Today was such a wonderful day. We woke up late (~9:30am) and had a chill breakfast of tea and biscuits before heading out south of Santiago. The drive was beautiful, and also the ride makes Carmen sleepy haha so I talked with Alex one on one for a while which was nice to spend time with him and get to know him better. The drive was pretty foggy and rainy all the way, but after 1.5h we made it to the wine museum of Galicia. Yay! This was a new museum because the area is applying to become protected as a UNESCO world heritage site. Although a few things were under construction (also likely for the low tourism season), it was one of the best museums I’ve been to! We walked in a bit- everything is written first in Gallego (language of Galicia) and then Spanish. There was an English pamphlet at the ticket box, but that was it. We looked at a few panels before someone approached us asking if we wanted to join the free hourly tour. We said yes, and everyone was kind (after a bit of frustration) to have the tour in Spanish instead of Gallego. The language is a minority and people are proud of it, but in order to help me, we did it in Spanish. I feel bad now, after the tour, because I really didn’t understand much of what the guide was saying. Carmen helped a lot with important translations. I was bummed and shocked with how little Spanish I understood- maybe it’s the accent because I could get around Puerto Vallarta just fine by myself, but now it’s like my ability to put together Spanish words was tricky, let alone trying to put them together myself.
French and German were so recently on my mind.
Either way, the museum was amazing with all the information one would want to know about making wine. It was really informative and engaging. Although I know I didn’t understand most of it, I got a lot out of it! I was really really impressed and will definitely take others there when I return :)
After the museum we made our way to the hot spring. This spring is located next to a spa; rather, the spa is located next to the hot spring. By law, the spa can take from the hot spring but must leave some out in nature for the public. Parking along the road was full, but I was surprised to find only two others at the hot spring; all the others were in the spa. The two that were there were some older local nude men, and they ended up getting in a pretty heated argument, so that was not enjoyable for anyone. The hot spring however were very enjoyable, although a bit not so hot. The water surface was the warmest, so we were always rearranging ourselves to get comfortable to enjoy as much of the surface as we could. As some people came and left, we went up closer to the spring where it was much warmer. We also went between the spring and the river to shock our bodies with the temperature change. Although it was a bit cold and dramatic to start, it ended up really nice and sooo relaxing. It’s exactly my idea of a vacation :)
We got out for good after a few hours, going to the river for one last cool down before changing our clothes.
We snacked a bit on an empenada (not like in Argentina, this one is large and is shared among several people), tomatoes, cheese, and chocolate covered peanuts. We started to get a bit too chilly once we were done eating, so we packed up and left.
We went to a really nice nearby town to enjoy the last bits of sunlight. This town is famous in the region for being a well-preserved medieval city, so it was neat to walk around and see the mix of old and new. Carmen and Alex were very gracious fighters for hot chocolate- not many places had it but finally we found one where we started. Carmen knew I lovedddd the Spanish hot chocolate :) it was SO good and so nice to have after such a relaxing day and a chilly walk. Once we were finished we went back to the car and made our way home.
After debating if we wanted to stay in or go out for dinner, we settled on staying in for food but going out for drinks. We had at-home tapas and also took showers to wash off the sulfuric spring water. It was a really nice meal. Carmen and I left Alex to go for drinks and I got to see Santiago again at night. It was really nice again, but this time I got to go more into the city. Carmen was a great guide and the streets were so magical with the lights for Christmas hanging over each walkway. The cathedral was so impressive, I really wasn’t expecting something so unique.
It was a long weekend with immaculate conception (here celebrated on 6 December) and the National constitution day on 8 December, so the bars were packed and we had to try a few places before managing to get a seat at one.
We settled at this rock cafe where I walked in parallel to a flying dart haha. We both got Estrella Galacias which are served on tap in a beautiful case. Carmen and I had fun catching up more and joking around like old times :)
We were very exhausted once we got back and we went straight to bed. It was SUCH a good day :)
- Day 2 -
We took today a bit easier since we were up late the night before. We slept in till about 10:15 and had a nice breakfast together and as we were eating, the rain began. Not too much luckily, but we didn’t quite beat it :) Carmen and I headed out to see the city in the daylight and Alex stayed home to work a bit, even though it was a holiday. We went to the pharmacy first to get a covid test for traveling to London since they were to start requiring negative tests for all travelers the morning that I was leaving. Carmen was very helpful, as was the person at the counter. I got a cheap test and also found some really nice face masks for my time in Europe- only medical masks are allowed and I grabbed some shitty ones in Germany.
Once we got that all settled, we were free to explore. Carmen was so helpful finding a testing place on a holiday, it was a miracle.
The town was so much more packed than it was last night! I’m glad I saw it in both settings. Now it really felt that there were tourists around. We went to the porta santa- this year is a holy year, i.e., the feast of Santiago falls on a Sunday, and there are many special things in the city for the holy year, including the tomb being open through the holy door below the holy light. It was neat to see, but really what I was most astounded by was the glimpse of the altar that I snuck- there were massive angels everywhere, right in your face! I was interested to see more when we go to Mass later in the day. We walked around the city some more to see many many churches, a market, some parks, and Carmen’s high school. It was a really lovely walk, but we were getting a bit tired and wet from the rain. We stopped in a really lovely cafe- incredible that Carmen always seems to say “let’s go here” and it couldn’t be better haha.
The cafe had a beautiful terrace and gardens that I’m sure are a dream to have coffee in on a sunny day. We took a seat in the dry warmth with windows to the outside which was lovely as well :) again, we got to catch up without being too distracted from tourists or rain. I got a hot chocolate of course and it was wonderful, of course!! It was really lovely and nice to be dry and sitting for a bit :)
Afterwards, Carmen and I met Alex at a restaurant for lunch. We had delicious tapas of fried squid, fried peppers, shrimp skewers, and a seafood fried ball that I don’t know the name of haha. Paired with white wine it was a lovely lunch :) it even ended up being a fast lunch with quick service and so I took a bit of the WiFi to arrange an Airbnb for Istanbul. With coffee and mint tea to end, we braced ourselves to go back outside, which ended up being really nice with less rain. We took a walk to a mirador which unfortunately didn’t quite have the same views with the fog, but was still really lovely. You could see Carmen and Alex’s previous apartment from there, so it was cool to see a place I heard so much about.
We took a walk through the park between the mirador and their old apartment where they used to have lunches and walks. It was a really nice park but apparently doesn’t get a lot of use outside of dog walkers. There were nice sculptures and changes of scenery to never be bored. We got to the end of the park and Alex parted and went back to the apartment which Carmen and I walked on through other parks. They were so lovely and interesting, and also had significance in Carmen’s life which was fun to hear about. We tried to go to some museums, but they were closed because it was a Monday :/ oh well. The parks were so nice and a good recluse from the tourist-heavy city. I see why Carmen likes it so much! We had a bit of time before Mass so we stopped in another cafe closer to the square for a coffee/hot chocolate and cake :) I got a really good Galacian cake made of almonds and Carmen got a fluffy blueberry cheesecake. We were lucky and got a couch to ourselves, so it was really nice to just relax and eat our yummy food :) Mass came sooner than we expected, so we wrapped up and made our way to the cathedral.
It was a good thing we arrived early; there weren’t many front-facing seats remaining. Carmen saved a seat for us while I took a look around. It was a really simple space, outside of the altar of naked white mega angels. The Mass was nice, but still I didn’t understand as much as I normally do at Spanish Mass. Ay what is wrong with me?? It’s like Spanish has been turned off for these three days.
After Mass Carmen says “I think it’s time for a wine” and I couldn’t agree more! We went to a wine bar she likes and had some regional wine and meats. It was sooo yummy and there were so many regional options to choose from! We had a really good time discussing the various angels that were on the altar and what they might have all been doing. We agreed it was a bit overwhelming but entertaining as the mind wanders in church.
We felt pretty tired from the day of walking and decided to go home for dinner. Alex made a really nice pizza of tomato sauce, cheese, the regional lettuce/kale, and egg. It was soo good and also so nice to just relax and eat after a long but fun day.
We played Catan after dinner which took a while but eventually I ended up winning :) Carmen was feeling competitive and asked if we wanted to play another round, to which I said no haha it’s 2am and she had no idea it was so late hahaha. I took a shower and tried to prepare a few more things for my flights, but ended up falling asleep to not be too tired the next day. It was another great day!!
- Last day-
We woke up a bit earlier than normal, but still it was about 9:30 haha. I prepared a few things on my phone for the flights (I’m right on the edge of an acceptable covid test and baggage dimensions) but once that was done, I packed a bit and had tea and biscuits with Carmen. Alex slept a bit more, but managed to eat a bit and join us for the garden excursion. Carmen and Alex take care of some of the gardening at Alex’s parents’ house- they love gardening and I’m sure his parents appreciate the time together and the help. They live a bit outside of town, so it was nice to see the countryside. It reminded me a bit of the Strehaiano’s house in Sermaise.
The house had the original oven and everything, but many modern updates and expansions as well. It was very nice and cozy! The garden was amazing, there were sooo many different plants!! They grow lemons, grapes (for wine), kiwis, peaches, pears, different lettuces, peppers, and so much more! It was really awesome. There’s a beautiful pool too, and the garden before the pool is mostly Alex’s dad, and the garden after the pool is mostly Alex and Carmen. They both have such interesting things growing, mostly edible things! It was pouring rain and windy, so we didn’t spend so much time outside, but it was really great to see, it’s what Carmen talks a lot about and what I dream about for my own garden :)
We were able to meet Alex’s parents before the garden, but they went to the store so Carmen gave a tour without them haha. Their house is so lovely! I wish I could have spent more time with them, but this is the situation. Alex’s mom was great and welcomed me with English and then we sang Country Roads that she had written down all the words too, it was so fun hahaha.
I think she and my mom would get along well; they could share languages.
We grabbed a board game and headed to meet Carmen’s parents- I didn’t think I would get to see them so it was a great surprise! We met at a cafe for some pre-lunch drinks, and both of her parents met me with big hugs :) It was so good to get to see them! Her mom even made me a winter hat that I LOVE. It’s so kind and also so impressive! We talked for a bit about random things, a bit about our time together and a bit about life in general. Again, my bad Spanish really failed me. Carmen’s dad was very good at English and knew lots of geography all over the world, including Utah! It was very fun to get to have everyone (almost, Rosa wasn’t there) together and to drink a Galician wine aperitif.
After drinks, we went home to make lunch and prepare to leave. I was organizing my documents and realizing I might need a PCR test in the end, so I was researching a lot to figure things out. I was not helpful at all for lunch, but Alex and Carmen made everything so quickly and wonderfully.
They made one of my favorite Spanish meals- fried egg on French fries. Yum!! Alex was excited about his fryer that he only allows to use for french fries lol. Everything was sooo good. We rested a few minutes before leaving for the airport/ Carmen was very kind to take me. She was also very kind to park and walk me inside, which turned out to be a good thing, because my check-in time elapsed and the covid test results from yesterday were only in Gallego and not Spanish and would not be accepted for travel. Luckily, there was a testing site near the ticket counter so we went there to figure out what all was needed. Carmen was so helpful with the whole situation. She was maybe even more stressed than I was haha although I didn’t have much stress because I was not shocked that something went wrong. The check-in thing was a dumb Ryanair technicality, but the covid test didn’t surprise me. I thought they would turn me away because it wasn’t PCR, but it was for the language. Ok, better to get tested at the airport and feel extra good about it. They still recommended me an antigen test, and I got through all the checks with it, so let’s see.
2025-02-15