Pontevedra and back through the Galician countryside

It was rather overcast this morning, so perhaps it was no bad thing that we were going to head for an historic city and then come back through the countryside. If it turned rainy, then we were prepared, with umbrellas and raincoats

It wasn’t a particularly interesting route to Pontevedra, but we smiled as we passed through a village where the addresses must be a little like some of ours - every road has the same name!

Somewhere along the way, the sunshine put in an appearance and the sky became that clear blue that we are getting used to. Hopefully no need of raincoats!

Another day, another challenge though. Arriving in the city centre car park, the entry gate opened as we approached and leaning out to take a ticket, there was the clear sign “Sin Ticket” - no ticket! So how might we pay for our parking? Because we’re the type of people who worry about such things, before we left the car park we looked around for some clue, but came up with nothing. Oh well. Surely, it would become clear when we tried to leave?

The exit from the underground car park brought us into a large open park, leading to the city centre and my first thought was to look for the tourist information office, where surely someone could explain the car park to us (I told you, we worry!)

Well, though the delightful young woman spoke some English, she didn’t quite understand our question. We very much appreciated the wealth of information she handed to us though, offered profuse thanks and decided to forget about the car park!

Our first stop, recommended to us, was the Church of the Pilgrim Virgin, appropriately shaped like a scallop shell. We took a look inside but finding it rather full with a large group who’d arrived just before us, we didn’t linger. Masks or no masks, we are still being cautious.

The recommended walk through the old city directed us from one historic church to another, through quaint streets and up and down small flights of steps.

As we progressed from one to another, we caught glimpses of the next one on our list - I think, in this case, it’s the Church of San Francisco, though I’ll admit that after a while, I began to lose track of which was which!

Through here was the small “foodie” quare (described as such by the young woman earlier) and some attractive restaurants, had we been planning to stay a while.

For now, we were happy strolling around these streets in the sunshine, noticing the architectural details such as this bridge overhead.

Not to mention this corner drainpipe which could deliver a nasty surprise to anyone who happened to be standing beneath it when the rain began to fall.

Just along here we came across the Church of St Bartholemeu, where we decided to step inside and take a look.

We sat a whie looking around us, appreciating the peaceful atmosphere and admiring the diligence of those playing a crucial role in churches the world over: a group of women on cleaning duty with dusters and mops. Bless them!

There was one more “must see” on our list, the Basilica, which was up here somewhere.

As we made our way up these narrow alleys, every so often, we’d hear a vehicle and have to find somewhere to take refuge.

These drivers must have nerves of steel! We are used to driving on narrow roads between stone walls, but seldom encounter another vehicle head on, as happened here. We left the professionals to it and continued to the Basilica.

We arrived there to hear the unmistakeable sounds of a service. Never mind, we’ll save the interior for “next time”.

That was just about it for Pontevedra today. We found a small cafe where we could sit and plan our route back using our new found resources and then there was no more avoiding the elephant in the room.

Just how were we going to get our car out?

On the way in, we both looked for a machine of some kind but found nothing. Then we thought, maybe there was numberplate recognition when we came in. Perhaps, when we approach the exit gate, it will open with the tap of a credit card? What more can we do but give it a try?

It didn’t work and the gate stayed firmly shut. But thankfully there was nobody behind us so we could reverse - and catch sight of a payment machine! I grabbed my purse and jumped out, using my almost non-existent Spanish (what use are words like manteca and hermana at times like this?!) to work out which buttons to press and where to type in the car number (after I had run back to check it!) A touch of my card and a receipt was issued. Most important, though, as we drove to the gate, it opened! (Phew)

Back to Santiago along the pretty route through the countryside.

Our first stop was the monastery at Aciviero, now an hotel but formerly the location of a nevaira - an ice well storing ice cut from nearby mountains and traded to supply Santiago with a means of preserving food.

From there we drove over wooded hills

and beneath spectacular railway viaducts to another former monastery at Carboeiro, which is hidden in a pretty woodland landscape beside a river.

As frequently happens at this time of the day, we looked at one another and understood, “enough”. With an hour’s drive back to Santiago, it was time to go.