A weekend in Pontevedra

After a few day hiatus I’m back, and with so much to say.  This weekend one of the teachers invited me to go with her to visit her family in Pontevedra.  The city of Pontevedra is a city of the Pontevedra region of Galicia.  It’s a little under 2 hours from Laxe, and a pretty drive.  I was really lucky that Patricia invited me to go with her because there’s not much happening in Laxe on the weekend, especially since the majority of the teachers who live in Laxe go away for the weekend. 

Old mill

We arrived in Pontevedra Friday afternoon, and Patricia showed me around the city of Pontevedra.  Like most cities in Spain, there is an older part which is always my favorite part to see!  I think I took a picture of almost every old building we walked past, and I’ll be putting those up on Facebook soon.  We walked through the city with two of Patricia’s friends from home who had plenty of questions about America.  One of their questions was about how healthcare worked in the US, and other than that it’s changing (which they already knew), I really didn’t know any specifics.  I should probably brush up on my current events so that I don’t sound incompetent if anyone else has questions.  On Saturday Patricia took me sightseeing a few places near Pontevedra.  We went to a state park with a little river and waterfalls.  

There were even a few really old mills along the river which was neat.  She showed me more old mills along another river, some of which were in ruins, and others which people had turned into summer homes.  In the afternoon we went to see some beaches 20 minutes from Pontevedra.  They were pretty crowded for October 1^st.  While Spain is a more moderate climate than the US in general, the north of Spain is not tropical like the south.

Converted mill

Patricia’s family was very kind to take me in this weekend.  They were very generous, particularly in making sure I had plenty to eat.  There was always so much food, and they were always insisting I eat more.  In Spain, the main meal of the day is the midday meal.  They explained to me that it’s better for the digestion to have the largest meal in the middle of the day, so you have more time to digest before going to bed.  That’s why they have the siesta, so they can rest after their large meal and then go back to work.  I am just solving the mysteries of Spanish customs right and left!  But I have not yet adjusted to this new schedule of eating.  I am used to a smaller meal midway through the day and a larger meal in the evening.  When I have a large lunch, I have trouble eating very much in the evening.  But that is not a valid excuse in Spain.  I try everything and I eat a fair amount of everything, but the Spanish women are similar to Italian women “Eat, eat. You’ve barely eaten anything! Are you sure you don’t want a seventh helping? I can make more food.”  I’ve started preparing for meals the same way I believe an Olympic athlete probably prepares for a competition.  I try to go in with a game plan so that the food doesn’t defeat me.  By the time I return from Spain, you’ll all see me taking on Man v. Food.  Anyway, the food this weekend was delicious!  If I could eat nothing but churros con chocolate, tortilla Espanola and jamon serrano for the rest of my life, I would probably be content.  Although I probably wouldn’t end up living that long on account of the cholesterol.  There was more pulpo (octopus) and it still weirds me out a little that the suckers are on it.  Sometimes I picture that the tentacles are going to suction to my esophagus or something, but I eat a little bit every time anyways.  I also tried Spanish barbeque.  There was grilled chorizo, veal and ribs.  The barbecued ribs didn’t have the same barbeque flavor sauce like the US, but it was still very good. And I didn’t come home empty handed, Patricia’s parents sent me with homemade coffee cake as well as lemons and apples they had grown themselves!