Galician language and culture classes

 Hello!

 I mentioned in my last post, about my modules at the University of Vigo, that I would dedicate a post to my Galician language culture class, because there is so much to say about it.

 This was more than a Uni module. It was a big part of my life, what with all the excursions we went on and the bonds that formed between us as students. I made some great friends from all over the world.

 We had five hours of lessons a week. We learnt Galician language - grammar, vocabulary - and did a lot of speaking practise in groups, which helped us to get to know each other.

 We would then study Galician culture - history, geography, art, food, festivals and traditions. We listened to a lot of music, of different genres, which I really liked. Galician classes came after our morning modules, and were a nice, relaxed way to spend an afternoon.

 Of course, I must talk about the trips and visits, as these ended up forming a kind of backbone to my time in Vigo. They meant I travelled on a regular basis - I probably would have anyway, but having organised tours certainly helped.

 They also allowed me to see amazing places that would have been hard to access through public transport but which a coach or minibus could get us to. Here is a recap of our adventures.

 The Monastery of Carboeiro - This abandoned Benedictine monastery was a remote, peaceful place, and the surrounding area was incredibly lush and green.

 The River Deza and the Toxa Waterfall - This hike was quite tough at times, especially as we were rained on, but the nature was very diverse and we encountered hallmarks of Galician culture such as the horreo (granary) and cruceiro (double-sided crucifix).

 The O Castro Mountain and Park - This was, at the time, the most beautiful place I had been; it seemed like heaven. The park above Vigo is full of public art, blossoms, water, bees, butterflies, lizards and frogs. It was gorgeous.

 Vigo city tour - I knew Vigo pretty well by this point, but I still learnt some new things, and enjoyed exquisite views from the higher parts of the city.

 The Monastery of Oseira - This Trappist monastery was large and elegant, and through our guided tour (led by a monk) we learnt a lot. The nearby village of San Cristovo de Cea was also nice, though we only had time for a quick visit.

 Ribadavia - This town, known for wine-making, was very colourful, with lots of leaves and flowers. We also encountered two dogs and a possibly-pregnant cat, and sampled local cheese.

 Sobroso Castle - This small castle, sitting on a hill and surrounded by flowers, was very calm and serene. You could buy specially-made chocolate, which was divine, and colourful woven notebooks.

 The house of Rosalía de Castro - Visiting the house of this respected writer was a very special experience. We were given a fascinating tour, and enjoyed a garden full of flowers and fruit.

 Padrón - Dominating my memory of our trip to this town is the heat - it was a very sunny day, which added a surreal quality to the chickens, roses, fish, dog and ducklings we encountered. It was a strange, dreamlike, but enjoyable visit.

 Pontevedra - This became possibly my favourite town in Galicia. I loved the chilled out, happy atmosphere, and the diversity of the slim, winding streets and the big, open squares. I just had to return, which I later did with my mother and grandmother.

 The Liste Ethnographic Museum - I learnt a lot about the history of Galicia here. I liked the museum's layout; the way there were different rooms based around different themes. I was particularly moved by the room all about light.

 Castrelos Park - I had passed this park regularly on the bus, and was intrigued by its hedge maze. It was nice to visit it - we were there in the late afternoon and I remember that low, lazy sunlight on the maze, sculptures and pond.

 Carnota - This probably overtook - or at least equalised with - O Castro Park in terms of being the most beautiful place I had been, and my idea of paradise. It was all green countryside speckled with wildflowers, horses and foals and goats, sand dunes and a turquoise sea.

 Muros - I enjoyed exploring this quaint harbour town with its narrow, hilly streets, mosaics, cats, swallows and ice-cream.

 The coastal fort at Baroña - This was a magical place. The remains of an ancient settlement perched on a peninsula, surrounded by rushing waves, and with lizards creeping about. It was like reaching the edge of the world.

 The Sea Museum - I spent a fulfilling afternoon here, exploring marine animals and plants, boats, diving, and the role of the sea in toys and games. It was our last trip as a group, which was sad, but we knew we would keep in touch.

 Overall, as I've mentioned before on this blog, taking the Galician language and culture module was one of the best decisions I made during my semester in Vigo. I really, really recommend it.

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x

Vigo University Campus

 Hello!

 My semester in Galicia was almost over. After my Granma had left Vigo for her flight back to Ireland, my mother and I emptied my room, packed and had one last walk around the beautiful mountain campus. 

 The architecture of the University of Vigo really is remarkable: that way it is so unique and daring, and works with its unusual setting and the nature surrounding it.

 There are walkways between the buildings' roofs, meaning you can cover a lot of the campus in the air. I normally commuted on ground-level, but at night I would sometimes sit on the walkway and look at the very clear stars.

Spot the cat

This building is like a ship sailing through the hills and trees

This reminds me of Chinese architecture

 We walked through one of the glass aerial tunnels that link some of the buildings. They are held high off the ground by the thinnest of poles, and the views are stunning.

 We arrived at my school, the Faculty of Philology and Translation. It consists of a main building with a nice canteen and library, three glass pavilions, and the Isaac Newton Building, in whose computer room I spent a lot of time after my laptop stopped working.  

 The Faculty is surrounded by greenery and flowers, and I would frequently see little birds and lizards darting around. It was lovely, and I knew I was going to miss it.

Inside one of the pavilions. They are so open and airy

 I said goodbye to the Faculty and my mother and I returned to my residence to finish packing. The next day we would get a taxi to the airport, to fly home. I was very grateful to have had the chance to study in such a beautiful and friendly place.

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x

Vigo: Flowers and flan

 Hello!

 Here is my final set of photos from Vigo that don't fit into a bigger post. Expect, as always, food and cats. I hope you enjoy sharing my journeys.

 One morning at Uni, my class was invited to watch a performance and a film about the garment factory at Rana Plaza in Bangladesh that collapsed in 2013. 

 The performers were wearing many layers of clothes and slowly, silently removed them one by one and placed them in piles on the floor, surrounded by petals.

 We then watched the film, made by Carla Novi. She happened to have visited the factory and interviewed some of the workers before the disaster. She then returned to try to find out who was still alive and who had died. Carla was there to answer our questions afterwards.

 The film was extremely hard to watch, but it is important that people know what happened and how badly it damaged so many lives. Hopefully steps are being taken to avoid such awful and pointless loss of life in the future.

 Vigo in spring was all blue and green, mountains and trees and sky and sea.

In the Uni canteen: pasta, lamb with couscous or lentils for a starter, and meatballs or grilled fish for a main 

 I said there would be food and cats! Thanks for reading.

 Liz x