Today featured some of the best scenery that western Galicia has to offer. After meeting at 8:30 at the school, we boarded a bus and traveled about an hour to the seaside town of Baiona. While we were there we had some time to walk around by the beach and stick out feet in the water. From there we traveled another half hour to the town of A Guarda, which is known for the Celtic ruins and the church dedicated to Santa Tecla.

Our tour guide took us through the ruins and explained how most people in Galicia in the 1st century lived in small dwellings, called castors. Until the Roman invaded the area, the residents would use a system of fires (1 bonfire = everything is okay, 2 bonfires = invaders are on the way) to communicate from one village to another.  From the ruins, we walked up a steep hill, and started the route that is dedicated to Santa Tecla. Along the route were Celtic inspired crosses with the Catholic Stations of the Cross. At the top of the hill, we were able to enter into the small chapel of Santa Tecla. While there, the guide told us how people tried to kill her because she refused to marry (in order to be a nun). After trying to kill her in a bonfire (rain put out the flames) and by putting her in a well of poisonous snakes (lightening struck the snakes and killed them), they decided to let her go and live out the remainder of her life as a nun. From the chapel, we climbed yet another hill to see the amazing view. While some students entered the museum dedicated to the Celtic ruins, others enjoyed the scenery, which included a view into the Atlantic Ocean on one side, and the River Miño (which separates Spain and Portugal) and Portugal on the other side. With this view as our backdrop, we enjoyed our picnic lunch before heading into Portugal.

We crossed the River Miño, and with little fan flare we were in Valença, Portugal. In Valença we had time to see the fortified wall of the city, walk around and do some shopping, and have some ice cream. We loaded back onto the bus, and headed to the school to meet our host students this evening.

And so beings our first (and only) full weekend in Spain. Our students have a lot planned with their host families over the next couple of days: trips to local cities, horseback riding, a sleep over/slumber party at one of the Spanish student’s houses (some of the girls want to make sure that The Notebook in Spanish is just as good as it is in English!), going to the beach, having a bbq, and further exploring Santiago de Compostela. With all of us going in different directions, we will take a short break from the blog, but will be back on Monday to post about our day in La Coruña, the capital city of Galicia. ¡Hasta pronto!

Until then, here are some videos and pictures:

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