Another Weekend, Another Festival: Vendaval Fest

¨Ugh, not another festival!¨ Those words actually came out of my mouth. But I'm taking them back! While I had been longing to just stay at home for the weekend, we already had plans. The Vendaval Fest of rock music in Ribadeo. It turned out to be a well-balanced weekend away at a well-organized music festival in its third year. 

The festival itself was really cheap (around 20€ for 2 days of concerts!) and the camping was practically free at just 2€ per person for 2 nights. As one of our camp neighbors observed, you can barely go to a regular campground for that price and have hot showers. Throw in the added bonus of music and it's a steal! Part of the fun of music festivals is camping out among other attendees who evidently share the same taste in music. I can't always tell if this is a good thing or bad thing, being in close quarters. But in this case, we set up our tent next to a friendly couple and ended up chatting with them quite a bit.

Indiano in Ribadeo

Ribadeo is just a great town to walk around and enjoy the atmosphere. It has tons of bars and shops (which open on Sundays!) and lots of lovely indiano architecture. But on a sunny, Friday holiday during a music fest? That combination meant a lot of people were milling around. At lunchtime in the center of town, a very upbeat DJ spun songs in Galician as part of the festival's opening celebrations. The 25th of July is Galician National Day, after all, making it a 3-day weekend. 

After taking in the pre-festival fun, we went the cheap route and had sandwiches at our tent and rested up before the concerts around 7. I felt bad for the openers because hardly anyone was around for the first concert. Cuarta Xusta is a Galician band whose violin sets it apart from other rock groups. They were followed by a Galician grunge band (Sandford Music Factory) that sings in English. We had seen them at Resurrection Fest last year. Next was a big-name Spanish punk band which no doubt attracted a lot of people to the festival: Lendakaris Muertos. Their spazzy singer jumped into the moshpit several times despite being in his 50s. After their set, the crowd died down quite a bit, leaving us plenty of room at the front. Perfect, because someone had been listening to Rienda Suelta's CD on repeat in preparation for their concert. Afterwards, we turned in at the very responsible time of 1:30 AM, missing the last act which surely drew a good amount of fans.  

Saturday we got up relatively early, but thanks to noise throughout the night, I was still sleepy. A trip to the beach for a morning nap was in order! We weren't sure how sandy the beaches of Ribadeo would be, so we got in the car, crossed the bridge to Asturias, and landed on Arnao Beach. Wide and pretty, with rock formations in the middle. The water was way too cold to go in for me. Instead I opted for walking around the rock formations where we spotted a few little crabs, some tiny fish, and even a little shrimp. Then a little nap under the sun. 

Playa Arnao

We couldn't spend all day at the beach, though, because around 1PM the day's sesión vermú was underway. I was tempted to blow it off, but I'm glad we didn't! Mekanika Rolling Band is just that...a rolling band with guitar, drums, trombone, and saxophone. Playing energetic hits throughout Ribadeo as more and more people joined in the party. We had a blast singing along and dancing around with them. 

After lunch and a nap, by 7 it was day 2 of concerts. Saturday opened with a classic rock-n-roll band from Asturias. They were followed by two bands emulating a similar time in the early 70s (they sure dressed the part), the main difference being the second was led by a woman with an amazing voice. Curiously, all of these Spanish bands sung in English. Then came an electro-rock band from Galicia that sung in Spanish. And lastly (for us) Reincidentes, a classic in Spanish punk rock. After jumping around with them, it was time for bed! We missed the last ska band, but that's ok. And being the second night, I think people were just too pooped to be up all night chatting like the night before. Thank goodness; I slept all night long. 

To conclude: rock + camping + beach = way better than staying home! 

Llanes in Low Season

What to do when your best friend lives in Basque Country and you in Galicia? Meet up in the middle in good old Asturies. In April we met up in Llanes, despite the fact that all of us in our group had already been there before. It's a nice town with lots of charming architecture and just enough nightlife to keep you entertained. We did notice that the place has tons of bars, assumedly in the summer it is swarmed with tourists coming to visit nearby beaches. 

A lot of the architecture in Llanes is in the indiano style, typical of northern Galicia too. These ornate houses were built by returned emigrants who had made a fortune abroad. The well-preserved specimen below was right next to a completely dilapidated house. Should have taken its picture too for comparison. It wouldn't be an indiano house without a palm tree to pay homage to the land where said fortune was made-- in South or Central America.

As we only stayed one night, we didn't do a whole lot aside from walk around. Luckily it was great weather, so we were glad to be able to have coffees and drinks outside. When in Asturies, one must drink sidra, so that we did. I'm really never sure about the protocol, as you are supposed to share cups, but maybe not everyone in the group is keen to. Plus I've been told that it's rude to pour it yourself, as it suggests that the waiter/waitress pouring sidra is not attentive enough to your table's thirst. They generally come around asking if you'd like some more every 5-10 minutes. And it would appear that not all servers are equally skilled at sidra pouring. No surprise there, as you have to lift the bottle over your head and hold your hand with the glass at waist-level. Other sidrerías have graduated to giving out small pouring machines with your bottle of sidra. They aerate the sidra just as well or even better than if it were poured from up high, but it's just not the same. More convenient though, that's for sure. And no awkwardness of ¨Should I ask for a pour or just do it myself?¨either.

European charm

The next morning we went to nearby village and beach Celoriu. Coincidentally enough, we had both already been there, too. I had gone camping there in one of my first summers living in Galicia. But apparently it didn't make it to the blog back then. The reason for going this time around was for the menfolk to go fishing off the dock. We checked in on them shortly after they had settled in and that's when one of our companions caught his first ever fish! Too small to keep though. After a few hours, they fished something decent and we were able to have salpicón (a seafood cocktail of fish,  diced raw onions, carrots and peppers dressed with oil and vinegar) for dinner once home, not even 36 hours after we had first set off. 

 

Gusty day for fishing

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. 

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!

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