Moxía and A Coruña

I spent a week in Santiago de Compostela. Much of my time was spent in the old town, but I also had the chance to visit a few different local towns. It was nice to see the traditions that spread across the region and the traditions endemic to one specific locale. There are two main towns that I feel driven to describe, each with it's own unique features. Both are located on the shore, in the Northwestern coast of Spain.

Galicia--Region
First, and brief explanation. Much like the individual states in the US, Spain has separate regions. Each of these regions has it's own special productions--every region makes a unique cheese, ham, pastry... so when you go in the market, you can ask for a cheese from any one particular region of the country. Further more, in addition to Spanish, there are other langauges spoken here, too. So far I am aware of four. There is Catalan in the Southeast (and into France), Gallego in the Northeast (where I am now), Galician in the Northwest/West (a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese) and in some areas there are still groups of people who speak the ancient language of Basque.

This is my cereal box. The ingredients are listed in four different languages!



Santiago is in the region called Galicia (hence Galician language), so there were specific traditions specific to Galicia. One such tradition is storage houses. Although to me they resemble some sort of tomb, these stone houses are built on stilts to store food. This way they are raised about vermin and excess moisture. Every house has atleast one. Some are new and clean, tiled with terracotta, but I prefer these older ones made with individual stones.

Moxía
Driving to the northwest tip of Galicia, you will come to a small town called Moxía. Small enough to be missed on a map, it was really good luck that we happened upon it. Although when we arrived there the weather was cloudy and brisk, we dared exit the car and climb a small hill along the water. It gave us a great view of the whole town, but also of some interesting relics of earlier times. The best view was of this Monastery. It's easy to see why this place chosen for contemplation and meditiation.



A Coruña
Now this is my kind of town. A Coruña is a place that I would love to spend more time another day. To begin with, it is just the coolest shape possible. It is located in a northern penninsula. Check out my tourist map.



Now A Coruña's real claim to fame is a lighthouse. Not just any lighthouse, but in fact, the oldest functioning lighthouse. The Tower of Hercules, as it is called, was built by the Romans some time in the second century. It's simple and unassuming, actually, but it does cause the onlooker to comtemplate its construction at a time with no electricity or hydralic machinery.



My favorite part of A Coruña, though, is near the lighthouse in a nice park area. These stone structures create an interesting profile against the stormy clouds.