A day at Samil Beach

 Hello!

 I mentioned that I had made a good friend called Daojun in Vigo, and that we had organised some excursions. The first of these was to Samil, one of the nearest beaches.

 Praia de Samil is about twenty minutes from the city centre by bus. When we arrived the sky was worryingly dark. I half-expected a downpour as we walked along the promenade, but it never came. In fact, the weather eventually improved and was quite lovely.

 It was great to get to know Daojun better, and to have the chance to see the beach in two very different, but equally striking, lights.

 Something that I couldn't ignore was the building resembling a block of flats sitting on the private island of Toralla. I know the island is used by the University of Vigo's sea sciences department, but I don't think they own the controversial tower.

 I've no idea what it is - a hotel? Apartments? Maybe it has its use, but it is undeniably somewhat of an eyesore.

Bluer skies!

The Islas Cíes

The sea was like molten silver

A lost zebra

What an eyesore!

 Daojun and I passed a mysterious watery area, which I later discovered would be used as a swimming pool in the summer months. For now the water was green and still. 

 There were strange islands dotted about, and a bridge, and Daojun realised that the pool was a replica of the Ría (Estuary) de Vigo. 

 What a fascinating idea - letting people swim around the Ría and learn more about it, without the dangers associated with actually swimming in open water. We admired the ingenuity of whoever created it.

 We wandered back the way we had come, heading for the café and ice-cream shop we had seen when we got off the bus.

 We arrived at the café. I was soon engrossed in their sundae menu. I loved the Copa Pinocho with its long nose and little hat, and the Spaghetti ice-cream. It was all very inventive!

 In the end we left the ice-cream for another day. I ordered a milkshake and Daojun some juice, and we were also brought the little bowls of olives and crisps that tend to accompany drinks in Spanish and Galician bars. 

 There was a mouth-watering display of cakes behind the counter, and I chose a slice of cheesecake. It was delicious.

Why would you want to eat Nemo?

 We headed outside for one last wander before our bus came.

The trademark Galician horreo or granary. Its mushroom-shaped legs stop mice from getting in

Some of the local birdlife

 We caught our bus back to the city. Daojun suggested getting off at Alcampo, a big supermarket. I was interested to see a ship, the Alfageme, in the centre of the roundabout.

 We went to Alcampo - which was enormous - and did some shopping. We then stopped in a bar. There was a TV playing music videos, and you had to guess the year for each one. I got a couple right and was proud of myself.

 We enjoyed some potato omelette and a cheese, ham and egg sandwich. The latter had a circle cut in the top, showing the egg, which I found to be a great little touch.

 It was a long and wonderful day out. The following day was my birthday and we had planned a second outing, this time to Santiago de Compostela. I was delighted at the prospect of finally seeing the incredible city that greeted pilgrims at the end of their route.

 I'll be sharing the story and photos from our trip to Santiago very soon. Thank you for following my blog - I hope you're enjoying it.

 Until next time,

 Liz x