This beach was a short hike and climb away from the main road. I had the whole beach to myself. I´m not even sharing the exact location because I want to have it to myself the next time too. So… just enjoy the view.
And this beach was right on the main road.
I just want to note that not one of these photos has been color corrected or edited.
Lugo is so beautiful! I went on a warm and sunny day. The skies were so blue. The history of Lugo dates back to 13 BC when the city was a Roman military camp. The walls of Lugo made the Unesco World Heritage Site list in 2000.
According to wikipedia, this is the only city in the world that is still surrounded by fully intact Roman walls. So I came to have a nice walk.
The cathedral was the first stop, but it was closed when I arrived.
It did not take long to walk from the cathedral to the walls of the city. I had seen this mural so many times on television and social media… I had no idea I would get to see it today!
And I found an unexpected surprise when descending the wall. There is a secret gem, I assume by the same artist. You cannot tell me these are not the cutest grafiti you have ever seen. I want to know what are they and whether they have names.
The views from the top were stunning, but it is possible I wasted most my time in Lugo trying to take photos of cats in the yards below.
I had my first summer to trip to Madrid. The weather was absolutely perfect. This is a novelty post.
First stop was lunch at a restaurant next to the AirBnB. The food was mediocre but the ceiling was absolutely amazing.
Next up was El Parque de Retiro. Absolutely beautiful day for wandering.
There is a rubber duck store. Like an actual store with nothing but tiny rubber ducks right in the Plaza Mayor.
I walked past some interesting store fronts. I love the ice cream cat so much. And who goes to a museum for ham??
The monuments and buildings were beautiful in the sun
What I remember most about this trip were the colors. Everything was so vibrant. I stopped at Mercado de la Cebada to look around and maybe grab a snack. I bought these cherries that were so ripe and sweet and red. So very dark red. My fingers were stained with juice. And the bright red fruit, the blue sky, the white monuments.
Then there was a cafe with this little drink garden! It was nearly impossible to sit and not wobble the coffee off the table, but it was so cute I did not even care.
Since moving to Spain, I have been on a quest for decent Mexcian or even Tex-Mex food. You would think there would be more food representing the various colonies. And there is a HUGE population of Central and South American immigrants. I found this really amazing looking restaurant in Malasaña.
Absolutely adorable, but the food was a big NOPE by traditional standards. If you are looking for 20 flavors of Margarita and some hipster taco with mayo based dressings this is your place.
I did at least find one place that serves a traditional US meal.
Then there were the creepies…
The summer trip to Madrid concluded with a trip to the Rastro. This was absolutely crazy. The entire city becomes a huge flea market. What is being sold is divided by district. I think my favorite was the antiques district.
Seemingly unconnected story time… I had been helping create a garden and installing a stone path. I planted too many lettuces and the stone path, jokingly, became known as ¨calle de las lechugas¨. I was walking along and discovered that Calle de la Lechuga is a real street! The vendors in Madrid have tiny versions of the street signs for sale, so I spent the rest of my trip hunting for a miniature version of this street sign. It was not available anywhere! Not even online!
And the cautionary tale… I am accustomed to travel in the bigger cities, but it was my first time being pickpocketed. The Rastro was so packed. I could feel someone attempting to open a zipper in my bag while I paid for a key chain. They didn´t have time to access anything besides the outermost pocket. And of course, I did not put anything there. Actually I don´t put anything valuable in the backpack when I am going. So … I was fine, but be careful.
Also… my daughter grabbed the rosemary. If you have not been to the big cities, do not touch anything people try to give you. It is not free. Within 2 seconds, the women with the rosemary separated my daughter and I. I basically ended up paying to get back to my daughter. It was more than I could afford. Be careful with that.
After living in this beautiful city for more than 2 years, I have decided it is time to start sharing my favorite things in Santiago.
The city has 1000 years of folklore and hidden secrets to uncover. One piece of lore to visit is El Árbol de la Ciencia. Young students come to find their academic fate.
One of my favorite parts of Spain is that they have maintained spaces where small businesses thrive. Santiago de Compostela was largely destroyed in the 10th century and reconstructed over the next 1,000 years. The ancient buildings were never meant to offer space to large warehouse companies and big box stores. Those are sequestered on the far edges of the city.
Instead, the old town in Santiago de Compostela houses smaller privately owned businesses and restaurants. Constant renovations restore the old stone buildings and give them new life while maintaining the most beautiful stone and dark wood features. Most shops have only a few meters space inside and are smaller than the average american garage.
Each shop specializes in only a limited number of items, and often what you find is what you get. When I say that stores specialize, I think it is important to note that there is a store only for slippers. The contents of stores will change from one day to the next, products are discontinued and you will never see them again. And no, you can´t just order online. Some things are available online of course. But do not expect a quick trip to amazon with 2 day delivery. You go to the store, you take what you can find, you go home. The big chain stores are about an hour from my home and I keep a list of things to buy when I go with friends in cars.
I was a bit shocked to discover it is nearly impossible to use Amazon here. And do not expect to use your american card online. Many online stores bill through tax havens like Luxemburg and there is not a way to know which country will present the charge… so you can certainly plan on having your card flagged for fraud every time you attempt an online purchase. Fun times.
If you leave the downtown, through El Parque Alameda or Praza de Galicia, you will walk through Ensanche where there are more of the chain style stores. There is a place called Corte Ingles about 40 minuutes walking from the old town. It is the Spanish equivalent of a Super Walmart or Meijer… but with designer clothes at many times the price. It is a great last resort for things you cannot find in town and it makes a nice stroll on hot or rainy days.
There are a number of beautiful parks and various adventures to have in town. So I am going to begin including these smaller adventures here as well!
After the harrowing tale of a bicycle adventure ending in disaster and bovine romance… My rescue team brought me to my final destination of Oporto.
We arrived at night, and my first view of this city left me speechless. I was frozen in place. I cannot describe how perfect was the lighting, the acousitics, and the architecture all coming together in that moment.
This little girl started dancing while he played. I thought about all the nights dancing while my father played guitar. I just could not bring myself to end this moment. I stood there for probably 10 minutes listening to this man and his guitar, looking at the reflection of the bridge on the water before I could bring myself to leave this spot.
And yes, the rest of this city is just as beautiful by night.
When I was finally ready to tear myself away from the old town, we went back to the camper for the night. We awoke in the morning to this view. And I cannot complain about a free place to spend the night with a better view than any hotel I have ever stayed at.
The morning was humorous and humbling. A man came around selling stickers or some such, just trying to make a dime. I pretended I don´t speak portugese. He comes back with options to sell me stickers in at least 7 different languages. In the US, we often look down on the homeless or consider them to be uneducated. Let me tell you this man was smarter than me. We had a good laugh and shared our food with him.
Next was wandering around the city. While I think Oporto is most impressive at night, the intricate blue tile murals are defintely impressive. I started the journey with the sound of a peacock that I simply could not find. I was looking everywhere. I was able to find other interesting things, however.
There are a lot of people in Oporto. I guess that happens in summer, but good photos of the popular tourist attractions and monuments were out of the question. It was a funny trip for me. I´ve mentioned before that my dad is always asking where all the people are in my photos.
I´ve mentioned before that my dad is always asking where all the people are in my photos. So this trip was a little funny for me because I could send him photos with so many people. The only place where it was too packed for comfort was the line for the library that supposedly inspired the Harry Potter movies. That was just too much for me. I did not make the line.
I did get to walk across the bridge that was so beautiful in the night. The daytime view was spectacular.
At the base of the bridge was a wine tasting tour. Port wines are a little sweet for my tastes, but it was a relaxing way to escape the afternoon heat. I learned about the microclimate caused by the mountains and valleys along the river here. It was more interesting than I anticipated. I even met a couple from near of where I was living in the US. We chatted a bit. It was nice to chat in English with strangers.
I loved this city and would absolutely visit again. The shopping was fun. The people all spoke 3 to 10 languages. There was a lot of diversity and a lot of art. My dopamine fix is in finding unique places and creative art. Oporto definitely hit the sweet spot on that for me.
PigTailz 