Can't believe it's been over a year since my last post!!!

The boys are both a year older and so are we! We still live in the same place and still have the same two cars (albeit with a few more scuffs and scratches), the boys still go to the same school and our new mode of transport to get there are scooters.

Hope to post more soon...but you know what I'm like... ;-)

The Coia Marathon for Kids

Today was the annual Coia Marathon for Kids. R and W competed in the 3-4 yr old category.

R was able to finish the demanding 200m course under his own steam.

While poor W, who was swamped at the start line by overprotective parents, (trying to get their child into the best possible position prior to the starting hooter) lost his confidence and had to be guided around the course by Mummy's loving hand.

Both boy's received a medal and a bag of goodies!

After the marathon it was off to the local cafeteria for a much deserved Spanish Omelette for R and Chocolates for W.

Two boys and a camera

Having been doing far to many other important things lately, rather than writing in this blog. I have once again been neglecting my writing duties and I see that it has been months since my last entry.

A month or so back little W came up to me and said.

"Daddy, here is your camera"

"Where did you find it?" I asked.

"On the table" he replied.

"Where I left it?" I inferred.

"Yes!" he said with pride.

Upon the conclusion of the conversation he holds the camera with outstretched arms and as I reach out to take it from him, he lets go and before I have a firm hold, the camera falls to the parquet floor lens first ("oopps" he said.) with a cringing crack.

Now, this is not the first time the camera has been dropped, it has been dropped on numerous occasions but never while it was on and never with the lens out.

I quickly retrieved the camera from the floor, as if this very action might actually prevent the damage that has already been caused but alas the lens has an angle that could be best described as not exactly true.

Surprisingly the camera was still working and the lens would retract, even though it was a bit more of a struggle for the little machine.

I then had the brilliant idea that a little gentle persuasion would encourage the lens to find its true position again and all would then be righted. Unfortunately, this was not to be, as my so called gentle persuasion became rather less gentle as the lens proved more difficult to straighten than anticipated and my gentle persuasion had descended down the evolutionary ladder to brute force.

This extra applied pressure resulted in a best to be described as "SNAPPING" sound, which resulted in the lens taking on a mind of its own, depending on the angle at which you held the camera.

Our conversation resumes...

"Camera broken Daddy?" he implied.

"Yes W, camera broken" I replied.

"Daddy broke it?" he asked.

"Yes W, Daddy broke it" I replied.

"Daddy naughty...." he said with conviction.

Visitors other than my parents!

My aunty and uncle were over staying with us last week. They visited us at the end of a 5 week holiday where they had been travelling through Sweden as part of a Rotary International group. They then spent 10 days travelling the Danube to Budapest before catching a plane and winging their way to little old Vigo, thus becoming our second visitors from New Zealand other than my parents. The other being an old friend who came to see us after completing the pilgrimage to Santiago from London by bicycle.

We enjoyed 7 short days of catchup, after nearly 7 years of virtualy nil contact,it was great to see them. It was interesting to watch R & W's reaction to these strangers. R's observation "Daddy they speak English!" or to William, who at first thought they were Grandma & Grandpa and then couldn't fathom out why they hadn't brought Xmas presents like Grandma & Grandpa and was most pertubed after extensive searching of the room, that there were none.

Here's a photo of the boys new summer look...the number 2...

Mother's Day in Spain

What better way to spend Mother's Day than to go and have a lovely lunch at a lovely restaurant in lovely surroundings, on a lovely day and then top the day off with a climb to the top of a mountain (large hill). Well that's what we did this year for Mum's special day! The boys thought it was a great adventure and thoroughly enjoyed themselves, Mum (understandably) on the hand didn't agree entirely with our expedition.

We had lunch at a wonderful winery/restaurant in the O Rosal wine region...

...Along with our climb to see the Muiños (water mills) do Folon y Picon the largest collection of its kind in Europe (so I'm told).

R was a little champion. He walked all the way to the top and all the way back down again, very proud we were of that feat! W's little legs just couldn't keep up and was soon asking for Daddy's arms. Daddy's arms and back took a few days to recover but we all had a great day out and that night we had two very tired boys, who slept right through till morning! Mind you so did Mummy and Daddy!!!

New directions...

It has been nearly a year since I last wrote my humble thoughts on this here tablet. I feel that a change is in order. I am going to be focusing on our life here and especially focusing on our two beautiful boys, so that family and friends on the far the far side of the world don't lose touch.

Cricket in Vigo

This is a quick post to add a video clip from Televison de Galicia about our recent cricket match played here in Vigo!

You can see me at the end of the clip, in the group shot, standing on the far left! My five seconds of fame!

Walking the Lagares River Vigo

A few weeks ago we decided to finally take the plunge and go and traverse a portion of the over 8 km long path which follows the river Lagares that meanders along the fringes of the city, from Avenida Madrid until Playa Samil. I’ve seen the river before but only in Castrelos where, I firmly believed it begun and ended, for I had never seen it beyond the sanctuary of the park.

We joined the river close to the site of the PSA Peugeot Citroën car plant. The river lies lower than street level, so traffic noise and unsightly edifices are mostly hidden from view.

Upon joining the river trail, we were immediately transported to another world of peace and serenity, in the otherwise hustle and bustle that is Vigo.

We continued to follow the river towards Castrelos and even though we found ourselves amidst towering apartment block, the river and its tree lined banks provided the perfect cover to forget where you were. We passed through Castrelos and into a truly natural environment far removed from the city.

The paths are well maintained and the water is clean, supporting abundant wildlife, namely fish and birds, of which ducks were plentiful. We were told that even the odd heron could be spotted. There is ample flora, offering welcomed shade on hot summer days.
Overall we were quite pleased with our river walk and glad that we had finally taken the time to get to know it, a truly pleasant place to escape the cacophony of Vigo.

Un Bocadillo Vegetal Please...the not so vegetarian roll.

I imagine being a vegetarian can be difficult at the best of times, especially when eating out. Here in Spain that challenge takes on a whole new twist. The vegetable sandwich/roll can include some decidedly non vegetarian content.

A typical vege sandwich will contain; ham, tuna, cheese, egg, maybe some lettuce, tomato and a corn mayonnaise.

Another classic is the humble salad, when in its vegetarian form will include tuna.

The sandwich/roll or 'bocadillo' in the picture is one I regularly buy from our local panaderia (bakery). I myself quite like them, but if you are a vegetarian, you may not feel the same.

(Normally the bocadillo from the bakery contains a little more lettuce and tomato than the one in the photo, they obviously are cutting back. Perhaps due to this crisis/recession thing...?)

Pedestrian/Zebra Crossing Vigo

A recent statistic came to light, after an accident involving two elderly woman on a pedestrian crossing last week. In Vigo, you have just as much chance of being hit by a vehicle on a pedestrian crossing, as you have in crossing the road at any other place. The two woman in question were crossing on a controlled cross, the light was red for traffic and green for them, they were seriously injured with multiple fractures.

It seems that scant respect is given to red lights and not a day goes by without seeing vehicles running them. I have had three near misses using the pedestrian crossing, one of them whilst I was pushing my son in a pushchair. It pays to look both ways before you cross the road. Here in Vigo it pays not to stop looking!

The photo above is the result of the overturned car running a red light through a pedestrian crossing, fortunately no one was injured in this incident.

Tui

It is always nice when you see something that reminds you of home, no matter how vague the connection may be...

The word 'Tui' is very familiar to those who hail from New Zealand, where it is the name of a native bird and a brand of beer, amongst others. Here in Galicia, Spain the word 'Tuy' also exists in Spanish and when it is written in Galician, the 'y' is replaced with an 'i' giving us 'Tui'. Here it is associated with a town on the Spanish-Portuguese border and is also seen on many street signs. The word 'Moa' is also seen here, but I will leave that one for another day...

Monolith to Franco on the Beautiful Islas Cies

One of the few remaining monuments in Vigo of Franco's fascist regime was finally brought down on Tuesday after a failed attempt on Monday.

The beautiful Islas Cies are situated 10km (6miles) west of Vigo. The islands are a national park and features in the list of Top 10 Beaches in the world click here to see the review.

The islands are a natural barrier against the Atlantic and protects Vigo's bay from the fury of Atlantic storms which shelters the large mussel farming industry along with making the beaches on the mainland very safe for recreational activities. As beautiful as they are the islands had an ugly scar in the form of a 15m high monolith, erected during the times of Franco.

On 30 June the 15m high monolith on the Islas Cies erected in 1961 to honour Franco was set for demolition by explosives. To view the video of this slightly embarrassing moment click here or to view as a series of photos click here.
After the failure to fire (so to speak) of the day before, a further 25kg of explosives were laid yesterday, 1st July and the monolith was finally brought down.

Apparently the monolith had been reinforced with railway iron tracks, (obviously built to last) which went unnoticed on first inspection. Before the second attempt, these were cut through to allow for a more smoother toppling.

Plaza de la Constitucion

Plaza de la Constitucion lies within Vigo's historic quarter, only a short walk from the marina. This attractive 16th century Plaza is the largest of four to be found within the old town and is the principle site for all major festivities held throughout the year, such as the "Reconquista"

The buildings surrounding Plaza de la Constitucion are all characteristically Galician in style and built with local granite, which is found in abundance in the surrounding area. Nearly every window has its own balcony which normally has flowering plants as there is little room for anything else.

There are seven cafeterias/bars situated in the Plaza, all have outside seating and all but two of them have Soportales, (arched walkways) which allow for outside seating if the weather is a touch inclement.

Plaza de la Constitucion is a great spot and is close to the cruise terminal as well as the main shopping area of Principe. It never gets that busy so you are always guaranteed of a table. All in all a very pleasant place to go and get away from the present and step into the past.

Dia de la Reconquista

On the 28th - 29th of March Vigo celebrated its annual fiesta of liberation from Napoleonic forces (to read more about the history of this event, see previous post).

The day begins with a re-enactment of the arrival of the French, followed by life under occupation, we then were treated to the beginning of the rebellion, that eventually leads to a city wide uprising against the hapless invaders and Vigo's "Reconquest".

In the afternoon, the market stalls are in full swing, selling all manner of local produce; bread baked in log fired ovens, bocadillos (sandwich rolls) de chorizo, sweets, lollies, honey, jamon, wine, orujo (a type of liqueur), wicker baskets, lace. There was traditional dancers, music and much more.

Nowadays, the French have invaded once again, only this time not to the sound of guns, but to the sound of business. Citroen and Peugeot have a large car manufacturing plant here and employ thousands, whilst also injecting millions of Euros into the local economy. The largest supermarkets (of which there are four); Al Campo and Carrefour are both French owned. Needless to say that there are a lot of French people who live here and throughout the day, many a Frenchman would be seen to run out of a bar or pub and shout "Viva la France", before dashing back inside, rather than waiting for a response.

All in all it's a great day out and seeing Vigo's historic quarter come alive, makes a pleasant change, from it's otherwise neglected status. Wandering the cobblestone streets was a real pleasure, as you never knew what was going to be around the next corner.

Festa in Bouzas

Sunday in Bouzas is market day, with stalls mainly selling clothes, there is the odd food stall but it's really about finding cheap clothes or a D&G belt, it's not the most exciting market but the kids love it.

Bouzas lies in the south west of Vigo, situated within a small bay with moorings for private boats. It use to be an independent authority when Vigo was a smaller neighbour. It has a very quaint if small old town with bars and restaurants, many of which have been sympathetically restored in keeping with their surroundings. Citroen built a huge car holding area and port for their operations, fortunately this can't be seen whilst supping on a cold Estrella.

This day though we were in for a pleasant surprise, as the annual Festa Brincadeira was being held. Hidden behind the market day, down narrow cobblestone streets lined with straw, galician music filled the air and market stalls selling home-made wares from honey liqueur to hand made wicker baskets lined the street.

It was an assault on the senses, freshly cooked mussels from the bay, chorizo barbecued on an open fire, a traditional bread oven stoked with small logs churned out deliciously fresh bread all day, there was callos a kind of bean and bits of pig stew, (doesn't sound appetising but tastes great!) empanada of meat and tuna and with the stall vendors in period dress, the scene was set. Not to forget the wine drunk from small bowls and which flowed all to easily!

El Olivo - The Olive Tree

The olive tree, along with the Castro Fortress, appears on the coat of arms of Vigo. When the emblem was first designed, it was a tower and two olive branches, later the olive branches were replaced with the olive tree.

There are a few stories as to how the tree ended up at its present position on Paseo de Alfonso XII and just as many as to who originally planted it. What is not in dispute is its original location, which was the courtyard of the old Colegiata (Collegiate) Church (which no longer stands) but where you will now find the 19th century Colegiata Santa Maria.

The tree we see today is not the original, but rather a descendant. It is said that the original tree was planted during the 12th century, around the times of the Knights Templar. In 1780 a large gunpowder explosion in a nearby military store destroyed the church. When plans were made to build a new church on the site, and the tree was to be uprooted, a man with foresight by the name of Manuel Ángel Pereyra had the presence of mind to take a cutting which he planted, and in doing so kept the emblem of peace for the city alive, for many more generations to come.

Dia de la Reconquista de Vigo

"Dia de la Reconquista deVigo" - "The day of the Reconquest of Vigo"

On March 28th of each year, Vigo celebrates its reconquest against French Napoleonic Forces in the city’s historic old quarter 'Casco Vello'.

I have found very little on this subject written in English and what I have found is usually not more than a paragraph. Below is my attempt to address this problem and learn a little something during the process. This is my account of the Reconquista de Vigo.

The Napoleonic War, which had begun back in 1803, was now in full swing. Napoleon was attempting to enforce a European commercial boycott against Britain called the "Continental System". However Portugal would not comply so with the support of Spain, Napoleon sent an army to invade. Now this is where things get tricky as Spain had already asked Portugal to form an alliance against the encroaching Napoleonic Forces but secretly agreed with France that in return for its assistance be granted territories. Spain then after the capture of Lisbon, broke from the "Continental System" thereby rocking its alliance with France. On learning this, Napoleon under the guise of reinforcing the Spanish-Franco army in Portugal, sent into Spain thousands of French Troops. Then in February 1808 ordered his army to turn on their ally and seize key Spanish installations. One of the French divisions was under the command of Jean de Dieu Soult. The Peninsular War had begun. (Also known as the War of Spanish Independence.)

By August 1808 the British had entered the war, allied with Spain and Portugal. In December 1809 a small British force under the command of John Moore launched a surprise attack on French forces near Madrid in an attempt to "save" the city. The attempt proved disastrous and now with French forces aware of their position, Moore could do nothing but make a hasty retreat towards A Coruna, to waiting British Naval ships. Moore was chased all the way by Jean de Dieu Soult the commander of the French force and by 18th January 1809 the British had evacuated Dunkirk style from A Coruna. John Moore was not one of those who left that day and his grave can be seen at San Carlos Garden in La Coruna.

With the French Forces having secured A Coruna, they then turned their attention south and with little left to oppose them except the remnants of the Galician Army, they took the remaining towns with relative ease, only the use of guerrilla tactics hindered their progress. (These guerrilla tactics would eventually be one of the catalysts that would lead to their defeat.)

French Forces took Santiago de Compestela on the 20th January; Pontevedra fell but one day later. The French arrived at the gates of Vigo on the 31st of January. Vigo was in no state to mount any kind of defence. The remaining British troops had all but left and most of the local garrison had left with the Galician army. Vigo could only muster 39 soldiers and some of them were injured. It was decided that a militia be formed and some 200 volunteered.

The newly formed militia didn't trust the Mayor or the Commander of the garrison and were unwillingly to follow their lead on suspicion that they were French sympathisers and there was also a general dislike for the men. Both men were jailed in el Castro Castle, and the militia then elected a new Governor Juan de Villavicencio y Puga and a new Mayor/Judge a lawyer by the name of Francisco Javier Perez Varela. Then in a bizarre twist, all agreed that, to resist the French Forces would be tantamount to suicide, so they concluded that the next best thing would be to surrender. On the same day Napoleonic Forces entered Vigo, and terms of surrender were agreed.

The French Commander Soult then promptly released the pro-French Governor and Major and then promptly threw into prison their newly appointed counterparts. The French then called for reinforcements and the following day a further 1200 troops arrived, the capture of the city was completed on 4th February. Vigo was the last town in Galicia to surrender and it would be the first town to be liberated.

From the outset Vigo's French occupiers faced resistance. In yet another twist the supposed French sympathises namely the Governor & Mayor who having just been released from prison, asked that their newly appointed counterparts be freed. Their request fell on deaf ears. The Commander in turn asked for their obedience to the Emperor.

Then it was down to a few people, such as the Mayor of Valladares, to revive public spirit and to plot a way to rid Vigo of its occupiers. They began to supply militia outside of Vigo's walls with the means to engage the enemy in guerrilla tactics, by smuggling muskets and gunpowder. At first these attacks were sporadic and ill coordinated but in time they became organised and proved to be a real thorn in the side of the French occupiers. Meanwhile back in the town, locals were also causing trouble for the French. It is here that the two most notable figures of the reconquest make their mark, Bernardo Gonzalez del Valle, also known as Cachamuina, was a Second Lieutenant in the local militia and Pablo Morillo a Captain in the Galician Army. The men coordinated and led attacks against the French.

These attacks drew the support of many of the locals who quickly took up arms to aid in the raids. Within the first week of March the attacks had already begun to undermine the French position in the city. In response to these attacks the French replied by directing their aggression towards the locals, this along with hunger only inflamed the situation and drew more people to the militias cause.

The conditions within the town were fast becoming unbearable and Soult new his position was becoming unattainable. On 25th March he order the gates to be opened and provisions supplied, in a vain hope that this might appease the locals. It did nothing of the sought. Soult began negotiations for a “dignified exit” and this was granted on the 27th March. However the following day the people of Vigo would not allow the French invaders to leave without some form of recompense. And so, on the 28th March in Casco Vello a battle commenced with the people of Vigo armed with what ever they could lay their hands on, fighting hand to hand against the French soldiers.

Fifty-eight days after their capture of Vigo the French are driven out.

The 28th of March is a public holiday in Vigo and every year celebrations take place to pay tribute to those who rose up against the occupiers. Vigo’s Casco Vello comes alive with people dressed in period costume and even the battle is re-enacted. There is traditional music, food and festivities.

I missed it last year so I’m looking forward to this one!

Bar Universo en Vigo

Bar Universo, a relaxing place to unwind and soothe away the strains of the day... just remember the old adage 'never judge a book by it's cover'. However in this instance the cover continues inside, but they do reasonable cheap food.

My wife had decided to take me to an old bar/cafe, where her Dad used to take her when she was just a little girl during the early seventies. He would then leave her there for an hour or so, whilst he went to a secret location nearby to join other like minded individuals and talk freely about socialism, democracy and everything that was wrong with Franco's regime.

The place is still run by the same people, an elderly couple, perhaps now in their early seventies (it would have been impolite to have asked). The inside of the establishment, obviously hadn't seen a lick of paint in many a year, if it had have it would would have ruined the ambiance you felt of being whisked away to another time. Pictures of Celta Vigo football team a yellow/brown colour from the years of cigarette smoke line the walls, a cigarette machine from a time well before euros and of course the obligatory TV perched high in a corner, at or very near full volume. Our only company for lunch was a truck driver and his son from Andulucia and the our elderly hosts husband eating a huge plate of cocido (galician stew).

For starters we had salad and calamares, the salad was as fresh as you would have found in any restaurant (fresher probably) and the same could be said for the calamares. For mains my wife had bacalao (cod) with boiled potatoes, while I had steak with fries, both dishes were well cooked. You have to realise that this place is not a restaurant and all food served is as you would expect when eating at home, large helpings! Desert was tarta de abuela for me and a cheesecake for my wife.
We also had two cervezas, two glasses of wine, two coffees and a bottle of cafe liquor plonked on our table to help ourselves to. All this for only €12.

Although this place doesn't entice, it does have other hidden qualities!

What's on this weekend in Vigo? 01st-02nd March

Que hacer este fin de semana en Vigo?

The Funny Bones are playing at Manteca Jazz this Staurday night with two sets. Their fusion of funk kicks off at 00:30 and the second set at 02:00 Entrance cost €3 Find them done in the old town Calle Carral No.3 just off Plaza Porto do Sol.

I use to be able to do these late night gigs but with two young kids it's hard enough getting through the day!

Specialty shops of Vigo

Have you ever wanted to go into a shop that only sold the item you're looking for? Specialty stores although small, provide a staggering range of possibilities for that one thing you're after.

Here in Vigo these family run businesses, handed down from generation to generation, were once the cornerstone of every day life, but now are struggling in the face of the big supermarket chains and hyperstores and many have shut their doors simply because they can't compete on price. Which is a shame as they offer personal service and friendly advice, which is a far cry from their high-powered counterparts. However they can still be found and enjoyed if you know where to look.

These specialty shops are from a bygone era and specialty really is there middle name. They can sell everything from watches to umbrellas One of my personal favourites is the one pictured above, a Zapatilleria or a Slipper Shop in el barrio Calvario, Calle Urzaiz. This shop is almost entirely dedicated to slippers, I say almost because the word zapatilla originally only meant slipper but upon the arrival of sneakers, trainers or whatever you like to call them, were also given the name zapatilla. So I guess in a way this allowed Zapatillerias to branch out and diversify without the need for re-invention!

Another favourite of mine also in Calvario is a shop which has two specialties, which I think couldn't be further apart from one another; knives and umbrellas. Every conceivable space around the walls of the shop and ceiling are crammed with every possible type of umbrella, the counter is the only place along with a small portion of the back wall that is devoted to knives.

These shops are an intriuging insight into the past and if you get the chance go take a look, before they're all gone!