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Bimini In The Bahamas
Bimini, one of the several islands of the Bahamas, is a wonderful place to vacation. Many sights of natural beauty await the tourist, as well as a few interesting landmarks, beautiful beaches, and exhilarating outdoors activities. And all of that is...
Important Chinese Festivals
Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year (January/February)
It is usually in the winter of a year. The exact date would follow the one in Lunar Calendar. Entering the New Year month, every family would clean and tidy both the inside and the outside of...
Riding In The Lap Of Luxury Travel With A Virgin Island Yacht Charters
If you've never had the experience of being at the helm of a yacht as you sail through the crystal waters of the Virgin Islands, then consider making that your next vacation goal. A variety of yacht rental and/or vacation facilities are available...
South African Whale-Watching Hotspot
Hermanus is the only place in the world that has its own whale crier. The months of June through to November are peak whale-watching season, and the Southern Right whales come to entertain from their favourite place in the Bay. This popular holiday...
The Selous And The Rest Of The Animals
So what about the rest of the animals in the Selous, Africa’s biggest game reserve? Other wildlife it is usually delegated, at best, to a footnote at the end of a travel guide. Lumped together as also ran but didn’t quite make the grade. The safari...
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Alternative Spain
Most tourists think of beaches and cheap alcohol when Spain is
mentioned, but this holiday Mecca has another very different
side and it is to be found in the north of the country.
Beyond the stifling heat, endless bars and towering hotels of
the Costa's there is another Spain where overseas tourism is
limited, the sound of a foreign voice still turns heads and
every shop, business and even tourist office closes for the
afternoon siesta. The place is Galicia, alternatively know as
green Spain, wet Spain and the region of rivers.
Galicia lies just above Portugal and has scenery and people that
are distinct and different from those of the country's southern
provinces. Galicia has a seasonal climate, plenty of rain in
winter and, unfortunately, sometimes some in summer as well. The
scenery is a combination of lush meadows, dense forests and
mountainous vistas and the coastline is filled with many
picturesque bays. Galicia has more beaches than any of Spain's
other regions, but it also has a drawback in the form of cooler
sea temperatures.
History and culture are two of the big draws for tourists
thinking of visiting this region of Spain. Galicia is a Celtic
nation and still has the ruins of ancient Celtic settlements
called Castros as well as a multitude of churches, cathedrals,
monasteries and convents.
In keeping with the rest of Spain's regions, Galicia is itself
subdivided into provinces of which there are four. The best
known and most visited of these provinces is that of "A Coruna".
The "A Coruna" province also holds the famous city of "Santiago
de Compostela", famed for its massive cathedral and holy
pilgrimage known as the "Way of Saint James". The provincial
capitol of "A Coruna" has also become increasingly appealing to
holiday makers and possesses the world's oldest
lighthouse
dating back to Roman times. It is also a beautiful city with a
harbour surrounded by tall buildings composed of many windows
giving it the nickname of the "glass city".
Leaving A
Coruna, Galicia's other provinces are Pontevedra, with the
regions largest city Vigo, Ourense with a medieval old town and
Lugo, whose capitol has a complete Roman wall surrounding it.
The big cities though are not the only attractions of Galicia
and many would argue that it is the towns and villages, many of
which are on the coast, that represent the real spirit of the
region. A large number of these towns still operate as working
fishing villages and in some respects their way of life has
changed little over the last century. Examples of these towns
include Muros, A Pobra do Caraminal and the larger Ribeira .
Finally any visitor to Galicia will sell themselves short if
they fail to sample some of the regions famous seafood. The
speciality of the area is "pulpo" (octopus), but if that does
not appeal, try "calamares" (fried squid rings) with a squeeze
of lemon. Shellfish are also part of the staple diet in Galicia
and the many crustaceans, of which "percebes" is a particular
example, will give you an indication of a Galician delicacy.
About the author:
Webmaster for galiciaguide.com, the nets biggest English
language guide to the region of Galicia in Spain.
For a complete guide to Galicia's regions, main cities, towns
and tourist attractions visit galiciaguide.com, the
webs largest English language Galician resource. Here you will
find 250 pages of content and more than 400 photographs
describing and depicting Galicia.
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