Un poco de todo

I had a ton of smaller adventures the last two months in Ourense! I could probably devote one blog post to each trip, but I think it's in everyone's best interest that I consolidate them all into one post and give brief synopses of each one. Otherwise, I won't catch up with my blog for several years. All of these trips proved to be special in some way...whether it was the fact that they all took place during the Spring and the warm Spanish sun acted as the most beautiful backdrop of each adventure, or maybe just the realization that these were the last opportunities to enjoy Spain to its fullest...in either case, they were all nice little trips that remain embedded in my mind.

Pontevedra

Just a day after my dad departed, Anna's parents arrived to Ourense! It was nice to meet them, and hilarious to see how much Anna took after them :) One day they invited me to go to Pontevedra with them and I immediately agreed. Pontevedra was a cute city! It was a beautifully sunny albeit somewhat windy day. We started out with a coffee in one of the main plazas, where we witnessed SO MANY CHILDREN CHASING AFTER BIRDS. A quick aside: I don't know how many people I have shared this story with, but, several months ago I was innocently walking through a park when suddenly I felt something akin to a punch to my face and saw feathery wings flutter away....yes, a pigeon had slapped me in the face. I haven't looked at pigeons the same since. So, seeing the children enjoying themselves with the demon birds really affected me.

We spent a lot of time in Pontevedra just wandering...sometimes that is just the best kind of visit...no concrete plan, no rushing around, just cruisin' along at a happy pace. I can't say that the wandering was completely unplanned: I was traveling with Anna, afterall, and she doesn't do "unplanned" hahaha :D So we did stop along some awesome ruins, cute and weird churches, and nice palm-tree-lined parks! We had such a typical, delicious Spanish lunch in a frenzy of a plaza, which included pimentos de padron, tortilla, croquetas, queso, and chorizo (if I'm remembering correctly), all paired with some wine of course! Sitting in the plaza was an awesome little moment, and I remember trying to take the authenticity of it all in. As I lounged back in my chair, buzzed from some cerveza, I looked up at the sky to see this beautiful sight, which is now one of my favorite pictures from Spain! The picture brings back warm fuzzy Spanish feelings and will always give me pleasant reminders of Pontevedra :)

Ribadavia Wine Festival

This had to be one of, if not THE BEST roomie adventure Anna and I experienced!

Anna has always been pretty in the know of festivals and such that go on around Galicia...but when she announced this festival to me I was beside myself with excitement. Spaniards don't joke around with their wine, and so I knew a festival that was solely dedicated to wine could not be a let down!