Hello, dear readers!
Patricia, Bertie, and I have been thoroughly enjoying our time in our home in Galicia, Spain.
We’ve been walking the coastlines, wandering through charming towns and (of course) dining out on the cuisine. Beats the cold snap currently on in North Yorks, I’ll tell you that. We’ve heard from friends it’s 11 degrees below zero right now in Pickering!
Below are some of the recent highlights.
Exploring the Rías Baixas
Our journey began along the Rías Baixas, a series of estuarine inlets (try saying that after a few San Miguel’s!) on Galicia’s southwestern coast. These rías are like fjords and reminded Patricia and I of our summer holiday the first year we got married. Great memories (shame about the brown cheese).
Anyway, if you’re like me…you can’t help a little “Wikipedia-ing”. It drives Patricia mad when we’re having our tea.
Anyway here goes…
The salty Atlantic and freshwater from the rivers creates a unique ecosystem in the Rías Baixas that supports a diverse range of seafood like mussels, oysters, and the famed percebes (gooseneck barnacles, just as delicious as they sound). Apparently it’s prime Christmas fair here.
Can you imagine us treating the great nephews & nieces to “gooseneck barnacles” instead of a goose!?
That did make me laugh, that.
We then visited the picturesque town of O Grove, often referred to as the “Seafood Capital of Galicia.” The town’s harbour was a hive of activity, with fishermen unloading their daily catch and vendors preparing for the local seafood market.
I could have spent all afternoon there, Wikipedia-ing the different fish. Foraging for facts.
But Patricia was suffering an artistic streak caused by the traditional wooden fishing boats, known as dornas, and spent some time sketching their intricate designs.
The day after our exploration of the Rías Baixas also took us to the island of A Toxa, famous for its thermal springs and the unique Chapel of San Caralampio. It’s covered in seashells. A true shell-ebration of faith!
(Patricia groaned probably much as you, poor reader!)
Oh and by the way, the sun was shining!
Savoring Tapas in Santiago de Compostela
No visit to Galicia would be complete without indulging in its culinary delights….
(Even gooseneck barnacles – keep reading!)
We’ve made multiple trips to Santiago de Compostela in recent weeks. The city’s historic centre is a labyrinth of narrow streets, each lined with bars and restaurants offering a tantalizing array of tapas.
One of our favourite spots became Taberna do Bispo.
The display of fresh dishes is just incredible, it’s like artwork you can eat!
We found ourselves returning to sample more. Patricia couldn’t get enough of the zamburiñas (small scallops), while I developed a particular fondness for the “pulpo a la gallega” (Galician-style octopus). It’s pure decadent comfort food.
Another memorable experience was at Abastos 2.0, located near the Mercado de Abastos.
The modern take on traditional Galician dishes was both inventive and delicious. Percebes were on the menu… And trust me, they look more horrendous than they sound. And that’s a compliment.
But it turns out…
When you learn how to eat them they are tremendous. Think ozone and crab mixed together. They’re really pricey for us Yorkshire folk but, once in a while a treat methinks.
Bertie’s happy to knaw on the remains so no waste as per usual.
Morning Puzzles: Wordle and Connections
Our mornings in Galicia have taken on a lovely routine.
Over coffee, Patricia and I challenge ourselves with the daily Wordle and have recently ventured into playing Connections, a new game from The New York Times. Our initial attempts were, to put it mildly, less than successful.
One morning, convinced that “X” was the starting letter for Wordle, we exhausted our attempts on words like “Xylog” and “Xenon,” only to realize the word was “Apple.”
Patricia had a good laugh at my insistence on “Xylog,” which, as it turns out, isn’t even a word.
(It would have been a moment to savour, all that Wikipedia-ing.)
Connections presented its own set of challenges. We spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to link “Banana,” “Car,” “Sun,” and “Dog,” convinced they were connected by colour.
When the solution revealed they were all types of “Splits,” we couldn’t help but chuckle.
Patricia’s Artistic Endeavors
In other news…Patricia’s sketchbook has been filling up rapidly with scenes from our travels.
In the coastal town of Combarro, she captured the iconic hórreos (stone granaries) that line the waterfront.
I must admit, she did a grand job capturing the weathered stone and the lichen-covered roofs. It would have been nice not to have to sit and wait for so long…but she loves painting and I love seeing her in love.
In Santiago de Compostela, she was inspired by the Cathedral’s façade.
(Here we go…)
But I really didn’t mind having an hour by myself to go back through the cathedral.
Cue a spot of Wikipedia-ing…
Did you now that the Cathedral has one of the world’s largest swinging incense burners in the world? No? You didn’t.
Well gather round…the Botafumeiro, when empty, can reach speeds of up to 49mph! Originally, the Botafumeiro had a very practical purpose: it was used to mask the smell of unwashed pilgrims who crowded into the cathedral after completing the Camino de Santiago.
Looking at the state of a few tea stains on my old jeans, sounds about right.
Final Fact: The Costa de Morte
Here’s another fact for you.
Galicia has a charming bit of coastline known affectionately as the Costa da Morte (Coast of Death). It’s all steep cliffs and treacherous waters where ships go to, well, become shipwrecks.
And get this….
The lighthouse at Cape Finisterre gets its name from the Roman times, when they thought it was the end of the world.
Finis Terrae—”the end of the earth.”
I actually got a bit emotional at this point. Just like Patricia and us, thinking our lives were winding down in North Yorks…and there was still a world out there waiting for us. It’s not earth-shattering. Just two dozy idiots pottering about north-western Spain.
But we’re happy. And that’s worth more than a few pounds of percebes.
