Spanish views from a small town

I am getting an invasion of wanderlust. I want to set out upon the road with my car and drive out to new horizons.  I suppose it's mostly because September is around the corner. It's my vacation month, and for years, I've always gone for a daytrip anywhere from two to three and a bit hour's drive from here. Last year, my husband and I went to Cantabria for a wonderful five days. This year, I get the feeling I'm going to spend most of September in my house. That doesn't mean I won't take my car and set out for a drive. I will, but not with the intention of parking the car and wandering around strange streets. I might make a trip to nearby Pontevedra, or even Vigo, but they would be self-conscious trips, as I would try to stay as far away from other people as possible. I wouldn't be concentrating as much on where my steps are taking me, but on trying to sidestep people who might get too close. That takes most of the fun out of any trip. It would also depen...

After one of the coolest and rainiest months of May in many years (I haven't worn short sleeves even once!), today the sun has risen without almost any clouds and it's starting to warm up. Just in time to usher in June, a few days of good weather are predicted for Galicia. That, and the beautifully long days, have given me wanderlust. At the end of June I have one week all to myself. On one day of that week I intend to make one of my traditional day trips. I am starting to think about where I can go. I set a goal of a maximum of three hours driving to get to the place. Unfortunately, that limits the places I can visit outside Galicia that are still in Spain. Portugal is closer; the border is just a little over an hour away. But I would prefer to visit there in September, so for next month I'm scratching my head and wondering just how fast I can drive. Should I visit somewhere I've already been? Last year I went to Las Médulas in León province and wandered through Po...

The spirit of wanderlust is upon me. This afternoon, after I finish classes, I'm thinking of getting in my car and going somewhere. I should be thinking about washing clothes, washing some windows, taking some of the inch-deep dust off the bookcases, but none of this sounds appealing. What sounds appealing is getting in my car and pointing it in an interesting direction. So, where? I don't know. I have images in my head of the road trip I'll take down to Portugal next month. But that's an all-day trip I can't quite fit into two hours in the afternoon. City or country? If I choose city it'll probably be Pontevedra or Santiago, the two small cities that are closest. Vigo and A Coruña are too far away. They need more dedication. Country? There I have more options. I can go up to the hills again. I can try a different route this time and avoid the tourist hordes. There are supposed to be archeologists digging Neolithical burial mounds ( mámoas ) along the road lea...