Around and About Allariz

Speaking of lovely Galician towns...Allariz! This Medieval town of 6,000 is a favorite for many. It only took me four years to visit, and it did not disappoint. The buildings and narrow streets are delightful, as well as the riverside walk. And Allariz doesn't feel too small. The night we went out for dinner there was plenty of ambiance. There must be at least two dozen café/bars and in the center the terraces were nearly full. Our visit also happened to coincide with the Ox Meat Tapa Contest (ox meat being the specialty in that region). So we jumped at the chance to have ox without paying an arm and a leg.

Apart from its Medieval charm, Allariz is also known for its annual international garden festival. The festival lasts spring through autumn. We went later in the season, so the props weren't in the best condition. Last year's theme was eroticism, and the 12 gardens were designed by people from Europe, South America, and Japan. Some were strange. But in general, all were a nice place to take a quiet walk.

Hollow tree near the church
and fountains

We also took a short hike nearby called Santa Mariña de Augas Santas. It started at a church with three sacred fountains. The legend says that a woman from the area resisted a Roman leader's sexual advances. So, ¨the usual¨: he ordered her execution. (Huh, sounds a lot like the present day machista attitude of ¨if I can't have you, nobody can¨...) She was in the oven, awaiting being burned to death when St. Peter appeared and rescued her through the tiny chimney. Later, however, she was decapitated and where her head bounced sprung up the fountains that nowadays are said to be sacred. From the church, a stone path leads down through the forest. The next stop is an unfinished basilica. It's hard to imagine them building a basilica back in the day, in what is now the middle of nowhere. A hole in the ground is supposedly the chimney through which the damsel escaped. You can go down into the crypt too, which is quite cool. There you can see the oven where the damsel was to be burnt. There's also a small pool.

Castro Armea

Continuing the hike, there's an `everlasting fountain´ under an old oak tree. Later, you run into a post-Roman castro: Castro Armea. You can tell it's from after the Romans because the buildings are square instead of round. This stop offers a nice view of the surroundings. Further along the trail, close to the beginning is what's left of an old Roman house. What's left is the floor. What might normally appear to be just a big, odd boulder is clearly carved into flooring. It has several levels (plus the ones underground) with stairs uniting the different terraces. This must have been quite the palace for the middle of Gallaecia!

Mondariz's Medicinal Fountains

Gándara Fountain

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

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

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

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

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

Sobroso Castle, view of tower from second floor guard path

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

Troña Castro

Daytrippers South of the Border

One benefit of living in Galicia is that Portugal is just a short drive away. When you cross the border, it's actually hard to tell the difference since the scenery is the same on the other side of the Miño River. While some insist that Portuguese and Galician are the same language, for me the  pronunciation is the only clue that you've made it south of the border.

On Palm Sunday we set out relatively early (especially keeping in mind that the hour hand had sprung forward). First stop: Tui. Given the holiday, we observed a procession of nearly 100 people around the town, following a statue of Jesus on a donkey. They didn't carry the palms we are used to back home; rather olive branches are more popular. Back in the day, people would leave the olive branch on their land since it was thought to bring fertility to the summer's crops.

I don't know why, but I was expecting Tui to be more magical. After all, it used to be a capital of the 7 Galician Kingdoms.  Tui's old town center is pleasant. But after seeing a lot of pretty, old town centers, I wasn't amazed. What did amaze me, however, was the information they had about Jews and the Jewish quarter of Tui. The Jews were kicked out of Spain in 1492. So in the north at least, vestiges of them are rare to find. In Tui there was a Jewish quarter and synagogue, with some carvings on houses still visible today.

Next stop: Viana do Castelo. This port town is on the ocean and also at the mouth of the Limia River. Atop the hill next to the city, overlooking the sea, is a big white church. In some ways it reminded me of Sacre Coeur, Paris. Similar church with lots of steps and a view below. Further up the same hill is a Celtic-turned-Roman camp. If it weren't for the Eucalyptus, there would be some great views. This was reminiscent of Castro de Santa Tegra, just an hour north on the same coast. For lunch we had a pair of Francesinhas, a typical Portuguese sandwich with various meats, melted cheese on top, and a plateful of its own special sauce. The main street was lovely, with views of the port in front of you, the white hillside church behind you, and along the road colorful shops and restaurants.

Our last stop was Ponte de Limia, an interior city on the same Limia River as Viana do Castelo. Because of the holiday, there was a big market set up under the trees along the riverside promenade. The highlight of the city, though, is a Roman and Medieval bridge which leads to another little white chapel. Coincidentally they were having a Craft Beer Fest which we checked out. And after a stroll through town we went back on our merry way to Galicia.

Vienen mis padres!

First major event after the school-year ending was my parents' visit to Galicia. Yupi! Renting a car allowed us to see some sweet sites, even if it was stressful for my padre.

Santiago

In the city of pilgrims, we saw the Cathedral, obviously. We also did some gastronomic exploring, although bear in mind my mom's favorite phrase, "NO ME GUSTA PULPO¨ (I don't like octopus). I took them to a cool place in the forest called Santiso, which uses all-Galician products, and even vegetables from their garden. 

Lugo

Sipping that Galician brew

Most of our time, the walled city was our homebase. Because it's that great! Saturday night they experienced Lugo's free tapas. Then we ended up getting a real dinner of raciones (bigger plates of food shared by everyone) with some of my English-speaking friends jeje. Another day was Lugo's craft beer festival, so my dad and I checked that out. But mom was not forgotten; he got her a donut from the handmade pastry tent. A donut the size of a head. 

Checking out the Castro

We also checked out Castro de Viladonga, the ruins of a Celtic town about 30 minutes outside of Lugo. Apparently it's one of my favorite places to take visitors, seeing as I've been there 3 times in the past 2 months. It's just fascinating to have something so old in our midst. Also the museum helps bridge the gap between the ruins you see and the lives they lived 2000 years ago.

THE WALL.

Another quick excursion from Lugo is the Ancares, aka the area where I (and my best friend) teach. O Cebreiro is about an hour away, and it's the first stop in Galicia on the Camino Francés de Santiago (the French Way to Santiago). But more than just pilgrims pass through, because it's a lovely town known for it's pallozas. Pallozas are the traditional, circular, Galician dwellings made of stone with a thatched roof. I'm not sure if people still live in them or they're just for show. But when we were there someone was repairing the roof of one. And on the way back home we drove by my school to check it out, but since it was a Sunday there was no one around.

A Palloza! In the sun!

The North Coast
Of course the highlight of a visit to Lugo's coast is the beach of As Catedrais. The tide was higher than expected, but after eating it went down far enough to walk around a bit. But we still couldn't go far enough to see the famed arch from the beach. We did, however, get to see it from above, on a cliff.

As Catedrais, not so much sun. 

Asturias

Cudillero

Since we were already at the north coast, the master vacation planner (me) decided to take them to Asturias which is similar to Galicia and can be really quite charming. Our first stop was the town Cudillero, which has a port surrounded by a hill and houses going up. Wouldn't want to live at the top! Here we enjoyed ice cream sundaes (well, Dad missed out and stuck to coffee).

Our stop for the night was Oviedo, the capital of Asturias. There's really a big difference architecturally between Lugo and Oviedo. So fancy! Also nice because we visited my friend who is "super Asturian" and knows a lot about the city, so let's just say he makes a much better tourguide than me haha. For dinner we went out to a sidrería, a typical Asturian cider house. Here's a fun fact I never knew, in most places the waiter is supposed to pour it for you every time, not just the first time. And it's rude to ask for more (no matter how thirsty you are), he's supposed to be aware of how long it's been since he's last poured it for you. By the way, the sidra is poured from up high so that it airs out. They only pour you a little bit at a time because you're supposed to drink it all at once. And also glasses get shared; you leave a tiny bit for the waiter to toss out and thereby "cleaning" it. It was definitely cool seeing them pour back to back from such heights. And for food, I'm sure my parents got something hearty, but for me the main attraction was the HUGE tortón (fried bread made of corn). We split it between the two of us, but realistically needed a 3rd person to help out. Seriously, look at the size of that thing compared to a hand! :O

And that really concludes my parents' adventure in the North. They went down to Madrid for a few days, but I passed on that since it's not really my city. Now to start planning new, interesting places for their next visit!

Excursión: Excelente, un 10

Recently I went on a week-long trip with my 15-17 year-old students. That was an experience, to say the least. Summed up in two phrases we repeated during the trip, it was "Excelente, un 10" because "en Estados Unidos eso no pasa!" (that doesn't happen in the USA!) Something unexpected happened every day. The trip was almost surreal at times. Chaperoning is a loose term here: because of the age we tried to promote independence. For example, a lot of these kids have probably never been on the subway before, so we taught them to use public transportation. Also, we'd go around in a group for the cultural visits in the morning, and then set them free with a time to meet back with us in the evening to make sure they were alive.

Salamanca
We only spent a few hours at our first stop. Everyone told me how much I'd love the city, so I guess it fell short of my expectations. It was nice to look at, and I'm sure it's fun to go out in since it's a big university city, but it didn't blow my mind. We got to go up the Cathedral, which was very cool but also nerve-wracking. We went up so many winding steps, all the way to the bell tower. Great views of the city though. We also saw the cathedral and university walls which are covered in elaborate sculptures, and you have to find the hidden astronaut and frog. Then we had lunch and were off to...

Mérida

The theater, where they still hold plays in the summer

I loved it, and although some of my students would say they hated it, that's only because there was no nightlife ON A TUESDAY. Jeez, what did they expect? But also they'd be lying if they said they had a bad time by the end of the night--after walking around for an hour we finally found a karaoke bar. There was just one man there, plus our group of ~20. The kids had a blast singing Spanish pop hits together. I even learned some catchy tunes (si hay que ser torero oléeee). But the best part of Mérida is the Roman presence. It's like Lugo, except more like Rome or Athens. In the middle of the city there were random Roman ruins. Not to mention the glorious and pretty intact theater and amphitheater. Why pay hundreds on a flight to Greece when you can see some great ruins here in Spain? Also Mérida has the national Roman art museum. Very cool, even if we didn't have time to see it all.

Mosaic in the museum

Temple of Diana, in the middle of a plaza

Lisbon
I guess you could call it the main attraction of the trip, since we spent 3 nights there. We saw the typical things: a cathedral, the port, a castle, and that great Portuguese tiled architecture. With the other teachers I

Super Chaperones in the
 Castelo de San Jorge

saw the Café A Brasileira and an overpriced fado show. It's a trap! One day we took the kids to Belém--a neighborhood or suburb 20 mins away--when the bus drivers just happened to be on strike. Despite the fact that when the bus pulled up it was already standing room only, we manged to cram our group of 32 onto the bus. Uncomfortable, for sure. When we drove by stops people were indignant at the amount of people on the bus, and yet tried to cram in with us. I was basically sitting on the dash for part of the trip. In Belém we saw the necessary Monastery, Monument to the Discoverers, and Belém Tower. Of course I also deemed it necessary to get custard pastries from the famous Pasteis de Belém.

Here comes a surreal episode: One of the nights we all had dinner in this elegant ballroom. It was just our group, but people would walk up to the door to take pictures, that's how glam it was. Anyways, then the other two chaperones (a priest and a middle aged woman) started to waltz. The students were flabbergasted. Shortly afterward, the priest started singing the "Vals de las Mariposas" and about 5 pairs of students got up to dance! I couldn't believe my eyes! But wait, it gets better--one of my students asked me to dance! I don't know how to waltz! But I tried anyways, with my two left feet. For the rest of the night I didn't hear the end of it. "Americans can't dance! You need to learn how to dance. Dance is the language of love" Hahaha. Strange and amusing times.

In Lisboa I also learned to accept the Spanish hands-off approach to chaperoning. Like when we told the kids to meet us in the lobby at 2 AM. Then we'd go out for some wine. But we definitely had our kids under control compared to another group (there were 5 school groups in the hotel at once. I feel bad for any adult guests trying to have a nice getaway). The other group threw a bed out the window. Do you believe that?! I'm telling you, it was an unexpected trip.

Porto
Our last overnight stop was Porto. I can't really tell if I like it better than Lisbon. Since it was the last night, by that time I was pretty much mentally checked out. The weather was excellent, and we had lunch on the docks where they were having a little street fair. Some students were attacked by seagulls haha. We also saw a cathedral where they stored some bones, but frankly it was disappointing--you just looked through a small hole in the ground to see a few bodies worth of bones below. At night I know the kids were hoping to go out with a bang, but unfortunately for them, Porto's abundant nightlife is full of adults. People my age! I did feel bad that they were left so disappointed on the last night, though. We all went out together, then gave them a curfew of 3 am. Oddly enough, when we returned to the hotel at 2:30, all of the kids were back already. I also imagine they were tuckered out after a week of sleeping probably 2-4 hours a night! Ah, youth.

Tiles in the train station São Bento

Galician Coast
On the way home we drove along the west coast instead of the freeway. Lovely views! We then stopped in Santa Tecla, a huge Castro with amazing sea views. Then we went up to Vigo where we spent the afternoon on the beach. I didn't bring my suit, but did enjoy a nice nap in the sand. The kids got in the water...I dipped my toes in and it was freezing, so I dunno how they did it. I was also happy to see them playing volleyball, since we teach that in gym class and often they're a bit uninterested. So Vigo concludes this trip of unexpected moments. Glad I was able to go and bond with the students.

The Galician Versailles and Celtic Ruins

This weekend 4 of us English speakers rented a car (automatic, of course. stick shift isn't as common in America as it is here) and hit the road to see hard-to-access sites within an hour and a half of Lugo. We were definitely impressed! Sometimes Lugo and Galicia in general don't get the credit they deserve. It isn't Barcelona or Madrid, but there are beautiful and historical things here! Plus it's got to be the most budget-friendly place in Spain, and gas is cheap/cars are efficient, so what are you waiting for?!

Take our first stop, Pazo de Oca. Known as the Galician Versailles, it was once a palace owned by some lucky Galician family. I think the family still owns it, but now it's an attraction that reminded us of The Secret Garden. I'm extra glad we came this weekend in particular because all the trees were in spring bloom. If I had to describe it with one adjective I'd choose idyllic. It's better just to take a gander for yourself...

The hórreo was used to store corn, and is popular in Galicia, not all of Spain.

After strolling the gardens, we returned to the curving country roads. We stopped on the way to get some sandwiches bigger than our faces. The restaurant was deserted, and when we said we wanted to sit outside to enjoy the sun, the woman went "WOWW". Odd. But as we were eating outside we realized how windy it was. In the end, we got full for less than 5 euros, so good decision. 

Next stop, Castro de Viladonga, which is actually just 20 minutes outside of Lugo. A castro is a Celtic neighborhood, basically. Well, because they are obviously ruins they are 1-2 feet high stone walls of what used to be the Celtic village. This specific castro is surrounded by a terrain wall, which you have to wonder how they constructed. There is also a free museum which gives a history of the people who lived there based on artifacts they found. They estimate 300-350 folks lived in this specific community. Some of the glass pieces and jewelry seemed like they could be from the past century. Overall it was a neat stop. I liked to imagine that an enemy was spotted on the horizon and they were calling an assembly to prepare for battle, but that's just me. 

Two housewives exchange gossip from their respective castros ;)

Next stop, Las Médulas. But like this weekend, that'll be for another day.

West Coast, best coast

I declare that this week I'm seeing more of Northern Spain (well, Galicia, Asturias, and Cantabria) than I've seen all year. Especially the delightful natural attractions. The day after returning from our Girls Roadtrip, I took a day trip with my friend to Galicia's west coast.

First stop: The ruins of Catoira. Centuries ago, Vikings entered the area via a river leading to the ocean, and being Vikings, pillaged and desecrated the place. Now the town has a famous Viking festival each summer where citizens dress up as Vikings and come in on big boats to burn down the makeshift village (already been added to my festivals to attend list, fret not). When we went there were two Viking ships in the port that you could board in addition to three ruined buildings. Nifty.

Next stop: As piscinas do Río Pedra. Another natural beauty, with yellow flower- and tree-lined hills on either side of the river. The giant rocks create miniature waterfalls which flow into swimming-worthy pools. It's understandably a big hit during the summertime. Despite the heat when we went, the water was too cold for my taste. We did traverse upstream which required walking barefoot in the water. I only fell once, and not into the water, so overall it was a good experience.

Third Stop: Castro de Baroña. Approaching it from the woods, the small, walled peninsula with remains of circular rock houses looks mythical.  I can certainly understand why the Celts chose this place for their village. It's got charming beaches on either side, is on a cliff that meets the ocean, and has a good view of the mainland where enemies would come from. Perhaps my favorite place we visited that day.

Is it Atlantis? Nay, it's Castro de Baroña!

The remains are only a few feet high because people
would take the rocks for their own walls

Next Stop: A beekeeper's workshop. This part was like visiting a honey museum, except personal and with free samples. I (more or less) learned the steps to making honey and tried about 10 varieties--to get different 'flavors' he leaves the bees by different types of flowers. My favorite kind was chocolate honey, and he even gave me a jar of it. Stellar! Not really a honey fan, but can't resist chocolate goodness.

Final Stop: As dunas de Corrubedo. I was actually not too impressed by this park. Although now it is better guarded and there are signs that warn a 60-600 euro fine for walking onto the dunes, before people apparently used to drive their cars right up into the dunes and thus would have to push them back out. The dunes used to be bigger and more impressive, but it seems that because of their misuse they've shrunk. So by now it just looks like a sandy hill leading towards a beach.