places, faces, around and so

It has been two weeks since I am in Galicia and I have the mere feeling I already managed to see a lot. The area around Ribadavia is rich with small villages with population less than 300 people, and the distance between them is usually couple of kilometers. So, most of the people here use their car or motorbike and take the curvy mountain roads with amazing views to visit their favorite places or to discover new ones. This is also the usual connection to the big cities – Ourense is the closest one, it takes about 20 minutes with a car or with the train to get there either because of some business or just for a walk and some shopping. To reach Vigo takes some more – the distance from Ribadavia is about 70 km, but then you find yourself in the most populated city in the area with the biggest port; may be a little bit industrial, but still really beautiful place on the ocean coast. And speaking of ocean, it is just awesome how the hilly land dives into the waters of the Atlantic at the waved coastline with white sandy beaches and monumental rocks. The first time I dived into the same waters I simply felt lucky. One of the beaches I visited was close to Cangas, north from Vigo - an area with paradise views from the vertical  shores, definitely worth visiting. There we went together with Santa, Lena and a local friend, famous for his energy and sociability - Manuel, who has made his voluntary service in England some time ago and usually plays the role of the kind host for the new volunteers (the fact that he also speaks English helps for sure J).  In a moment of hesitation about what you can do in a lazy Saturday afternoon, he would be the guide to a new experience. This is for example how I also visited the dam on the river Mino, also few kilometers from Ribadavia, well-known among the Spanish for the water sports. We took a sail-boat and enjoyed the lovely view and the sunny day from the surface of the lake.

The way the locals spend their free time sometimes reminds me of my hometown, Gabrovo, where it just as normal as here to go around to the nearby beautiful places for a walk or for a swim in the rivers. The people are also quite similar (may be only in this region of Spain, I still can’t say more) - warm and friendly. Hm, feels like home…