I've been back from my trip to Galicia for about a week and this is the first chance I've had to post. What a beautiful area of Spain that seems to be overlooked by American tourists. I only ran into 2 couples that spoke english as their native language (one couple from england, another from the US but lived and taught school in Germany). I had planned on traveling alone but at the last minute a friend was able to come along for five of the seven nights. The trip started out great - got to fly first class and now I'm spoiled for life. We spend the first three nights in Pontevedra and the next 4 in Santiago.

Day 1 - arrived in Madrid, plane to Vigo, rented car and drove to Pontevedra. Relaxed, rested, and walked around Pontevedra.
Day 2 - drove to Viana do Castelo (Portugal) for the day and then visited Tui (Tuy).
Day 3 - visited Bayona & Cambarro
Day 4 - drove to Cambados; then took a drive from Santiago de Compostela to Cabo Fisterra.
Day 5 - Santiago de Compostela
Day 6 - day trip to Noya
Day 7 - Santiago de Compostela

In Pontevedra we stayed at the Parador. Pontevedra parador
We took a special offer where we had room and 1/2 board at a 20% discount. I don't believe I'd do this again. Although it is a good deal, it limits your flexibility and the day we visited Viana do Castelo and Tui we were never around at lunch and dinner anyways. The breakfast buffet was good except for one day when almost everything was gone with one hour of the buffet still left. The lunch meals were OK but I actually got ill for about 6 hours after eating some fish as my entree.

In Santiago de Compostela we stayed at an incredible place called As Artes. It is literally a stone's throw from the cathedral and next to the rear of the parador.
As Artes
It is ran by a husband and wife, Esther and Mateos, and there are only 7 rooms, all named after an artist. They don't speak much english but I was able to get away with spanish and french (they are fluent in french). There is no meal service except for a very nice contintal breakfast (not included). I had a large room for 74 Euros. My friend got a small room for 62 Euros (the shower was tiny, the room was small). It only has one star but it is absolutely wonderful - terry cloth robes provided, a sauna, and for 35 euros you can have a 45 minute massage. :p

The highlights of the trip were:

1. Festival of San Telmo in Tui
We visited Tui on the day they were having a festival and a religious processional that evening. Although we speak little spanish we ran into a man in front of the cathedral who wanted us to visit "his" bar, Pub Dime Que Si.
We had a couple of hours before the processional so took him up on his offer. Pub Dime Que Si
It turns out Jorge and his wife own the place and were delighted to show us all around the establishment. Jorge is cuban and enjoys meeting americans. He has a huge poster of Jennifer Lopez, who he adores, over the bar.

We were introduced to another woman, Delores, who we quickly dubbed "the welcome wagon of Tui". She's an english tudor so it was very easy to communicate. She was delighted that we were so interested in learning about Galicia. When the queen and princesses of the processional came in, she introduced us to them and insisted that we all take pictures. Then more locals came and so on....we really felt like part of a big family. We left the group at the pub so we could see the processional and floats as they left the cathedral. I had never seen a religious processional before and it was quite moving. They also had bands in the parade with the (galician) bagpipe, something I had wanted to see during my visit. We joined the end of the processional with the rest of the crowd and continued down the main street of Tui. After a while, we happened to look up and saw Delores, Jorges and his wife on a balcony outside. Delores ran down and invited us to her apartment. We ending up spending the rest of the evening with Delores and her friends! We got back to Pontevedra at 2 a.m. exausted

Talk about a small world, Delores and Esther (who runs the hotel we stayed at in Santiago) are cousins.

If anyone visits Tui be sure to visit Pub Dime Que Si and say hello to Jorge.

2. Drive from Santiago to Fisterra up la costa de la muerte
This was the most beautiful coastal drive I've ever seen - mostly undeveloped, small villages just brimming with culture. I've been along the Amalfi coast in Italy and the California coast, but never seen anything like this (IMHO). There are few places anymore where you have to share a road with a man leading 2 oxen pulling a cart. Of course we had to pull the car over and run out and take pictures of this. :o

3. Pilgrims mass and the Botafumeiro at the cathedral of Santiago

I went to Pilgrims mass (noon) in Santiago on Thursday. On the spur of the moment I decided to visit on my last day, Saturday. Towards the end of the mass I heard a few people gasp and all of a sudden I realized why - they were bringing out the Botafumeiro. I couldn't believe my eyes as 8 priests hoisted it up and it began swinging across the cathedral. Since I don't speak much spanish I don't know if an important dignitary was visiting or what the occasion was but I just feel so lucky and grateful that I was there to experience it.

I really fell in love with this beautiful area and the people were so kind.

I'll be posting more as I think of things about the trip and if anyone has any specific questions I'll be glad to answer them.

And again, thanks to everyone on this board for helping me plan this trip. I'll be returning to Northern Spain (Barcelona and points west) for 2 weeks in September so you'll be hearing more as I plan that trip.

CathyM writes: That's a shared feeling. On first seeing the Botafumeiro several years ago, I marveled at the precision: keeping the lines taut at all times as that smoking cauldron swings on its axis and keeping it 'in the aisles' (i.e., never over the congregation). I don't know if they are priests (as you say); they are called tiraboleros

Other than the High Mass on Sunday, 25 July, 1999 the last few times I have seen the Botafumeiro have all been after a Saturday Pilgrims' Mass. That might be a regular thing now and it would certainly be of interest to people who look for info concerning Spain on this board.

You probably saw some other interesting musical instruments. I've still not been able to identify one: a finished wooden stick about 2m long (no strings) with a crosspiece near the top that the group leader plays by either sliding another wood held in his/her hand or gently tapping against it.
The bagpipe is the Gaita Gallega. If you buy the album 'Santiago' by the Chieftains (Irish folk group) you will hear Vigo's own Carlos Nuñez (lead bagpiper) playing the Uillean pipes and there is some very interesting reading in the booklet accompanying the CD.

Finally: Many of the Spanish who went to Cuba are Gallegos (even Fidel Castro who was visiting his ancestral home near Betanzos the same time we were there in 1992).

Cathy, I really enjoyed reading about your trip. It sounds like Galicia won a place in your heart and spirit. ( I knew it would!!) The coastline IS amazingly gorgeous...and Cabo de Finisterre is spectacular. I also stayed at the Hotel as Artes in Santiago this past summer and really enjoyed it too. It is so great to be so close to the Cathedral. The festival in Tui must have been wonderful, specially since you just happened upon it. I just love the sound of the Gaita gallega. The Chieftans CD that Eddie mentions is a treat. I always love Celtic music and having the Chieftans sing some of the songs my grandmother used to sing was a real surprise for me. I loved it.
Did you get to try the empanadas, and the tarta de Santiago???

Of course, I just had to try empanadas and tarta di Santiago on my visit. I had empanadas with seafood mainly and they were good but the tarta Santiago was great - funny though it wasn't what I expected in reading about it. I had to try octopus and actually thought it was very good.

I have to admit I was a little disappointed by the food in Galicia, but perhaps since I had read about how great the seafood was my expectations were too high. Don't get me wrong, the food was good but I think we found better restaurants last fall during my trip to Central and Southern Spain. It could have just been luck.

My favorite food find of the entire trip was the incredible tetilla cheese famous in the area. In fact, one of the funniest things on the trip was when I asked the waiter what kind of cheese I had just ate and he made a gesture (you can use your imagination). We knew immediately that we had just had the cheese in all the store displays that is shaped liked a women's breast.

I loved this cheese with quince (at least that's what the english menu's called it). I've since found that Trader Joe's sells tetilla cheese from Spain, but have not been able to find quince. In fact, I'm not even sure what it is other than some sort of jam/jelly but it was great with tetilla cheese and I'd love to find some in the states.

CathyM writes: I had the best grilled swordfish steak I have eaten in all my life there in Vigo; and my wife & I shared a Paella a la Marinera there that was quite different from the Valenciana because of the different varieties of fish and seafood from the cold Atlantic waters. On the beach in a'Guardia, just across from the Fishermen's monument, we had after a great sopa de Marisco and an excellent Marisquada, all accompanied by a Cinco Rosas Albariño that's produced in very limited quantity and available only in selected restaurants.
And in late Winter/early Spring you should also have tried lacon con grelos. the grelos being the 'greens' they sell at roadside stands between Santiago & a'Corunha (on the old road).

Cathy M, I agree with Eddie...the food in Galicia is as wonderful as any other part of Spain. As for finding "quince," my mom always got Goya guava paste and she always called it "membrillo"
So, go see if it is at your local market in the Goya section. Yum! queso con membrillo...one of my childhood memories!

Thanks. That was the name in spanish, queso con membrillo.

Also forgot to mention the yummy peppers from Padron. Once I discovered these I had to have everyday (at least once) They were perfect - not too hot & spicy but very flavorful. My mouth is watering...

Ahhh! Pimientas de Padron... One the best tapas....very good at La Trucha in Madrid. Thanks for reminding me.