travel – Page 4

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.

Ponte de Lima, Portugal

Best worst bike trip ever! I hopped the train south to a route that my friends suggested. A nice flat ride for beginners. I had a sort of hybrid/crosstrainer type bike that was ALMOST up for the ride. But only almost. The majority of the ride was really smooth with a beautiful start.

The bike route took me directly through the town of Ponte de Lima with it’s historic old town and tiled murals. If you are interested in what I was able to record, you can see it on Strava.

Leaving Ponte de Lima, took me through lovely stretches of river, mountain, beaches, and farm land. It was like nothing I have ever seen. Each part of the trail was more beautiful than the last.

I stopped on this beach for a little snack in the shade.

More beaches and mountains followed, it was not possible to photograph everything. The path circled back around the other side of Ponte de Lima and further into the hills. At one point, a helicoptor flew overhead to put out a nearby forest fire. I watched from a cornfield as the bombeiros dipped the bucket in the river and circled back to the fire.

I survived a minor injury to my foot when I stopped to fast to look at something lovely, but the adventure met an unfortunate end with a flat tire. I was ill prepared for the castañas. I had exactly the right bicycle for a Michigan adventure, but Portugal had other plans. The sun was getting low and I decided to set up camp on a nearby picnic table.

The water was so warm. I splashed around a little as the sun was setting. There were so many little frogs among the rocks in the river. There were egrets and herons fishing. It was pretty cold during the night after taking so much sun, so I bundled up tight in my sleeping bag. But I had a lovely evening watching the stars.

And when I awoke, I had made a new friend! I had a nice time watching her graze while I made a quick breakfast and set out on my next adventure.

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.

Noia, Galicia, Spain

La Feria Medieval de Noia has returned after Covid and I had a chance to go! There are a few differences from the Ren’Faires I have been to in the US. Beginning with… free entrance. The city center was over taken by costumed locals, actors, merchants, and visitors.

There were merchants of every kind. There were unique wood carvings, ceramics, jewelry, leather crafting, and black smiths.

There were musicians playing in the streets as I browsed the various shops and bars that filled the streets.

The history of the city begins between 4000 and 2000 BC and the Romans began living in the area around 200 BC. The city makes a lovely backdrop to the festival. I stepped into la Iglesia de Santa María a Nova, which began construction in 1327. The alter, shown below, was constructed in 1760. Some of the more original stonework was also on disply.

As I was leaving, there was a short parade of actors. Some were dressed as the trees. I thought these were absolutely divine and had to share.

Catoira, Spain

Catoira is a very small town located along río Ulla in Galicia, Spain. Despite a population of only 3,500 people it is dubbed an international tourist interest. In August, there is a viking festival. I will come again to Catoira to see it and share the photos here. But this day, I visit only the ruins and beautiful parks.

These are the ruins of Torres do Oeste, built to protect Santiago de Compostela from invading vikings.

This is where the ships will descend upon Catoira in a few weeks time and actors will recreate the scene. For now, there are no vikingas, but preparations are underway. And the jellyfish have come to explore.