Savor the best seafood in O Grove at the Xornadas Gastronómicas da Centola. Between Monday, November 11 and Sunday, December 8, the XXII Gastronomic Days of O Grove’s Spider Crab will be held. They are organized by Engrobes (grovenses businessmen of goods and services), with the collaboration of the Confraternity of fishermen and the Confraternity of O Centolo Larpeiro. Up to 14 catering establishments participate, offering menus and dishes with the spider crab as protagonist. But these days are not limited to gastronomy, since every day they offer activities, performances, cooking courses, workshops, tastings… In addition, every day, from Monday to Friday, there is an auction in the viewpoint of the fish market, from 17:00. To get fully into the matter and take advantage of a total spider crab long weekend, the best thing to do is to stay overnight in one of the 10 hotels ready to welcome us.
Relax in the warm thermal springs of Ourense. Although it is December, we can quickly pack a bathing suit, towel and flip-flops and get ready to enjoy a good bath outdoors. In December? Yes! The secret is to go to a hot water spring, like the ones in Ourense. Perhaps this is the best time, the autumn that is becoming winter, to enjoy this old Roman custom. In the city of As Burgas, right now, are open for bathing facilities Burga de Canedo (free; partially open, from 10 to 20) and Termas de Outariz (fee; closed on Tuesdays and open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 to 23, Friday from 10 to 1, Saturdays from 9 to 1 and Sundays from 9 to 23).
Discover the essence of the rural world resting in one of the rural tourism houses. There are up to 209 rural houses in Galicia, spread over the four provinces and covering all types of natural environment (on the coast, on top of a mountain, on the banks of a river…). The hard part is going to be choosing… Fortunately, in the web of rural tourism galiciaturismorural.es we have all the information about each one of them. We just have to stop, see if we are more into pure relaxation or with some activity and make a reservation. Of course, it is the best way to get away from the daily stress before the Christmas stress.
Tour Galicia through its main monuments: Santiago Cathedral, Tower of Hercules, Lugo’s Wall, Ourense’s Roman Bridge, Pontevedra’s Pilgrim’s Pilgrimage. If we still have pending any of these destinations to visit, we are already taking the time to make the route. This three-day bridge is fantastic to settle accounts with our Galician culture and, jumping from one city to another, to contemplate closely the works of so many centuries ago as alive as yesterday. And, for those who already know them, it is always a pleasure to climb the Tower of Hercules again, enter the cathedral of Santiago and visit it from another perspective, for example, from the rooftops; walk along the walls of Lugo before going for tapas; cross the Miño by the Roman Bridge of Ourense or enter the most Jacobean church of Pontevedra.
Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in A Costa da Morte. A Costa da Morte is an ideal destination in all seasons. In this bridge, already approaching winter, the sea offers a fiercer spectacle. To get different impressions of the ocean, we must stop at the lighthouses, such as those of Cabo Vilán, Cabo Fisterra, Cabo Ortegal…; at the most vertiginous cliffs, such as those of Vixía Herbeira; in the fishing towns such as Malpica, Laxe, Camariñas… and at the viewpoints such as those of Louredo, (Carnota), Monte do Castro (Muxía), Monte Branco (Laxe), Ézaro (Dumbría)… And, if we like surfing and we do not get enough to look out over the ocean, we will be aware that it is the best time of the year to take XXL waves on beaches like Pantón or Razo. On the other hand, to finish savoring the Atlantic, it is necessary to taste the seafood of the area, which is also at its best.
Take a nature bath in the mountains of Lugo (O Courel and Os Ancares). The forests of these mountains demand a bath in every season, as they are one of the few places where nature still marks the passage of time. Now, in the most mature autumn, the cold is sheltered by the warm colors of the vegetation, as in Devesa da Rogueira, in O Courel, or in Os Grobos, in Os Ancares. At this time of the year, the red notes of holly fruits appear, which can still be seen in these mountains. And, speaking of the fruits of the forest, we can take advantage of the long weekend to experience the Festa da Pisa da Castaña in Froxán, one of the most traditional villages of Folgoso do Courel, on December 7. Be careful, in the highest areas you must be well equipped in case you find snow.
Living Christmas. The December long weekend has always been used to get a foot into Christmas: the lighting of the illuminations, the programming of the festivities…. Every year things are getting earlier, but this is still the typical occasion to start the journey through the Galician Christmas atmosphere. Traditional nativity scenes such as those of A Coruña, Vigo, Ferrol, Santiago, San Fiz de Solovio, Ortigueira, Begonte, Valga, Mondoñedo… Christmas markets that, in addition to the big cities (A Coruña, Vigo, Lugo, Santiago, Ourense, Pontevedra) are already spread all over Galicia (Ribadeo, Burela, Ribadavoa, Tui, Sanxenxo, Monterroso…); Christmas villages, such as those of Lalín, Noalla, Allariz… Then, of course, there is the case of Vigo, where Christmas comes earlier, leaves later, and floods every corner.
