We had planned to visit the monastery of Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil. From Os Peares onward, the road toward the monastery became noticeably more scenic, winding along the hills with the river appearing and disappearing below us. We…
When people first hear that Galicia has its own language, they usually picture one single Galician, spoken the same way from the coast to the inland valleys. That isn’t quite how it works. Galician, or galego, splits into three main…
We are Dutch, and if there is one thing the Dutch take seriously, it is bread. We grew up with a loaf on the counter every single day, sliced thin, spread with something, eaten at breakfast and lunch without much…
We walked the Camino Natural del Río Barbantiño on a morning we had free, near Punxín in the province of Ourense. It is not a long route, and it does not need to be. The trail follows the Barbantiño river…
We live in wine country without always thinking of it that way. The hills around us in Ribeira Sacra are cut into steep terraces that drop down toward the Miño and Sil rivers, and a good number of those terraces…
Old stone houses in Galicia have a particular charm, thick granite walls, small deep set windows, a slate roof that has weathered a century of Atlantic rain, but that charm comes with a set of structural realities that are worth…
Emigrating is a massive operation. You are not just building a new life in Spain, you are also carefully closing down your old one in the Netherlands. From selling your house to cancelling every last subscription, there is an overwhelming…
From giant eucalyptus groves to hidden waterfalls, the province’s PR, SM and SL signposted network makes it easy to find a route without much planning. Below are ten of the easiest and most rewarding options, along with where to find…
Ask most people what Galician weather is like and you’ll get some version of the same answer: green, mild, rainy, a bit like Ireland with better food. That reputation is accurate for a large part of the region, and it’s…
We have been living in Ribeira Sacra since January, and one thing we keep noticing on the map is how much protected nature surrounds us that we still have not gotten around to seeing properly. Ourense province has three natural…
Lugo was one of our first proper day trips after settling in Ribeira Sacra, and the reason to go is really just one thing: the Roman wall around the old town is still completely intact, and you can walk the…
If you are looking at a stone house in the Galician countryside, at some point someone will mention suelo rústico, and it is worth understanding what that actually means before you get attached to a property. We have spent time…
One of the things we tell people considering a move to Galicia is that the climate here is mild, green, and forgiving compared to most of Spain. That’s generally true, but early July 2026 was a reminder that inland Galicia…
We noticed it within our first few weeks in Ribeira Sacra. Someone would mention, almost in passing, that there was a fiesta that weekend, and we would ask which town, only to be told it did not really matter, because…