This is the best thing to do when it rains in Galicia

This is the best thing to do when it rains in Galicia

Galicia, the place where even the rain meter overflows.

Hello everyone! Today I'm bringing you another blog about my homeland, Galicia. As a lot of you know, Galicia, which is in the North of Spain, is well-known for being an area where it rains a lot, a humid place, being the first stop for the storms that come from the Atlantic ocean. We compete with some of the most humid places in Europe, like Ireland and Scotland. Mind you, Galicia is green, so to maintain it's characteristic colour, it needs water. Did you know that in Galicia there are more than 100 words to name the different types of rain?

The rainiest season is in winter, although as we have been able to test out this summer, the summer season is not umbrella free. A few days ago, I had the pleasure of spending two days in my home, in Bueu, in the Rías Baixas. I went back to central Europe with an urge to go to the beach, sunbathe, and enjoy the heat. Unsurprisingly, Vigo welcomed me with a cloudy day, not a single ray of sunshine could get through the whole day. Fortunately, I could make the most of this day, despite it not being a splendid day of parasols and towels, it was a nice temperature to go hiking or visit some city.

Taking a look at different weather websites, I didn't have a glimmer of hope: the next 5 days we would have to go out wearing a raincoat. Being my holiday period, it didn't leave me any other option but to be creative, so that in addition to enjoying food, family and friends (the usual), I also wanted to do something different to enjoy my holidays. Therefore, I decided to go to the Termas Ourense (hot springs park).

Ourense Hot Springs

I don't think I've ever mentioned them before, but Galicia is a place which is abundant with thermal hot waters, especially in the province of Ourense, which is only an hour and a half away from where I live (Bueu). Just after eating, we decided to take the car and go to the Prexiguiero Hot Springs, which was around 5 kilometres away from Ribadavia.

Prexigueiro Hot Springs

We opted for these ones, but the truth is that there are numerous different options for places to visit hot springs. There are some which are free to enter, whereas others are paid entry. Concerning Prexigueiro, you have to pay 5 euros for entry, but it is worth it because the complex is really well put together and you have everything there that you would hope for in a hot spring. We decided to go to these and rule out the others, for fairly recently, the area of the public hot springs had burnt down and all the trees surrounding them were burnt.

When we went to the hot springs, we discovered that lots of other people had had the same idea as us. We bought the tickets and we had to wait an hour for the hot springs area to empty little by little, to be able to go in. The good thing about the Prexigueiro hot springs is that in the outside area there is a cafe and a restaurant with a terrace where you can wait whilst having a drink, as we did. Once some time had passed, we were able to enter and enjoy the water.

Before going in the water, you have to have a shower to avoid getting the water dirty. There are two changing rooms: one for men and one for women. Don't forget your flip flops! After they gave us a key with a number so that we could put our things in a locker, so that you only need your towel and flip flops to go into the hot springs. Just before directly going to the hot springs, before going outside, you can smell the characteristic smell of sulphur of these thermal waters.

Once you enter, there are different hot springs with different temperatures, with most of them ranging between 37 - 40 degrees Celsius. With a low temperature outside, to be there nice and warm is a pleasure. Also, the atmosphere is really calm and it lets you relax completely. And if this were not enough, as you can see in the photos, we were in the middle of the woods, surrounded by trees and nature, which is always appreciated. We did the hot springs circuit in an hour and a half, more or less, finishing off in the jacuzzi and with the choice of using the sauna, although we opted not to. There is also a small "pool" for individual use with cold water to try and experience all of the benefits of a temperature change in your body. From this, you alternate between cold water and hot water, which is very good for your circulation, for example.

Just when we were at the hot springs it wasn't raining in bucket loads, but it was more like drizzle, or "poalla" as we call it in Galicia. Although the amount of rain wasn't a lot, yes it was nice to feel the small drops on your face, meanwhile the water in the hot springs was super warm.

One interesting thing, this thermal complex also offers treatments for dermatological problems, such as psoriasis, rheumatism or anti-stress treatments. Without a doubt, this is the ideal place to relax, escape the daily routine and connect with nature. I totally recommend it.

Ribadavia

After having finished off looking like a raisin, it was time to get out. It was now fairly late so we decided to stop in Ribadavia to have dinner. To my surprise, this small town of 5, 000 habitants had a lot of charm, being traversed by a river, with all the little houses piled up together, as you can see in the following photo.

We ate in a local restaurant which was in the city centre, and it really filled us up. After, it was then time to go back home so we took the car and decided to get started on the return journey, as it was night-time.

As a conclusion, I don't think there is any better plan than this to do when it rains in Galicia, because in this way you can enjoy the nature and do something different. And here is the end of today's post, I hope that you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading this post, and I'll see you soon for more. Best wishes.

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