadays Fisterra is the optional ending point for the Camiño de Santiago, the walk which officially ends in Santiago de Compostela to see the remains of the apostle St. James in the 800-year-old Cathedral. Some pilgrims choose to continue to Fisterra, and maybe burn their boots while they're at it. By the way, today is a holiday throughout Galicia: the feast day of St. James. 

You can't get to the ends of the Earth without stopping first in Corcubión. A small, historic town on the coast, I didn't expect much of it, since it's not usually mentioned when discussing cute little fishing villages in Galicia. So I was pleasantly surprised when we stopped there to get some fresh seafood. It just so happens that they were hosting the Medieval Market of the Costa da Morte. Serendipity! We had time to kill before getting to Fisterra so we walked around. Although I didn't buy anything, I was giddy about the variety of stands set up. Usually at fairs it's all the same. Several stalls of leather (belts, wallets, etc); a handful dedicated to cheap jewelry; maybe one of wooden toys, but the same style at every single fair. But this was different. There was a guy carving wood into decorative pieces. There was more than one stand with all sorts of Lego characters. Another with some handmade soaps. One full of spices/medicinal herbs for all sorts of ailments. An Arabic-themed tea stall with sitting area. A pig roast! There were actors roaming around in Medieval garb, including two dressed as ¨street sweepers¨ with big baskets to collect rubbish, and who also did balancing acts. If we ever go back, we'll have to bring our Medieval dress to fit in with the corcubioneses. 

Medieval entertainment in Corcubión

Festive in Fisterra?

Once at our final destination of Fisterra, I was charmed by the amount of small alleys above the port area. I had been before my first year in Galicia, but we had only really gone to the lighthouse and cape. Last time, I don't think we even visited the village. Our loss! It was nice to wander around the alleys which sometimes were dead ends. And although the town is a popular destination among foreigners and pilgrims, it wasn't packed either. Especially considering the date.  Guess everyone was in Santiago de Compostela celebrating.

As far as beaches go, on this occasion we visited two. The first was smaller and I enjoyed it because it had plenty of ever-increasing shade thanks to an adjacent pine forest. I didn't like the other one as much because there was absolutely no shade. The view might have been ¨better¨ though, as it was open to the sea, with nothing in front. On both occasions the water was frigid! Clearly I'm spoiled by warmer Galician and Mediterranean beaches! At the open-sea beach, swimming was prohibited due to undercurrents. 

Mediterranean vibes, Galicia

Menorcan Towns & Cities

May was an optimal time to go to the second largest Balearic island. The seasonal restaurants had mostly been open since Semana Santa. The weather was delightfully warm during the day, but cool at night. Nothing too aggressive. And there was practically no one around! Ok, so it's not like it was a no-man's land, but there were minimal to no crowds. I've got a lot to go over, so I'll be dividing and conquering. Let's start with Menorca's lovely cities and villages.

MAÓ/MAHÓN

Menorca's capital and our home base. I want to call it a city, but seeing as it has a population of less than 30,000 that might be an exaggeration. As we were driven in from the airport, we winded along the endless port area, with back-to-back restaurants of all sorts, their terrazas steps away from the water. Maó's port is one of the biggest natural ports in the Mediterranean. The city itself is higher up, with definite Mediterranean vibes. Just the color palette of warm shades was an obvious difference from Galicia. 

But my favorite place in Maó was technically not even in the city limits, but rather in the next town over, in their smaller harbor. Cales fonts! I swear I felt like I was either in a movie or a TV program about Europe. A European boardwalk. I think the quiet stroll over makes the sight all the more breathtaking. On the way over, we walked through a residential area that seemed mostly abandoned before summer. We crossed paths with perhaps two people. Then suddenly when you get to the dock you can spot lively Cales Fonts glowing in the distance. The wooden walkway over to it hugs the cliffs on the left, with boats rocking on your right. Cales Fonts is a harbor full of restaurants and their terrazas, with warm lighting reflecting off the water. Also, because it was May, finding a table wasn't a source of stress. In fact, we ended up having dinner here twice. I was enamored! 

Dinner with a view. Quintessential Mediterranean

CIUTADELLA

On the western tip of the island is Menorca's other major city: Ciutadella. Again, the feeling of we're not in Galicia anymore! Tan, yellow, and beige buildings everywhere. We really only were there for lunch and a quick walk around town before and afterwards. It was a sunny Sunday so there were plenty of people, perhaps locals, milling around. 

Warm: Menorca's weather and color scheme

BINIBÈQUER/BINIBECA

I don't care if this isn't an actually populated village, and is more of a tourist destination than anything else. I was absolutely enraptured! When we parked, my friend said ¨You're going to love this!¨ First we walked past an average terraza with a handful of people drinking in the shade. Nice, I guess. Then he ducked down some stairs which I thought led into the kitchen of the bar. ´Where the heck is he taking us?!´ I thought to myself. And then: all was revealed! We were surrounded by a labyrinth of white houses. Completely white. Just some dark mahogany beams to contrast every once in a while. It was glorious! Once again, coming in May we really nailed it. It might have even been just as nice in off-season. But to have to share those alleyways with a horde of others in summer months would have made it lose it's charm. There were a few other people walking among the white, past signs begging for ¨Silence, please.¨  At the end of our trip, when we were talking about our favorite parts/places in Menorca, my friend was right. Binibeca was certainly mine!

ES MIGJORN

As far as tourism goes, this sleepy town hasn't got much to offer. It's not right next to the coast, which is what the vast majority of people come to Menorca for. It isn't filled with bars and their cute patios (We stopped at what appeared to be the village's only bar). However, it is a real town (unlike Binibeca), with its own cute white houses. Also, I'm not sure if it was because the day we visited just happened to be the village flower festival, or if the place is always so adorable, but just about every single house had flowers outside in the (pedestrians only) street. And most of the flower pots were made from upcycled bottles and other items. Super! On the ¨main street¨ they also had colorful flags with (unknown to us) words strung along them. We were puzzled. Finally someone was able to explain that the town hall had collected specifically Menorcan words that were slowly disappearing. It was a way to remind passersby of them and be proud. The linguistics fans of the bunch were delighted. 

Mallorcan Noms

This year we got to visit not one but two Balearic Islands. The benefits of Galician emigration for me: friends and cuñados on Mediterranean isles. And because it's fresher in my mind: Mallorca! This was my third visit to the biggest Balearic Island. We went for an extended weekend in July, meaning our beach days coincided with some of the busiest days. But we got there early and didn't stick around for the afternoon. The temperature was ideal, too; not scorching hot, and the water was warm. The only thing we are not used to here in Galicia was the foot-burning sand. Everyone sought relief in the crystalline waters. 

One unexpected thing I love about Palma de Mallorca (a city of less than 500,000 people) is the food variety. As Americans, we are so used to having all sorts of ethnic cuisines at our fingertips! Here in Galicia (more specifically, Lugo), not so much. The extent of ¨international dining¨ aside from the Chinese restaurant and a handful of sushi places (a recent development in the past 5 years) is kebab, which is considered Turkish fast food and can be found all over Spain, and maybe all over Europe. So on our visit we took advantage of all the tastes Mallorca has to offer, both local and foreign. First night ramen in an authentic, cheap place in what could be called Asiatown. Another night sushi. Another night Indian. By ordering out we got to enjoy the marvelous terraza at my cuñado's place, lovely but unbearable during the day. On one beach day we also had a Mallorcan specialty: pa amb oli. The three words are said together as if one word, rhyming with stromboli. ¨Bread with oil,¨ it's available with innumerable topping combinations, kind of like a pizza. You can get them in specific bar/restaurants called pambolerías. Yummy and light, perfect for Mallorcan heat!

And when surrounded by so many guiris (foreigners, like myself) in a hot Spanish climate, nothing hits the spot like a sangría! I rarely have them here, but it just felt so right. So summery. So touristy. Our hosts also shared a pitcher with me, so it can't be only for tourists. At one place a white sangría (kind of an oxymoron, when you think about it, since sangría comes from sangre, because of its bloodred hue) did not disappoint! It was filled with festive fruits! Now that was a vacation drink!

Stay tuned for more Balearic travels...in Menorca! 

 

Back for Summer Vacation!

I'm back! Just in time for summer vacation. I didn't really go anywhere, just busy working my usual stint teaching English classes in addition to working on an international conference held here in Galicia. But more on that later. Now I'm officially on vacation and hope to catch up on the past few months' of blogging. Time to start churning out the entries!

To kick off summer vacation, like many good lugueses we went to Miño to hit the beach. Despite it being July, the temperature maxed out at 75ºF and there were lots of cloudy patches. Plus the wind on the beach made it hard to bear at times. Mini sandstorms! That probably explains why even on a Sunday there were few people on the beach. The others must have gotten the memo that nowadays early July is hardly beach weather. Regardless, there was just enough sun to dive in a few times throughout the weekend. At times it was more pleasant in the water than out of it. Plus we had plenty of room to spread out and play beach sports.

Almost too rich
when not accompanied
by churros.

But Sunday morning it was definitely too cloudy to haul our gear to the beach. So what is one to do in a beach town when the beach is out of the question? First we had a very vacation-y breakfast of chocolate con churros. Yummo! And as you may know, in Spain the typical hot chocolate is thickkk. I always get a kick out of resting the spoon on the surface, just to prove how thick it really is. Next stop: the weekly fair to buy underwear! Afterwards we went on a new sensory walking trail from one beach along the train tracks, through a forest, ending in a quiet residential area called Ponte do Porco. 

Ponte do Porco: the pig's bridge. Time for another Galician legend! In the 15th century lived a servant named Roxín Roxal. He fell in love with his master's daughter, Tareixa. The feeling was mutual, but clearly impossible, so the lord, Nuno Freire de Andrade--nicknamed ¨O Mao¨ (the bad), so imagine-- sent Roxín Roxal away. He gave him a golden dagger and a few coins to get by. Time passed, Roxín Roxal disappeared, Tareixa got married. Then a huge wild boar began to torment the lands of Nuno Freire de Andrade. Crops were ruined and even some peasants were killed by the treacherous boar. So Nuno organized a boar hunt, with his son-in-law and daughter Tareixa taking the lead. They had cornered the beast at the bridge. When suddenly, the animal lunged at them. The son-in-law-- instead of facing it with a spear-- jumped out of the way. So the boar went right for Tareixa, killing her instantly. Everyone went into mourning, especially the lord, ashamed of his yellow-bellied son-in-law. However, one morning the boar appeared dead next to the bridge with a golden dagger sticking out of it. It was then that the lord knew that he had made a mistake. His daughter would have been alive if she had married Roxín Roxal as she had wished. Social class doesn't buy bravery.

Now there is a cruceiro there, meant to look like the markers the Andrade family would have used to designate their lands. Apparently the cross over the boar represents the triumph of good over evil (boars often representing the devil in Medieval times). And fun fact: both John Adams passed through Ponte do Porco some time after the Revolutionary War.