See further

See 2011. With Lugo's visit yesterday, it's the first act of this European Voluntary Service which has been completed. The return to France, of course very provisional and for the opportunity of the end of the year's parties, is planned for the next December 23th, at 6 o'clock pm in the San Cristobal's train station in A Coruña.

I will not detail there the reasons, purely personals, who have nothing to see with the EVS's context, the projet in Andaina or Spain, in which I have not change my mind and feelings since september. I have just realized, after 84 days, that the familiar base was the most important, more over to the people I can meet here and the relative risk to cut the project in two. Some volunteers companions are going to stay here during this period of Christmas and the end of the year. 

I have now a exterior vision enough clear of Galicia, after a certain number of visits (A Coruña, Betanzos, Ferrol, Pontevedra, Santiago of Compostela and Lugo), even if there was short travels (excepted maybe Pontevedra). Among the important cities, Vigo is just missing (the biggest) and Ourense (the further). So I will enjoy 2011 to see further, until León, Salamanca and Porto, with the intermediate evaluation seminary probably in Malaga (Andalusia).

15 years of Spain, 15 days of Galicia before France

There are several common points which are funding an other base : the kindness, the simplicity and the tranquillity of people, in which opportunity. From this point of view, I still have never been shocked by the theme whether it is in Galicia or in Catalonia. 4 months spent in Spain since 15 years, in Catalonia, Madrid, Andalusia and Galicia are not enough to be aware, to enter suficiently in the popular culture. I just discover it for the moment, touch it, still with a look of an expat. If one year is necessary to get the Spanish nationality, being married, ten years are necesary to get it being single. Does to get married make accelerate the things ? Measuring the time which is going, I have got the feeling that summer 2011 will arrive quickly than the complete immersion in the Spanish society. 

From a material point of view, I have not noted neither anything repugnant nor really enthusiastic since my arrival in september. If I have to distinguish one place, it would be of course Santiago of Compostela, which merits to be famous, even for its pluviometry. This town does not have apparently any failure but it is devilishly serious ! It's knowing bad the student's nights for sure, near some pubs, coffee shops and restaurants. Is is so different from A Coruña or Lugo ?

What is it hidden behind actual Galicia's pictures which are :
- improbably rías with fine sand's beaches
- harbours with all the imaginables boats
- tapas's pubs, lost in the centre or accomodated behind the boats
- cities with neverending arteries, where pubs and banks are fighting for the place - which settles sometimes historics centers more or less enhanced
- a multicolour country, with houses in a state sometimes surprising and a maze of paths
- autumnal bagpipes
- strange mountains lost far
- water !

No, it's not completely Christmas yet. It is still remaining to realize the recipes of the 3rd ESO pupils'classroom. It is also remaining to tell about the last exit, the rush to the present in the callejones of A Coruña. And tell about the Rio Mero, Mera and Lugo, at the moment when others chose Porto, Barcelona, more chic, more expensive, further. No, don't be jealous of the Super Puente, which started last friday, to be extended until this day, with the parties of the Constitution on monday, and the Immaculate Conception today.

Meet again the taste of nature.

Ten days ago, I had gone to search a few of nature, going up the Río Mero, which forms the Ría do Burgo. A ría is an inlet that moves into the land, sometimes sanding some ports (Betanzos, Pontevedra), which also allows ambitious municipalities (Oleiros) called here concellos to build beautiful paseos (which get around the ría). I shoved myself in the country, enjoying a calm of the sky and finally I could enjoy a landscape so relaxing, without soul who lives. Cecebre's dam, at the end of the ride, was unreachable considering the duration but I could appreciate the contact with a nature, for sure transformed and enjoy simple things. The route is very pleasant, staked of cyclists and joggers, and a few hilly. It goes maybe until Betanzos, 28 kilometers far from A Coruña. It tells about Galicia's history, through the old activities adjoining the river. The Río Mero has nothing scary, even it had inundated some plants in the past. It's large like a Big Furan river (river of Saint-Etienne in France), or like the Arve river in Chamonix (France), and really quiet. So the walk is not finished but I will enjoy maybe of a train stop Media Distancia in Cambre to realize the second part.

The ocean.

Still walking, I went in Mera, the north tip of the ría of A Coruña, which constitues a kind of end of the world. Between Mera and Perillo, there are 9 kilometers, with excellent sights on the sea, access on the smallest beaches of the world, and A Coruña still in the background, with the mountains which constitutes the Galicia's base. From there, I understood very well why it was raining much more on the continent than on the coast, often safe. Mera benefits of a paseo very pleasant, which bypasses very nice houses and permits to admire all the ría.

The walk is going on after the lighthouse but it is becoming very more wild, with the desire to see still very further. There is no more road but a path, which is soon not motorable. The infinity of the ocean is opening in front of your eyes. A Coruña is under the rain, at some kilometers far from here, but you can admire the blue of the sky and the blue of the ocean, under the sun. And with some worry for coming back and for distance which remains to walk... The marking is to make perfect but globally, the municipality of Oleiros is making prowesses about ecology : an urban park completely green, a beach enough clean, panels speaking about local fauna and flora. But it's necessary to approach the cliffs to discover this avifauna. The place is superb, very wild, evidently dangerous in a very windly day, which was not the case. A very strange atmosphere is reigning there, with a sight on the mouth of the Ferrol's ría. The sunset is appeasing you, while the dark clouds on the mountains and the height of the cliffs (about 30 meters) are worring you. The streets are not illuminated well and I did not found the path to come back... adding to the distance about 2 kilometers.

To see above the city wall.

So it's difficult to continue on a décor completely different, in Lugo, because of the sum of the kilometers travelled and so the tiredness, but especially because of the schedule not enough adapted of the Renfe ! Only 4 daily trains are joining A Coruña to Lugo, cities which count however more than 100 000 inhabitants... So rise up at six o'clock to come back in Perillo at ten o'clock in the evening, with 9 hours spent to visit the old capital of Galicia. A few long, especially when the weather announced is perfectly respected : weather all sunny for the morning and raining for the afternoon. In the train, I have been middle surprised by the no control of the local controllers in English, even if it was a very basic English. A client was looking for a train to join Bilbao. I made myself a happiness to translate, even if the first language which is coming into my head after French is Spanish.

Lugo and its wall are undissociable. It has never been attacked (like Galicia's heart, far from the ocean, protected by the Cantabric's Cordillera and its extensions) and its function changed completely. It has not become offensive (!) but furiously turistic, which has the merit to protect it.

It's the Roman's wall best protected of Europe. With an average of 10 meters of height, it is impressive (with passageway from 3-4 meters to 15 meters). Fact most pleasant, its rampart walk is directly accessible from the Puerta de Estación, the well named. The joggers can engage in a round about 2 100 meters, which enclose the historic town. Contrary to Cambre and the Río Mero, we can easily understand that there are not cyclists. Lugo, build on a slope, enjoys a wonderful park in the north, even enough wide and walled to avoid the dizziness, would be dangerous in cas of cohabitation between cyclists, joggers and turists. From above, we can't see everything (because of the insufficient height), but enough to gauge the historic heart and which separates it to the rest of the city. Contrary to Santiago and Pontevedra, the historic neighbour is very much more penetrated by the modern civilization and its avatars (loss of authenticity of the architecture, presence of the car enough important) even if the cathedral's neighbour is more respected.

The interior of the cathedral is very more simple than in Santiago, even it's smaller, and provided with an similar architecture. I appreciate Mass some minutes, with a public with an other age than mine. Poor facades, eaten away by the vegetation, which supports the innumerable drops of water which falls from the sky. At the north-west exist of Lugo, after having escaped from the neverending market, there is a friendly neighborhood planned for youth activities (swimming-pool, musique, stabilised football stadium, urban park, circuit of radio-controlled cars). Two old men enjoyed of the kids'garden to entertain their muscles.

From Lugo, I will remember also the provincial museum, free, where the pictures are just authorized at the cloister's place. The museum offers various collections. The visit starts with an exposition of pictures of disabled people, in all Spain, in an activity situation. So sunrises. I follow the visit by the cloister, with an excellent exposition of sundials from the Roman age. A movie talks about the wall's theme, and upstairs, there is a beautiful portraits' collection, also realized with pencils (!),  boards about Galician towns, and a surprising art gallery. My favourite goes for this stream of water flowing from the tap, immortalized on the ceiling, and especially for these three human-sized pigs, thus perched on their two legs, who tie up two farmers, no doubt as revenge. Rest assured, the presentation is so good that it is in no way cruel...

It just remained me to bring up to the A Coruña's country the less expensive milk of Galicia (0,48 € a litre) found in a little supermarket of the A Coruña's avenue... that I finally followed in all its length, to see further...