Today is a beautiful Sunday afternoon, which I have passed by going to El Rastro, the behemoth of a market in south downtown Madrid (what awful English I now speak) and eating la comida (the big meal of the day in Spain) with Vicky and her son's family. And now, I write to you, though I should be studying a bit and enjoying the outdoors. But regardless, I know I need to do this blog post at some point in my life. So why not now?
Last weekend, the Furman group went to the area of Galicia, which is directly north of Portugal. The best way I can describe this place in words would be northern California, European style. Not to bore you with the ecological explanations, but it makes sense based on the ocean currents, the topography of the land and the location of the area in relation to the continent. But I digress, hesitantly, no less.
We first headed to the resort town of A Coruna, home to fashionable snowbirds and the fishing industry. The area is gorgeous, and we were able to see THE OLDEST LIGHTHOUSE IN THE WORLD. It is called the Hercules Tower, and it was built during the Romantic period, so when the Romans were chilling here in Spain. It is very high up at the top, and was used for smoke signals. Our tour guide, Gelsi, not CHelsea, but Gelsi, was very informative. She showed us where the first Zara store is located, and told us all about the places where the rich and famous of Spain live.
Our next guide, in our travels to Santiago de Compostela, was Juan, pronounced Schwann. As in Schwann cells, or at least that's what I was thinking about. Schwann, where shall I even begin? Well, to say the least, and I have to study, so I will say the very least, was a man that underestimated our ability to understand Spanish, enjoyed yelling loudly in churches where we would tour, and, best of all, would spray his words if you stood too close to him. However, we did learn a great deal about the fishing industry near Santiago de Compostela and even ate a meal comparable to the famed and ever-so epic FEAST that I had once upon a time with Laura-Ann and Jacqui. I still don't like to think about seafood, and I ate this meal like 8 days ago.
Santiago de Compostela, as many of you probably don't know, is home to one of the largest pilgrimages in Europe, if not the world. There is a path that follows from France and ends in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Gelsi had told us that it took her about 33 days to complete it and you receive a papal something or another upon completion of the pilgrimage. The church in Santiago de Compostela is huge and filled with traditions based on centuries of pilgrimages and Catholic business. Also, the entire area around the church has beautiful traditions steeped in superstition and, very separately but at the same time, the Catholic church. For example, they have little witches brews which you can buy that are basically glorified liquors. There are a lot of superstitions, too, that these folks believe, which means there is something quite mystical about the place. Perhaps that is why it has been one of my favorite areas to visit discounting Madrid.
Pictures are slowly but surely being uploaded, and I will post the slideshow soon enough. This place is gorgeous, folks, so I hope you can take a peek.
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