Tag: spain

Lugo, Galicia, Spain

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.

Madrid, Spain

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.

Living in Santiago de Compostela, Spain

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!

Baños de Bande, Ourense, Spain

On the way home from Porto, I stopped by this magical spot. Known to all the locals, but free of advertisements, hotels, or other touristic conveniences, it made for a quiet night. Sipped a beer in the hot bath under a full moon. It was exquisite. I didn’t ruin my evening with photos of the moon that wouldn’t turn out anyway. I waited until morning to take a few quick pictures that absolutely cannot do this place justice… and I was just in time to watch workers for the Xunta drain the pools for cleaning.

These are the ruins of an ancient roman bath. If you follow the nearby hiking trails, you can explore other ruins and old buildings in the area. I only went for the baths. You can find more information about this historic site and see the structures under less water here.

On the way back home, there was this amazing tree fountain near the side of the road. I’m not sure exactly where it is. I really could not tell you even given a map. But it is so lovely I have to share.

Romaría Vikinga, Catoira, Spain

I have returned to Catoira for the Viking Festival! I took the train to the tiny station. It was easy to find as everyone dressed like a viking had the same stop.

Things in town were decorated a bit for the festival so it made the walk fun.

I’m not quite sure what I was expecting, but this was feeling very different from this type of event in the US. Unlike the US, entry to this type of event is free, but the events are not well marked and I found things a bit confusing. I think this would have been much better with a friend, but even wandering alone there were a lot of nice things to see.

Getting a good photo of the vikings landing on shore was difficult, with all the people. Everyone was pressed so close together up to the shore it was amazing. That is my own fault though. Not knowing what was going on, I left a great spot to see what was happening elsewhere. Oops!

The vikings landed and there was an epic battle for Santiago de Compostela!

After defeating the vikings… there were mejillones in a trough. And everyone rejoiced.

A cautionary tale… This may be a skipped trip for anyone with major mobility or sensory issues. It’s a doable trip for most if you don’t mind a crowd, but the lines to enter and exit are formed on a stone pathway through a wet marshy area. With so many people coming and going, it is restricted to almost single file in either direction and thus relatively long.