Sunday Excursion
Last year when I lived here, almost every Saturday morning, we would get together, our group, Sally y los intocables (Sally and the untouchables), to go for a hike and then have lunch. The schedule was, meet up somewhere, or rather, they pick me up in my apartment in the city and we drive somewhere on the outskirts of town, in the mountains, to Portugal, we would have a coffee at a café and maybe a cookie or something, we would find a restaurant and tell them that we would be back for lunch, sort of making a reservation and then hike for some hours and come back to said restaurant, have a huge meal, and then maybe walk some more in the afternoon, go to some monumental site in Galicia, have another coffee or soda or tea and then come back home.
Now that I´m back for a visit, the group got back together. They picked me up at the hot springs that are along the river Minño, I was there having a dip with my Spanish mom and her friend. We went to a different river, and now to be totally honest, I don´t remember exactly which. It was SUPER hot, unbelievable. And dry. This is very unusual for Galicia. We walked along the river and went for a little swim, it was very very cold but very very worth it. It made my heart skip a beat...or two, but how amazing, to feel so alive, to feel, period.
Typical bridge in Galicia
We saw some people fishing and bees were buzzing everywhere, it was beautiful.
We made our way back to the car and drove to a restaurant nearby at which had made reservations. On the way we stopped in search of a bar to have an apperative, we didn´t find anything open but we did find a beautiful church from 15th-18th century.
Statue in front of the church, also typical style of Galicia
We waited for some friends who were meeting up with us. We sat on the patio, in the sun and had a beer. A San Miguel Especial, which was delicious. It was darker than the normal San Miguel, and awesome. We had lunch. A mussle filled empanada made with a corn flour, rather than the typical wheat flour, red bell peppers filled with scallops and cod croquetas, croquetas are balls of any type of meat or fish, breaded and fried. For my entreé I had grilled hake with boiled potatoes and a little salad. The others had various cuts of pork or different fish. The bread was wonderful, like always, soft and hearty. Of course we had wine, a red Ribeira, Ribeira is a region of Spain known for its wine. After lunch, I was so full I couldn´t even have dessert...I know, I know, me, no dessert!
View from the restaurant
Afterwards, we went for another little walk along a different river. We took another swim in the water. Again, freezing but worth it. There was a lookout to a waterfall, on a big old rock, which was quite comfortable for my nap.
We finished our walk in the little village where we had parked the car, see photos below for images from the village, a church and the alleys. In the village there was one café. We stopped in to have a soda. There were old men playing cards at a table in the shade outside. Inside there were more old men playing a different game of cards. The café sold all types of things, toothbrushes, oranges, milk, and drinks, food, etc. We sat on the stairs of the neighboring house and watched three little boys jump on a mattress that had been left out as garbage. It was an 8 year old boys dream come true.
We then went to Castro de San Cibran de Las. A castro is the ruins of an old settlement. These castros were strategically made on the top of a mountain for defensive purposes. It was incredible, it is said to be from the 5th and 6th centuries B.C. See images below.
Lastly, I leave you with art. Below is an image of a rock along the river that was carved by someone. I can´t quite tell what it is of though....
;-)