Vigo & Ourense, Galicia, Spain

Inside the Cathedral of Ourense...

In May I visited Ivan's home in Vigo in northwest Spain.  I met Ivan WWOOFing in Morocco.  I had been wondering why there was a photo of Harry Potter among Ivan's family's photos...until I realized that it was him as a kid.

Ivan and Isabel were gracious hosts and took me climbing up on a mountain outside Vigo...

Isabel and Ivan in front of a flowing hot springs fountain.  In and around Ourense are lots of developed and undeveloped hot springs.

Free public hot springs in downtown Ourense

These platforms in the bay are mussel farms.

Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Scallop shell trail marker in the road marks the route for the Camino de Santiago.  This ancient pilgrimage trail leads across northern Spain and the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, (where the apostle St. James is supposedly buried), is the final destination for many of the pilgrims and hikers.

One of many churches in the old city

Santiago and Galicia are so rainy that there is moss growing on all the old buildings, walls and churches.

Typically gray Santiago

In Galicia, the majority of the street signs are not in Spanish, but are in Gallego, the local language that is somewhat similar to Portugese and is older than the nation of Spain.

Madrid

David and his sister Rachel in front of a beautiful and crowded food market

Torres in the Atlético match against Bilbao

Several of Atlético's goals were controversially called offsides to the chagrin and belligerence of the Atlético fans around us.  The game ended 0-0.

Lots of incredible Salvador Dali paintings are in Madrid's Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia.

Seville, Spain

Seville's wooden structure Metropol Parasol (or las setas) looks like a Burning Man sculpture.  Seville is a gorgeous city a bit inland from the Andalucian coast, but too touristy for me.

From atop the roof of the wooden mushrooms

And in the elevator...

Seville's Plaza de España

Seville's Cathedral...

Ronda, Spain

Atop the waterfall beneath the Puente Nuevo in Ronda

The Puente Nuevo at dusk

The fields west of Ronda

Down in the gorge, there's an access point to the Guadalevín River through the Casa del Rey Moro.

In Spain, I loved being able to purchase a refreshing glass of delicious white wine from 85 cents to two dollars.

Oldest bullfighting ring in Spain in Ronda

An old man shepherds his sheep across a bridge.

In and Around Salobreña, Andalucia

Streets of this sleepy town and small beach destination of Salobreña on Andalucia's Costa Tropical, Spain

View of the sea from atop the old town

View from the other side of the old town with snowy mountains in the distance

Sun halo

Flying into Andalucia

 

I ate a LOT of squid in Spain, Italy and Portugal.  Mmmm mmmm!!