Spain Destinations: Galicia, A Different Perspective

Before coming to Galicia, Spain, most people know almost nothing about this northwest region or its people. Guidebooks don’t go into much depth about it. So, here are some facts for you:

• Galicia has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Some artifacts found date from 300,000 BC.
• Celtic tribes arrived crossing the peninsula and settled in Galicia.
• We were invaded by the Romans who gave us the name of Gallaecia which means “Land of the Celts”
• The Kingdom of Gallaecia was one of the first to separate from the Roman Empire.
• Today, Galicia is an independent region (comunidad) that includes four provinces: A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense and Pontevedra.
• We speak Spanish but have our own language: Galician, a Romance language that shares roots with Portuguese.
• We don’t give straight answers. We respond to a question with a question.
• We have more than 700 beaches and about 107 are awarded with the Blue Flag, an award given for excellency in four areas: quality of water, environment, information and services.
• We love to party! In 2019, just on August 15, there were more than 700 parties held across the region.
• Our traditional music plays bagpipes. Yes! Irish and Scottish are our” brothers”. Some even call us “The Irish of Spain”
• St.James remains are supposed to be buried in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Pilgrims from across Europe have been walking the Camino de Santiago for centuries in great numbers.
• “The end of the World is Here”. Finisterra (literally end of the world), located along the coast of A Coruña, is the westernmost point in Spain.
• A Coruña is the port from which the Spanish Armada departed in 1588 to invade England. Obviously, they failed.

And that’s all for now. There will be more detailed stories in upcoming posts. Keep reading!