Who Moves to Portugal?: Late Spring Excursions: Galicia, Evora, & Parts Less Known


Strolling in Pontevedra, Espana

As our school year wound down, we had our last scheduled family visit for the year, as Dad & Jody came to town. We headed up to the Galicia province in Spain, just north of Portugal, to see dad compete in an international duathlon (run-bike-run) in the sweet small city of Pontevedra. Galicia was a really captivating area, with a strong Celtic influence (a troop of bagpipers wound their way past us on our first night there), a unique Galician language (with roots in Spanish, but with veins of Celtic and German), and a beautifully winding rocky coastline. While there, we made our way to the city of Santiago de Compostela, the final destination of the well known Catholic pilgrimage called "El Camino," which translates to "The Road."

Pontevedra

This is part of a huge new art center complex in Santiago. Very interesting architecture

The Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela

Santiago Rocks Out

Cross in the ancient fishing village of Combarro, ESP

Dad finishes strong

The following weekend we headed to Evora, Portugal, where we spent a fairly relaxing time enjoying a wonderful bed and breakfast called Albergaria do Calvario. We explored the Alentejo, visiting the medieval town of Arraiolos which is known for its hand made rugs. After a stroll there, we made a way to a crazy chapel made from the giant rocks of an ancient dolmen. Despite the fact that I drove there, I'm not sure where it was, and can't find it in any online literature. We had lunch in Estremoz, where we all learned that sometimes pig cheek still comes with the jaw. On Sunday we meandered our way back to Cascais, driving the Setubal peninsula for the first time, and having some great seafood along the way.

We were grateful for the visit, and excited to keep exploring and learning about this interesting place where we live...