In Spain they have things called 'Puentes' which literally translates to 'bridges'...but in the sense I'm referring to they're also long weekends. Usually they take this name because if a holiday is on a Thursday then you get the Friday off as well and it 'bridges' the gap to the weekend. Last week the city of Madrid had Monday off; now I usually have Mondays off in Rivas but not in Madrid. This long weekend allowed me to have Monday off completely so I decided to take a nice little getaway. I know Spain pretty well but have mostly done the south, this year I am determined to do the north. Many people say this is easily the best and most breathtaking part of Spain so I figured its a must do. Thus, I bought a bus ticket to Vigo.
Vigo is on the coast and very close to Portugal, and at this time of year it rains, a lot. The secretary at Mosaic is from there and she was also heading home for the weekend so we caught the night bus together. We left at midnight on Friday and arrived early morning Saturday. I had decided to stay in the city center in a hotel for the first night because I wanted alone time and I didn't want Ana to have to take time away from her family. It worked out perfectly though because the hotel let me check in when I arrived at 8am and I was able to take a much needed nap. While the night bus is a good idea because you don't lose a day of travel sitting in a bus...you also don't sleep very comfortably. I awoke from my nap around noon and took off in the rain in search of everything the center of Vigo had to offer. Well, since there were no cruise ships in harbor that left very little!
My hotel was wicked close to the water so I started there just walking along the pier. I took some great pictures as the weather was in and out of sun, clouds, and fog. From there I found my way to 'La Piedra' which is the old quarter as well as the rustic shopping district. Because of the weather everything looked closed but it was nice to window shop. I wandered my way through the narrow streets and found the main street running through the new shopping district. I sat for awhile people watching as well as listening because in this area of Spain some people still speak Gallego. Vigo is part of Galicia and the language is a cross between Spanish and Portuguese. It was absolutely fascinating because its a combination of the two languages I have studied and practiced.
After walking around and admiring the architecture I made my way back to the port for lunch. When I mentioned at school on Friday that I was going to Vigo everyone warned me about the weather and how I wouldn't get to see as much. My response? I was only there to eat the 'pulpo'! I don't think I've ever been so excited for lunch in my life (well...maybe for pea soup). I found a quiet little restaurant and got out of the cold.
I think I impressed the waitresses with my ordering skills because I wanted the traditional things that Vigo had to offer. I had a bowl caldo gallego (other regions have caldo but they're all made differently...essentially the difference between New England Clam chowder, Rhode Island, and Manhattan), then the main dish was the pulpo (octopus), and of course a bottle of white wine from the area. It couldn't have been more perfect, definitely one of the best meals I've ever had.On Sunday morning I checked out of the hotel and made my way back down to the water. I sat for an hour or so just absorbing the fresh air and watching the Sunday activity. Then more rain so I found myself a bar and did Sudoku while drinking coffee. I met up with Ana at 1pm and she gave me a tour of the town as we headed back to the outskirts where she lived. We met her parents at a place for lunch and they were great.
They complimented my Spanish so obviously I loved them immediately. Her mother is the typical Spanish woman; upon meeting her I had completely lost all personal space and I had to see everything the building had to offer. Her father is the typical Spanish man; He compared everything to the US and was constantly trying to see if I liked the food here or from home better. I just don't know how to tactfully tell Spaniards that they only offer the same 6 dishes here in Spain. I guess its just something I'll have to learn keep my mouth shut on and only nod. Speaking of tact I've explained many times that it is lacking in this country. Whatever comes into their heads leaves their mouths. While we were waiting for the food Ana's mother was scolding her and telling her that she needs to eat more because she is too skinny. Then she looks at me and says "See, obviously Melanie eats"...haha. I just laughed and the conversation continued to another topic because to them comments like this are normal. I handled it fine. Granted, she wasn't telling me anything I didn't already know, but I've also just learned to accept the way people here talk. I don't think anything could surprise me anymore.
After lunch Ana and I went to her sister's house to pick up her niece and nephew and head to the mountains. Her brother-in-law came with us and was a great tour guide. We drove to the top of the mountain and had an amazing view of the entire city. We hung out on the mountain for awhile and then finally made our way back to their house. After, we went back out to see the beaches at night, absolutely breathtaking. We saw three beaches and then called it a night because the kids were getting tired. We came back for dinner and then made our way to her parents' house because they were bringing us to the airport. The entire family was so welcoming and made sure I had a great time. The trip was perfect because I had a break from Madrid and I got to see an insiders tour of Vigo.
The bus ride home was awful, but I made it home in time on Monday to rub it in Steve's face that he had to go to work and I could sleep all day. I'm such an amazing roommate! I spent the rest of the day catching up on sleeping and going through my photos. Perfect puente.
Negative: Rest stop bathrooms.
Positive: My new rain resistent boots.
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