Pontevedra

 This past weekend I had nothing planned.  So my friend Siobhan and I decided that we needed to take a day trip somewhere close.  We finally ended on, Pontevedra.  Pontevedra is actually the "captiol" of our providence.  Even though Vigo is a larger city, it is situated in the providence of Pontevedra.  The city of Pontevedra is approximately 15-20 minutes north of Vigo.  While the terrain around Pontevedra is extremely similar to that of Vigo, it is not built on the side of a mountain, therefore is generally flat and easily walkable.  I enjoyed this since in Vigo you are always walking up or down a hill.  The city has a great feel to it! The old part of town was precious, and we stumbled upon the Mercado as well! Luckily my friends Anna and Fabian lived in Pontevedra last year so they were able to show us around town.  Check out some of my pics and video!

Capela da Virxw Peregrina - The church of the pilgrim

See that shell? That is the symbol for the Camino de Santiago.  In case you've never heard of it, the city Santiago de Compostela in Galicia has one of the largest, most beautiful cathedrals in Spain.  I am hoping to visit soon.  It is legend that the remains of St. James are buried there.  Out of respect to this saint for thousands of years people have been walking to this Cathedral from all over to pay their respects.  There are several routes of the Camino de Santiago, but one of the most famous goes across the entire northern part of Spain from France.  This sign is part of the camino that goes from Lisbon, Portugal all the way to Santiago.  Some people will walk for weeks, or even months on these pilgrimages.  Today, they aren't so much a religious thing as much as an adventure.  I have heard of many people making short pilgrimages from Vigo to Santiago (which will take about a weekend) for the pure thrill of saying they did it and also being able to meet other people on their way.  If you're interested, here's a link to some more information on the Camino de Santiago.

After arriving, we sat down in the city center for a class of Orange juice, some croissants, and some relaxation.  It was a Saturday morning so all of the families were out and about, taking their kids for a walk, enjoying the sunshine and spending quality time with each other.   

Next we walked down to the Mercado.  This place was so cool! I've heard that there are Mercados  in Vigo all over the place but I haven't found anything like this one.  Check out the video below to see what it was like! 

Mussels, Prawns, Shrimp, Crab.... Basically any seafood you can imagine.  

And several different kinds of fish I had never seen or heard of before.  I have this urge to go to a place like this and buy some fresh fish.  But unfortunately I would have absolutely no idea how to prepare it.  

Calamari - Can't get any fresher than that! 

And this is Ria de Pontevedrea Lerez.  This is the oldest bridge in Pontevedra.  The Ria goes through the center of the entire town.  

On a Saturday afternoon, people can be seen walking around in small hidden squares such as this, relaxing and enjoying the nice weather.  

This is an old church in the Praza da Ferreria.  

Xardins de Vicenti - There were lots of beautiful parks/fountains.  

Catedral de Pontevedra -  We wanted to climb to the top, but it was closed due to mass. 

Siobhan making friends as usual.  

We had a little bit of fun with all the random statues in the streets!

Ruinas de Santo Domingo

Ruinas de Santo Domingo

Ruinas de Santo Domingo

This house was for sale.  How cool would it be to live in a house like this!? The front door was open and we thought about exploring for a second, then got too scared! 

Palm Trees! When moving to Spain I thought there wouldn't be any palm trees at all.  BUT they are everywhere and these were too beautiful not to capture.  

And this was our group in Pontevedra!