Spain- Galicia- Santiago de Compostela

the last four months of my life i have been living in galicia, not spain. i do not identify with the typical spanish stereotypes such as flamenco, torros, paella, and sun. after having traveled to andalucia and barcelona i feel the strong sense of culture and nationalism that is present in the northwest region of spain, galicia, which sets is apart from the rest of the country. and after not wanting to study in santiago de compostela i am so glad and thankful that i did.

this is how i would sum up the last four months of my life.

rain
umbrellas
parque bonval
estrella
chesterfields
luis’
sunday dinners
alameda
pulpo
Nunca Máis
cielo
apolo
amalia
café
pecados
tinto verano
rías
“Tenia Tanto que Darte”
“Colgando en Tus Manos”
Fonte Sequelo
peregrinos
camino
bershka
erasmus
tapas
tomate frite

Sexy Art. is how i would sum up the city of barcelona. it is not possible to experience the richness of this city in only four short days but more or less my dear friend and i managed to experience the metro, the beach, the rambla, gaudí, and the night life. plus enjoying happy hour in the gothic barrier, getting coffee in the born neighborhood and discussing religion with four new american friends over excellent tapas (octopus, squid, sardines, and paella)

porto son- noia

roses for santa rita

saint rita was deathly ill in the convent of casia having suffered an injury to her forehead on her journey to rome

a cousin came to visit her with the intentions to bid farewell and see if there was any way in which she could serve her for one last time.

rita asked that her cousin go back to her home in roccaporena and from her garden cut a rose and bring it back to her in casia.

Being the dead of winter the cousin thought rita must be delusional from the illness and returned back to her home town forgetting the request for the rose.

passing by rita's home, she was struck with a supernatural impulse and wandered into the garden. she went crazy with excitement, for sure enough, there in the garden was a snow-covered rose bush bearing a fresh, lush rose. she cuts the rose and brings to rita where it lasted a very long time giving off an intense rich perfume.

22 may, she died. people flocked to the convent to pay their respects. innumerable miracles took place through her intercession and devotion spread far and wide.

today the rose is thought to represent God's love for rita and rita's ability to intercede on behalf of lost causes or impossible cases and on 22 may people go into the streets and buy roses and take them to the church to say their prayers for the sick.

live.
last night.


Nena Daconte - Tenia tanto que darte

the last two days have been spent sin agua in my flat. ok i lie, there was water a small trickle flowing from the tap just enough to wash my hands, brush my teeth and make coffee, which would be sufficient but I do enjoy showering. so i have consequently been living outside of my flat.

for the first time in two weeks i woke up in time to make it to my lecture, i was determined to go to my class but when i went to get in the shower- there was no water. so i decided to instead carry out the plans i had set with my friend to go to the beach in vigo but just because there is sun doesn’t mean its warm. so with it being a bit too chilly for the coast of galicia the afternoon was spent taking photos. we ventured out with our cameras and a creative eye and shot around the park and went up to the plots of land where galegos cultivate their own land.


Puenting: an extreme sport, jumping which takes place from a bridge with climbing ropes in the form of a pendulum.
Noia, Galicia

ascensión

i have been inspired to start a blog, which i feel is long overdue and should have been started back ages ago when i ventured out to study in bangor, wales. but now is a better time than ever (even though i feel there is a high lack of lustre in my writing skills)

after a week long spell of non-stop rain in santiago, it was finally a gorgeous cloudy day with a touch of sun. i don't think i have ever felt so relieved to see weather forecast that predicts three partly cloudy days. this is galicia.

yesterday i had a very surprising encounter. as i was taking off my coat in a nearby café , about to enjoy a coffee with my brasilian erasmus friend, i look up, and through the doorway i see one of my spanish professors from bangor at the bar. we do a double take and realise that this is quite a coincidence. we briefly chatted about my classes, and eurovision, ( azerbijan should've won) and how she was in santiago for the manifestación.

this weekend is a puente (bridge), an extended holiday, day off before the weekend and after the weekend making a bridge, for the celebration of ascensión. starting wednesday everyday has a whole series of events taking place such as concerts, readings, and races, not to mention that part of the alameda has been turned into a fair.