Leaving Santiago yesterday, Dennis’ backpack seemed heavy and he needed a little help. Afterward, we delighted a young Spaniard with the “globo“. The bus ride to Vimianzo only took about an hour. From there, it took us about an hour to walk to the Little Fox House (A Casa do Raposito). It was a beautiful day, warm, with a little breeze. We peaked a hill and then crossed the Rio Grande, which at this point is not really big. Once we arrived, Tracy Saunders told us we were the first to walk the 9 km to her guest house from town.
We have a lovely room in the centuries-old stone house. Tracy is a wonderful hostess and makes us feel quite at home. To our surprise, the Little Fox House has WiFi. There are two other guests from Holland, and the dinner conversation was lively. Even after two months in Spain and Portugal, having dinner at half past nine seems strange to me.This is donativo which means that we make a donation for what we think the stay is worth and participate in the meal preparation and cleanup. We did the dishes.
This morning I slept in until 9 A.M, Since I was the first one up, I read for several hours before our host awakened and served breakfast. Afterward, Dennis and I walked 1.5 km along a river path to the town of Ponte do Porto to see the town and the festival. We watched a procession that included a band and people carrying statues, the fireworks, games for children, and a stage show. We eat a wonderful lasagna served on the terrace of a little restaurant. You can’t imagine how peaceful and happy we were sitting in the sunshine, enjoying each others company, delicious food, and watching the local dogs. For the first time, we saw a Chinese Crested hairless dog; the owner said it was very loving, but timid.
After supper, Tracy took us to see a picturesque shipping village, Laxe, and then the 3000 year old village, Castro de Borneiro which is at the top of a small hill. I can almost imagine what life must have been like here in 900 B.C with fishing, hunting, and grazing.
I love Galicia, with its mountains, seashore, and local customs. I’m very fortunate to have had a few days to spend here.