domingo, mayo 28, 2006

Costa da Morte




Jose and I were blessed to have a four-day weekend (the great thing about Spain are all the holidays) fall on our 5th Anniversary. So I planned a last minute getaway to the Costa da Morte (the Coast of Death). I know you're probably thinking "ooo, how romantic...the coast of death", but it's actually an amazing area. It's adopted the name because it's a very dangerous area with extremely rough seas, where many a fisherman and merchant has lost his life. The Galicians have great respect for it and it's capabilities.

Jose and I did not venture into the waters, but we did visit many capes and lighthouses and enjoyed the ocean line drives. We stayed in a lovely little bed and breakfast and took advantage of some R and R. There were only three other couples staying there with us, and we particulary enjoyed the company of one couple from Belgium who luckily spoke a little English, because my French doesn't go beyond Bonjour, je m'appelle Courtney.

It was nice to get away from the city and enjoy the silence of the countryside/coast. There just something about the sound of crickets in the evening and the waves on the rocks that I love.

This was our Casa Rural. It had tons of nice reading nooks.




Camelle is a fishing town that's not really all that attractive. But about 20 years ago, an excentric German, who everyone called Mann, came to live there. He walked around all day and all year in the nude. When he left his "house" (a small shack with no running water or electricity) he'd put on a pair of shorts, but that's it. He lived off the charity of the town. But the most interesting thing about Mann is his "rock garden". People come from all over Galicia to see his art.

When the oil spill Prestige hit in 2002, his creations were destroyed and Mann died about a month or so later, from what people in the town say was "pena" (sorrow). Since then, the oil has been cleaned up, and people still go to visit "o museo do alemán"







Cape Villán











"Encaje de Camariñas": Typical Galician lace. These women are incredible. They weave those little bobbins in and out at the speed of light!



Finisterre: "The End of the World". When the Romans came to Spain and reached Finisterre they couldn't see land anywhere, and they seriously thought that it was the end of the world.






Cape Touriñan: It was so windy here that we couldn't even hear ourselves think. Trying to hold the camera still was an adventure.




View of Monte Pindo and the River Xallás from Ézaro overlook.



Me getting my feet wet on a deserted beach.

miércoles, mayo 17, 2006

A Productive Day

Today was a holiday here in Galicia. Día das Letras Galegas. Galician Literature Day. So while the rest of Spain and the USA, and the world for that matter, were working in their respective jobs, what did I do?

I cleaned out two junk drawers and watched the movie "Crash". Now I'm going to curl up and read my book. I can't seem to get into it though. I'll give it one or two more chapters, then it's going back up on the bookshelf for good.

viernes, mayo 12, 2006

The first time I've ever been disappointed with the National Geographic

Last night I started reading my latest issue of the National Geographic, and under the Geographica section they have a map showing legal marrying ages all over the world. On the map they showed Spain as being able to marry at the age of 14.

"What! that can't be true. But, NG is a good source, maybe it is true", I thought. I asked Jose what the legal age was, and he told me it was 18. So I looked online. And sure enough, Jose was right. Legal age to get married in Spain is 18...not 14. I think I'm going to write National Geographic a letter.

miércoles, mayo 03, 2006

Hoping to Snap a Shot of a Celtic Warrior Someday




Castros de Baroña: Celtic Ruins


This is one of my favorite areas in Galicia. And I never get tired of coming here. I've probably been about 10 times or more since I've lived here. For one moment you actually feel like you've gone back to another time in history. 700 B.C to be exact. It's all grey, misty and mysterious...like a fairytale.




Castros de Baroña: Celtic Ruins (2)




The closest I could find to Celtic Warriors





Rocks in the cove





View of the Rias Baixas from Mt. Curota




View of Mt. Curota and a "Toxo" (typical Galician shrub)