Shopping in Vigo

 Hello!

 I thought I would do a post about shopping for food and amenities in Vigo, as it may be of interest to anyone living or studying there, or considering doing so. 

 I chose to live on the University of Vigo's mountain campus. It was beautiful, and I was very content there. However, there was only, to my knowledge, one small food shop, which was part of the university and closed outside of class hours. I therefore had to look a little further for most of my food. 

 When I first moved into the accommodation, I was advised to have my shopping delivered, and I used a shop called Froiz. They had some nice products - I liked their pizzas, biscuits, yogurts and rice pudding - and delivery was very useful for heavy things, like bottles of water and milk.

 However, I became aware that halfway down the hill were an Alcampo and a Lidl, and that they were on one of my bus routes. I knew I liked Lidl food, it having been my local supermarket in a few places I had lived. I was craving their rolls and chocolate. So, I took the bus down the mountain.

 The two shops are situated on a huge, busy road leading out of the city.

 However, the area around them was, at least when I was there, all untamed, beautiful greenery. It was nice to get off the bus and just stand for a bit, enjoying the wildflowers.

 Lidl had much the same products it has everywhere (or at least in the UK, France and Spain, based on my experience): a great range of sweet and savoury rolls and pastries, lots and lots of chocolate, sugary but tempting cereal, extravagant cookies, plenty of fruit. 

 One quirk of Vigo's Lidl was a supposed pick-and-mix of chocolate truffles, except they only ever had one flavour, which was coconut. They were divine, though, and I would always buy a handful.

 I had been to an Alcampo with Daojun, and so I knew they could be big, but this one still blew my mind with its hugeness. There were so many sections, with food, books, clothes, appliances... It was like several shops in one.

 I spotted some Cathy Cassidy books...

 ...and some really pretty Malory Towers editons.

 There was also a strange story in Galician about a mole who finds something surprising on his head...

 In the clothes section, I noticed a trend of English and French words and phrases being used.

 I generally preferred Lidl to Alcampo, as it was smaller and felt more relaxed. Alcampo did have lovely books, though, and some cool food items such as enormous chocolate bars crammed with different fillings, rice cakes that I really liked and light vegetable snacks (like a crisp alternative).

 After shopping I would face the dreaded uphill walk with my heavy bags to the bus stop. It was always a wonderful feeling to relax into my seat and cruise up the mountain, often watching the sun set over Vigo. 

 In those moments, looking down on the city, it would really hit me just how enormous it is, sprawling across the hillside and hugging the sea. It would remind me of Rio de Janeiro. I was amazed to be part of it.

 I hope this post has been useful or enjoyable. Vigo is a great place to study, and you shouldn't worry too much about the campus being so rural. With regards to food, there are options - deliveries, or a bus ride to Lidl or Alcampo. I loved my time in the mountains and am very glad I chose them.

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x

Leaving Vigo

 Hello!

 My semester in Vigo was sadly at an end. My mother had been staying with me on campus for a few days and would return to the UK with me. Although I was used to travelling on my own, and was fine with it, I was happy to have her with me.

 Our taxi arrived and we said goodbye to the staff at my accommodation. It was a strange day - dry but very overcast. The green Galician countryside and a grey sky surrounded us as we headed to a hotel near Vigo Airport.

 We arrived at the small hotel and checked in, before going for a wander. It was a very rural area, and the first place we found selling food was a petrol station shop. We bought some snacks.

 On the way back I glimpsed an horreo and pointed it out to my Mam. Seeing the traditional granary, one of the icons of Galicia, was a nice touch to my final day there.

 Back at the hotel, I played the game Undertale on my (now happily working) laptop and finally beat Mettaton, the feisty robot. It sounds a bit of a frivolous thing to mention, but the music and effects form a big part of my memory of that day, and they added to how surreal it all felt.

 We went down to the dining room and had toasties for dinner. The dessert menu looked exciting so my Mam tried out apple cake, and I chose cheesecake. They were delicious.

 I ordered hot chocolate and got a chunky sachet of powder and some really frothy warm milk to mix it into, as well as some cake to enjoy with it. The result was a lovely and extremely sweet end to the meal.

 We went to bed, and I fell asleep in Galicia for the last time - the last that year, at least. In the morning, our taxi - the same one as yesterday - took us to the airport. There, we saw one of my fellow Vigo Uni students. It turned out she would be on our flight, and we waited together and chatted.

 We flew to Edinburgh Airport without incident. We collected luggage, took a shuttle bus into the city and then endured possibly the hardest part of the trip - lugging my huge suitcases from the bus to the train station. However, we reached our train and were able to relax.

 I dedicated much of my time on the train to attempting to beat Asgore, the goat king, in Undertale - again, it is silly, but is what comes to mind when I remember that journey. I didn't beat him, in the end, until a while after I had got home, but his catchy battle tune stuck well and truly in my head.

 Finally, we arrived home. It took a while to adjust to not being in Vigo anymore: not waking in the mountains and walking to Uni through foxgloves and blossoms; not eating frozen yogurt by the sea or buying wacky chocolate bars from Alcampo.

 Of course, there is plenty to do in Manchester, and I am living a fulfilling life. However, Vigo and Galicia will always feel like another home, and somewhere I can hopefully return to.

 If you are embarking on a summer, semester or year abroad, then good luck - hopefully you will have a very special experience. If you are considering Vigo, I recommend it with all my heart.

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x

Goodbye, Vigo

 Hello!

 I had really enjoyed having my mother and grandmother in Vigo with me, but the day came when my Granma had to get the train to Porto, to fly back to Ireland. My mother and I would fly back to the UK from Vigo in a couple of days. 

 The three of us went into central Vigo and had one last wander around. I knew it would probably be my last trip into the city before leaving, and I was determined to make the most of it and commit my favourite things and places to memory.

 We enjoyed our final frozen yogurts. I had mango as well as my signature cookies, and it was divine.

 We saw a sad-looking dragon.

 Finally, we headed to Vigo-Guixar railway station and my Granma caught her train.

 It was strange to be back there. I remembered the night I arrived and met my Erasmus buddy, Esther, on the platform. I don't think I had been in the Guixar station since then - the train I took back from Santiago de Compostela arrived into the other central station, Vigo-Urzáiz.

 My mother and I would be getting a taxi, not a train, to Vigo Airport, as that would be easier from campus. So, this trip to the station felt like a wrapping-up of my story. I had two days to go, but coming back to Guixar signified some kind of ending and meant a lot to me emotionally.

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x

Vigo Sea Museum

 Hello!

 The time came for our final Galician class excursion. We had been all over the region, to monasteries and waterfalls, to a castle and a poet's house, to the sea and to a fort. We had really got to know each other and our group felt close and special. I would be sad to say goodbye.

 Our last trip would take us a little way along the coast to Vigo Sea Museum, the Museo do Mar. It was raining as we made our way there and waited for the others to arrive, but we passed the time inspecting the colourful tile mural celebrating Galicia's relationship with the sea.

Rain!

 We headed around the Museum to look at the sea, and the weather began to improve.

Cormorants

 I was pleasantly surprised to find the remains of another ancient settlement, with the same style of round buildings as those in the O Castro Park and perched on a peninsula at Baroña.

 We continued exploring.

 We headed inside the Museum, where we were greeted by a whale skeleton, among other interesting objects and animals.

 One room was dedicated to the role of the sea in children's books, toys and games. It was fascinating.

"The time spent on childhood beaches takes waves from our lives..."

 We continued through the Museum.

 We left the main building and had a quick look around the Aquarium.

 We popped into the gift shop, before going to catch our bus back into the city or in my case, up the mountain to my residence. 

 It had been a good final outing. As I sat in the bus I felt, yet again, very grateful to my past self for taking Galician. The classes and trips had provided some of the best moments of my semester. If anyone is going to the University of Vigo and wondering whether to do Galician classes: I highly recommend it.

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x