Update at last!

Im actually already home.  Since my last update, I have travelled through the North of Spain, had my goodbye dinner, and travelled on my own for a few weeks through Berlin, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Paris, and London. But first things first, Ill start with the North of Spain.

This was my favorite trip with my program, hands down. It was after finals, so it was nice to know that I was done with studying but not done travelling! We went to Galicia and Asturias, which for those of you dont know are the provinces in the Northwest of the country, above Portugal. In Galicia, they speak Castilian Spanish, as well as gallego, a provincial language. Galicia is beautiful-all green and lush, a stark contrast from the rest of the country. The north is rainy and very hilly, not like the middle and the south of the country, which is bone dry and flat.

Our first stop on the trip was Vigo, Spain. Its a small harbor city, and it reminded me a lot of Baltimore. Lots of ships, a pretty harbor, museums and big crowds. The similarities stop there though. It is the hometown of Maricarmen, our program director, so met up with a couple of her aunties and other family members for our time there. We took a ferry to a tiny fishing village on the other side of the bay, such gorgeous views!

The harbor

A view from the ferry of the other side of the bay

Picturesque

Leaving Vigo, we werent really sure of the plan. They dont really tell us where we’re going until we get there, the bus just goes. So we ended up going to Valenca, Portugal for lunch! Its a tiny fortress town just across the Spanish border.

Valenca

The far side of the river is Spain!

This trip was my favorite, mostly because I spent my time staring out the windows of the bus at some of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The drives were breathtaking. All rocky beaches, windmills, wildflowers, mountians, cliffs, tiny villages, and the ocean. I couldnt stop staring.

There were rocky beaches with waves crashing violently everywhere

We stopped at Baiona, a little touristy beach town, which had a fortress high up on a cliff. From the top, there was a great view of all of the mountians, the sea, and all of the boats and sea towns. One of my favorite stops of the trip. Maricarmen’s aunties treated us all to a drink, so I had some sparkling sweet wine on the top of this mountian. It was great.

View from the fortress at Baiona

Then we drove to Finisterre, which was another breathtaking drive. I swear I saw more windmills on this trip than people. But Finisterre was my absolute favorite part of this trip. Its this cliff high above the ocean, you can see for miles. It is called Finisterre, because in Latin it means the end of the Earth. Its where they thought the world literally ended, and I can see why they believed it.

Lighthouse at Finisterre

Pictures cant even really capture it

Finisterre is technically the end of the Camino de Santiago, one of the largest pilgrimage routes in the world.  It starts in France usually, although you can start in Germany and other parts of Europe. Most people stop at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, because thats where the bones of St. James are. But technically the pilgrimage ends at Finisterre. The Camino de Santiago is the third most popular pilgrimage, after Jerusalem and Rome. Some people argue that it started globalization in Europe, because so many foreigners were brought into Spain, and hotels, restaurants, and eventually towns formed along the pilgrimage route.

Our next stop was Santiago de Compostela. In the cathedral, you wait in line, then you hug and kiss a statue that allegedly holds the bones of St James. Did I do it? Of course! How often do you get the opportunity to hug a saint?

Cathedral in Santiago where the bones are held

Walking sticks that are sold to modern-day pilgrims, with the shell, the symbol of the pilgrimage, and the cross

Our last few days, we left civilization behind. We stayed in a hostel on the beach, surrounded by fields and mountians and not much else. The beach was Praia de los Catedrales, famous for its huge rock formations.

Praia de los Catedrales

It was SO COLD! Absolutely freezing. Not beach weather, for sure. We had some quiet nights and TONS of food. I have never eaten that much in my entire life. Four course lunches and dinner, with each course big enough to be its own meal’ Soup, bread, salad, meat and potatos, plus a dessert. Delicious, but I just couldnt eat it all.

One day, we went to the mountains of Covadonga, where there are lakes on the tops of mountains. The mountains are also very important to the history of Spain. The Moors invaded Spain, but not the north completely, because they hid in the mountains, which protected them from the Moorish armies. In 721, Don Pelayo fought the Battle of Covadonga, and won against the Moors, which started the reconquest of Moorish Spain for the Christians. So where did we go? Covadonga.

The mountains

Lake!

Lunch, course 1: stew with beans, chorizo, blood sausage, and bacon fat. YUM

Our private beach at the greatest hotel in Asturias!

Spelunking in a cave on our private beach

The trip was a lot of scenery, not much else. Sorry for all of the pictures, but I feel like they still dont do some of the sights justice! It was a great trip to end my semester in Spain.

Coming soon! My solitary travels across Europe, stay tuned.

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