The glass half full
The article has been especially difficult to begin. I am at the day before the intermediate seminary, so the second in Spain and the third in the European Voluntary Service. I have some difficulties to realize that I will recover Andalusia, four years after have left this region. About this region of Spain, which is more than a region, more than an autonomous community, I conserved marvellous souvenirs, even I saw a tiny part. The name itself is wearing the light, Sevilla, all white, festive, happy. However this city stayed enigmatic, even if it is marked by an unforgettable soul. But time will be to take interest about Malaga, or its near suburbs, far from like one hour by bus, with this seminary which will be maybe shorter than this trip, but more intense also.
Because, it's another time about crossing Spain, after having taken the bus 15 years ago for crossing a cold castilian plateau. In 2006 so, I was vomiting in the Iberia's company's plane, vaccinating me permanently against the fastest flying machine of the world. Will I write an other page of this chapter ? I don't know, even I have got the feeling that the time of visit of one of the biggest cities of Spain will be extremely counted, recording me the short winter escapes in the region of Forez, before the arrival of the night. Because I will have trip in Andalusia during only 4 days, and only 2 complete, a very too small period to feel again the soul of this magnificient country, which will keep Granada, Córdoba, Jaen, Huelva, Marbella Town and Cadiz like secret territories. Without counting the innumerable vicus which compone them.
Vicus
An other word again, in an other language. Or maybe old, because this word which means "hamlet" in latin language is the etymologic origin of Vigo, biggest city of Galicia. Let's go some times back. Only two days after my come back in A Coruña's land, I wished to go to visit this town about 300 000 inhabitants, with the charming company of Anete, a young lituanian voluntary who lives in Padrón, between A Coruña and Vigo.
It was said that the city had several centers, several origins, several personalities, but we ended to bond with affection. Once, the train is arriving in the whole heart of the city (the identified heart at least) and this is very pratic to go and come back at time at the right harbour. The right harbour, it could be a pun when it's known that Vigo's harbour is the most important fishing harbour in Europe. Seen of the best point of view, because in the first point of view, Vigo means more twisted alleys, houses without order and its castro, the harbour seems not to be so big but with a eye more attentive, the culture exist in the major part of the enormous ría.
The Cies Islands, just two days after my departure from Saint-Etienne, relativize the lengh of the trips and appear like a promise. Mountainous, they effectively close the ría, and bar the horizon, but doing it incompletely not to contemplate the infinity of the ocean which has just the horizon and over America as limits. Will I visit there one day ? Known as protector of the ría against the antique invaders, they are also famous for being a real paradise of biodiversity. Moreover, they served as den of the English-Dutch fleet, which, well hidden, trapped the French-Spanish fleet charged with little coins, back from a American quest. The winners get back with the major part of the loot but it's whispered that a part of the treasure is still remaining in the deep of the ría.
What remember about Vigo ? It's the beginning of the glass half full, or of the glass half empty. Are 5 hours enough for visit a 300 000 inhabitants city ? Knowing the guides, we visited the essential part, museums excepted. Sometimes, the museums bring a lot about the knowledge of the territory, the places, the men, as during a rainy afternoon in Lugo. So there is maybe a interest to come back there, Vigo actually has charm, with its mysterious neighbour of Barbès, its tiny historic neighbour, which Majorette or Burago had seemed replicate the nearby cathedrals. The lunch at the restaurant Oh Vigo ! has been a deception, because the food was bland and the reception just formal. At half past twelve, a Sunday, it seemed that we arrived too early. Let's go. Our dessert will be a neverending climb of 160 meters to reach the castro, perfect for the Sunday's family's walk, with a sight on all the town, at 360°. Unfortunately a building suffered of fire, the town hall grew on the castillo's ruins, in the purest style of the 1970's. It remains on the highest point, fortunately, a very beautiful garden, very green, very spring, where a lot of couples of all ages and all origins are going, to share during some hours the softness and the intimacy of a loving dating. This is a typical Spanish people point, who often live in the moment, who likes their country as they contest their politicians, according a fundamental place to the family, sometimes mistreated but prevealing above all. Nevertheless, January remember us that cold weather, although relative, can pick us and we preferer go back to the city centre, at least the identified ; instead of attend a probably charming sunset. The harbour, the park orned with statues, where the seagulls are throning, the alleys designed for the skaters, the modernism of the architecture offer, in a relatively small place, pictures of Barcelona. No need to have Vigo like Catalonia's capital. There is all to make of this rival n°1 of A Coruña a strong place, commercial, industrial, alive, which the advantage is (near to) be situated on the road of Braga, Porto and Portugal.
The ordinary nature
This is one of the slogan of the Natural and Regional Park of Pilat, or the art of restore and preserve these little and mysterious territories, which are nothing about legendary and mythic but, because they belong to the same Earth, they have shaped the history of people. I started last Sunday to achieve the course of the Río Mero, which connects Cecebre to Perillo. Maybe these names don't tell something to you, because they are suburbs of A Coruña. It's known that a few part of French people knows that A Coruña takes part of Spain and more in the north of Portugal... I underestimated a few the distance of this motorway for joggers and bicycles but I needed 7 hours to go back and forth between the Ponte Pasaxe (which connects A Coruña to Oleiros) and the Presa de Cecebre (hydroelectric dam). 7 hours without a big break, it's near 25 kilometers, so the 3rd longest walking after the Charmant Som in 1995 (I was just 13 years old) and the rise of the Nine Colours Lake (Ubaye valley) in 2000, so the longest one in plain. The landscape was not an award, (the dam has nothing exceptional, and also the way), but I have to recognize that the path is remarkably marked and always very clean. About this solitary effort, I kept precious informations about my future project to join the Loire river to Santiago de Compostela, about my physical capacites, my limitations.
Strong women
It's from this moment that essential questions came about my middle term future. The last week was not easy, between young people with a disturbed behaviour by the full moon and a painful cold because of the variations of the temperature and the ambient humidity. It's the sign of better days. We are in the complete middle, in the complete construction site. The language practice is better than in september, sometimes excellent, but suffers of unpleasant moments. At middle term (horizon 2012), I have not decided yet. I can not imagine not teach, to be in contact of young people, more or less young, but younger than me. Curiously, I have always been surrounded by strong women. French teacher killed the hormone revolt this week and young pupils fear her radical decisions, however they need to go on. In the classroom, we are complementary. She showed me a way to teach French in Spain. In Galicia, Catalonia and Basque Country, it would be very difficult because a level C of language practice is necessary. I struggle to reach this level in Spanish language, titillating it sometimes but I am fully able to do it. In these communities with independantist claims more or less asserted, the language learning at this level seems to be very difficult. Fortunalety, it remains the major part of the Spanish territory... Other strong women adviced me to pass the CAPES-Agrégation de Géographie exam, which is not easier in French, my mother tongue. With the hope, thin but real, to teach at term in Spain. I keep the PhD warm, I have other projects at long term.
In brief, we celebrated this week-end the birthday of a voluntary collegue from Italia, Alice, from Santiago, with 25 years old at the counter. French crepes of Troyes and chocolate cake from Saint-Etienne, French menu so, and first marks taken for Maris, our new flatmate from Estonia. The opportunity also to share common souvenirs from this other country of Europe.
Because, it's another time about crossing Spain, after having taken the bus 15 years ago for crossing a cold castilian plateau. In 2006 so, I was vomiting in the Iberia's company's plane, vaccinating me permanently against the fastest flying machine of the world. Will I write an other page of this chapter ? I don't know, even I have got the feeling that the time of visit of one of the biggest cities of Spain will be extremely counted, recording me the short winter escapes in the region of Forez, before the arrival of the night. Because I will have trip in Andalusia during only 4 days, and only 2 complete, a very too small period to feel again the soul of this magnificient country, which will keep Granada, Córdoba, Jaen, Huelva, Marbella Town and Cadiz like secret territories. Without counting the innumerable vicus which compone them.
Vicus
An other word again, in an other language. Or maybe old, because this word which means "hamlet" in latin language is the etymologic origin of Vigo, biggest city of Galicia. Let's go some times back. Only two days after my come back in A Coruña's land, I wished to go to visit this town about 300 000 inhabitants, with the charming company of Anete, a young lituanian voluntary who lives in Padrón, between A Coruña and Vigo.
It was said that the city had several centers, several origins, several personalities, but we ended to bond with affection. Once, the train is arriving in the whole heart of the city (the identified heart at least) and this is very pratic to go and come back at time at the right harbour. The right harbour, it could be a pun when it's known that Vigo's harbour is the most important fishing harbour in Europe. Seen of the best point of view, because in the first point of view, Vigo means more twisted alleys, houses without order and its castro, the harbour seems not to be so big but with a eye more attentive, the culture exist in the major part of the enormous ría.
The Cies Islands, just two days after my departure from Saint-Etienne, relativize the lengh of the trips and appear like a promise. Mountainous, they effectively close the ría, and bar the horizon, but doing it incompletely not to contemplate the infinity of the ocean which has just the horizon and over America as limits. Will I visit there one day ? Known as protector of the ría against the antique invaders, they are also famous for being a real paradise of biodiversity. Moreover, they served as den of the English-Dutch fleet, which, well hidden, trapped the French-Spanish fleet charged with little coins, back from a American quest. The winners get back with the major part of the loot but it's whispered that a part of the treasure is still remaining in the deep of the ría.
What remember about Vigo ? It's the beginning of the glass half full, or of the glass half empty. Are 5 hours enough for visit a 300 000 inhabitants city ? Knowing the guides, we visited the essential part, museums excepted. Sometimes, the museums bring a lot about the knowledge of the territory, the places, the men, as during a rainy afternoon in Lugo. So there is maybe a interest to come back there, Vigo actually has charm, with its mysterious neighbour of Barbès, its tiny historic neighbour, which Majorette or Burago had seemed replicate the nearby cathedrals. The lunch at the restaurant Oh Vigo ! has been a deception, because the food was bland and the reception just formal. At half past twelve, a Sunday, it seemed that we arrived too early. Let's go. Our dessert will be a neverending climb of 160 meters to reach the castro, perfect for the Sunday's family's walk, with a sight on all the town, at 360°. Unfortunately a building suffered of fire, the town hall grew on the castillo's ruins, in the purest style of the 1970's. It remains on the highest point, fortunately, a very beautiful garden, very green, very spring, where a lot of couples of all ages and all origins are going, to share during some hours the softness and the intimacy of a loving dating. This is a typical Spanish people point, who often live in the moment, who likes their country as they contest their politicians, according a fundamental place to the family, sometimes mistreated but prevealing above all. Nevertheless, January remember us that cold weather, although relative, can pick us and we preferer go back to the city centre, at least the identified ; instead of attend a probably charming sunset. The harbour, the park orned with statues, where the seagulls are throning, the alleys designed for the skaters, the modernism of the architecture offer, in a relatively small place, pictures of Barcelona. No need to have Vigo like Catalonia's capital. There is all to make of this rival n°1 of A Coruña a strong place, commercial, industrial, alive, which the advantage is (near to) be situated on the road of Braga, Porto and Portugal.
The ordinary nature
This is one of the slogan of the Natural and Regional Park of Pilat, or the art of restore and preserve these little and mysterious territories, which are nothing about legendary and mythic but, because they belong to the same Earth, they have shaped the history of people. I started last Sunday to achieve the course of the Río Mero, which connects Cecebre to Perillo. Maybe these names don't tell something to you, because they are suburbs of A Coruña. It's known that a few part of French people knows that A Coruña takes part of Spain and more in the north of Portugal... I underestimated a few the distance of this motorway for joggers and bicycles but I needed 7 hours to go back and forth between the Ponte Pasaxe (which connects A Coruña to Oleiros) and the Presa de Cecebre (hydroelectric dam). 7 hours without a big break, it's near 25 kilometers, so the 3rd longest walking after the Charmant Som in 1995 (I was just 13 years old) and the rise of the Nine Colours Lake (Ubaye valley) in 2000, so the longest one in plain. The landscape was not an award, (the dam has nothing exceptional, and also the way), but I have to recognize that the path is remarkably marked and always very clean. About this solitary effort, I kept precious informations about my future project to join the Loire river to Santiago de Compostela, about my physical capacites, my limitations.
Strong women
It's from this moment that essential questions came about my middle term future. The last week was not easy, between young people with a disturbed behaviour by the full moon and a painful cold because of the variations of the temperature and the ambient humidity. It's the sign of better days. We are in the complete middle, in the complete construction site. The language practice is better than in september, sometimes excellent, but suffers of unpleasant moments. At middle term (horizon 2012), I have not decided yet. I can not imagine not teach, to be in contact of young people, more or less young, but younger than me. Curiously, I have always been surrounded by strong women. French teacher killed the hormone revolt this week and young pupils fear her radical decisions, however they need to go on. In the classroom, we are complementary. She showed me a way to teach French in Spain. In Galicia, Catalonia and Basque Country, it would be very difficult because a level C of language practice is necessary. I struggle to reach this level in Spanish language, titillating it sometimes but I am fully able to do it. In these communities with independantist claims more or less asserted, the language learning at this level seems to be very difficult. Fortunalety, it remains the major part of the Spanish territory... Other strong women adviced me to pass the CAPES-Agrégation de Géographie exam, which is not easier in French, my mother tongue. With the hope, thin but real, to teach at term in Spain. I keep the PhD warm, I have other projects at long term.
In brief, we celebrated this week-end the birthday of a voluntary collegue from Italia, Alice, from Santiago, with 25 years old at the counter. French crepes of Troyes and chocolate cake from Saint-Etienne, French menu so, and first marks taken for Maris, our new flatmate from Estonia. The opportunity also to share common souvenirs from this other country of Europe.
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