Tuesday 30 October 2007

The city of Vigo, a brief history...

Vigo is situated in the south west of Galicia, on the coast within the province of Pontevedra, 35km north of the Portuguese border and 100km west of Ourense. Set within a natural harbour and protected by the Atlantic by the beautiful Las Islas Cies.

Home to a population of some 390,000 this climbs to over half a million, when taking into account the Vigo metropolitan area.


Although there has been a permanent occupation of the area since before Roman times, the only records showing Vigo to be a village, start from around the 15th century. During Roman times a city by the name of Vicus existed within the area of present day Vigo and it is widely accepted that Vigo lends it's name from it's Roman predecessor.


Vigo has always been a sea fearing town and is home to the largest fishing port in Europe. This wasn't always the case and for a long period of time, played second fiddle to it's northern counterpart of Pontevedra but during the 19th century Vigo began to grow on the back of industry and by the early 20th century saw it become the leading economic center of Galicia. Trade with the America's increased and prosperity grew, much of the buildings leading down to the old town is the legacy of this Golden Age.


The Franco years brought about a period of economic, social and cultural decline, but nowadays Vigo is seeing a healthy revival in all respects and is a forward looking city with a thriving cultural scene.

The above is only intended to be a 'brief history' those requiring a more in depth view should try the following sites:


http://hoxe.vigo.org/conecenos/historia.php?lang=ing


http://www.turismodevigo.org/cies_historia_en.php

Saturday 27 October 2007

What's this blog about...?

This blog intends to cover all aspects of life in this little corner of Spain, helping bring to light one of the least known areas, but one of the best.
Although mainly focusing on Vigo and Galicia in general, I'll be giving my two cents worth on the rest of Spain as well.

If your intending to come on holiday or maybe looking to come here to learn Spanish, whatever it may be just drop me a line and I'll be happy to help.

I'll be covering everything from the best beaches, towns, fiestas, wine, restaurants, food, cafes and anything in between.

I little about me, I'm a New Zealander and went out in search of adventure back in 2001. In London I met my future wife, a Galician. We now have two sons and moved to Vigo in January 2007, primarily to give a better quality of life to our two boys.

If you've been to Galicia before drop me a line and let me know where you've been and what you got up to. I love finding out what experiences people have had here.

Hope you enjoy the blog!

Hasta Luego
Brendan.