Vigo by night

 Hello!

 My last blog post left me in the A Laxe shopping centre at Vigo's harbour. After finishing my frozen yogurt I took the lift up to the roof terrace to have a look at the night-time views. They were unspeakably gorgeous.

 Eventually I pulled myself away from the glorious sight and crossed the bridge that led from A Laxe back into the city centre. The bridge offered its own magnificent views.

The Rotary Club monument

The sculpture of "The Swimmer"

 The bridge took me to Praza de Pedra - Stone Square. It was a nice, calm, old area.

An ocean-themed jewellery shop

Books For Dreaming

 I made my way to the Plaza de la Constitución - Constitution Square. It had lots of bars and restaurants and was very lively.

 I turned onto Porta do Sol/Puerta del Sol - the Sun Gate - one of the big shopping streets in Vigo. It was busy and fun. It also had a stop for the bus that would take me back to campus, which was useful!

More dinosaurs!

 I also had my first encounter with a sculpture that unlike The Horses at Plaza de España, I hadn't been expecting. El Sireno - The Merman - was unlike anything I had ever seen, and he took my breath away. 

 Shining silver against the velvety dark sky, he had an ethereal quality to him, at the same time as feeling ancient. I have always had a love for, and fascination with, water and the sea, and I felt an instant, powerful connection to this strange creature.

 I found the bus stop, and also Five Monkeys Coffee, whose frappés I would later fall in love with. For now, I caught my bus and we trundled off back up the dark forested mountain to campus.

 I had enjoyed a good glimpse of Vigo, though of course there was still much more to see. I also wanted to travel around the region of Galicia and see other towns, cities and natural wonders.

 All of that happened, and I hope you enjoy following my blog and sharing my adventures in this incredible place.

 Thanks for reading!

 Liz x

The Avignon Illuminations

 Hello!

 I had seen the Avignon Illuminations (Les Luminessences d'Avignon) by Bruno Seillier advertised a lot since my arrival, and I thought it would be a nice thing to see with my Mam and Granma. 

 So, one evening during their stay we set off for the Palais des Papes (the Palace of the Popes), where the show would be taking place.

 We arrived and bought our tickets, then had to queue and have our bags checked before we were able to make our way into the courtyard of the Palace. We were part of a diverse group of people: there was a big age range represented and I heard a number of languages being spoken.

 The courtyard was dark and we were excited to find out what was going to happen. There was the option of sitting on the ground or standing and seeing slightly more; I chose to hop between the two. At last the show began.

 It was excellent. Many different images and animations were projected onto the walls of the Palais, and the commentary switched between several different voices to tell the story of Avignon, the Palace and the Popes. Some of what we saw was truly beautiful; some was harrowing, for example the section about the Black Death, It was all, however, expertly done.

 Music was a key part of the show, and the way it was mixed in with the other aspects was, again, very clever. It was just a really enjoyable and educational spectacle - and one that was moving, too. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

 Afterwards we walked back through Avignon towards the hotel. The old town was full of light and colour.

Barthelasse!

 It was a great night - we were all glad we had decided to go and see the Illuminations.

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x