Moments in Madrid

In the end of October, Rajesh and I joined our fellow colleagues for a four-day field study. We went to Galicia, seven hours northwest of Madrid. Just saying that name makes me emotional/sentimental. We had a fantastic time, and got very close to the people that led us around. We had the USAC director Susan, two tourist guides Carmen and Pedro, and our bus driver Paco. We left early on the 22^nd and probably traveled a total of twenty hours combined. Our director wanted us to be well informed of the history that we were going to see, so weeks before our study began we were given extensive homework.

After six hours of travel on Monday, we arrived in O Cebreiro for lunch and some sight-seeing. As this was the first town we stopped in, Rajesh and I stepped off the bus and literally stood dumbfounded for what seemed like minutes.

We were surrounded by sky and mountains. O Cebreiro is neatly tucked into the side of a monstrously, high mountain; the view is spectacular at the top. The city was made of all stone and there was a northern October chill in the air. The trees were fiery red and orange. The falling leaves looked like falling flames and crunched beneath my feet as I walked. A mixed scent of the famous Galician soup Caldo Gallego and campfire was wafting from a tavern down the cobble stoned road. We were back in time.

The awe that I felt reminded me of a quote from John Steinbeck in his book travels with Charley. He saw the great redwood trees for the first time and said,

The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always. No one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable. From them comes silence and awe. It's not only their unbelievable stature, nor the color which seems to shift and vary under your eyes, no, they are not like any trees we know, they are ambassadors from another time.
― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

These words of Steinbeck ran through my mind as I stood looking at those mountains.

My father once told me, “When you live in a beautiful place your whole life, it is not beautiful anymore, it is normal. One has to come from somewhere else and remind you that there is substance and beauty in the place you reside.”

The Gallegos (Galician citizens) that live in the mountains of Galicia wake up every morning in the most beautiful scenery. Perhaps if they came to my home in Toledo, OH they would be able to point out some beauty I have never noticed before.

Over the course of four days, our group lodged at an eco-friendly cabin in the woods. We were hidden away from the world, near the top of a mountain. Each evening and morning, we were served excellent breakfast and dinners by the Gallego cooks that work for the lodge. USAC provided us with entertainment in the form of a Galician dance class, a cooking class, and travels to the famous city of Santiago de Compostela. We also visited Lugo, Pontevedra, and O Grove. One day, we boarded a Galician fishing boat and were taught about mussel fishing. As Galicia is the number one supplier of seafood in Spain, (and many other parts of the world), it was fascinating to learn all about how mussels are harvested.

We had a whirlwind of activities in a short period of time. I think I will remember Galicia in one simple word: magic.

Enjoy the photos!