Spain is really beautiful. I think I've said that before but it's worth repeating. Today we are headed into the country to Cambados and to the Pazo de Senorans Cellars to do some more wine tasting. A big difference in this area of Spain is that you will find houses spread all over the countryside. We had just been commenting that people seem to be concentrated near the big cities for work but it's different here in this area of Spain. And everyone is growing grapes. They are either making their own wine or growing grapes to combine with other families or wineries. So at home we all have our houses and manicured lawns and perhaps a vegetable garden - here you have your home and all other land around your house is either growing grapes or vegetables.
This winery was so beautiful. They call the main house a Manor House - not a Chateau like in France. And they also use this one for weddings and we can see why. Flowers are growing everywhere and climbing up the buildings. Inside the manor house there are five living rooms, all beautifully furnished. We felt like we were on a house tour. And the most interesting thing we learned about his area are these structures called Horreos (pronounced "oreos"). They are free standing structures located near your home - they are up off the ground and you store your excess food, corn, vegetables, in them. There is so much humidity here that they must be up off the ground so the air flows around the contents inside them and stays fresh. And these Horreos are protected by the government. You can get money from the government to help restore them and if you want to sell one, you have to know where it will be rebuilt and get permission from the government to do so - they are protected since they are of historical significance.
They also grow the grapes off the ground. We were walking underneath the vines - again - because of the humidity. In France, they grown them close to the ground and use the stones or shale on the top of the dirt to absorb the heat, which is reflected back to the vine. See how much we've learned??
And of course we loved this wine as well - it is Albanrinos wine - a white wine. So of course we bought a couple of bottles. Getting all this home is our next challenge.
In the town of Cambados, after touring the small streets and alleyways, we were able to get some coffee/tea and a sweet treat at a local cafe. We're getting better at this. Of course Ed has the lingo down for his coffee...he orders Cafe Americano, negro!
Tomorrow is our last stop as we head to Porto, Portugal....until then,
Betsy
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