Tui

Tui (Tuy in Spanish) is a 16,902 inhabitants town in the south of Galicia, province of Pontevedra, by river Miño, very close to the border of Spain with Portugal. Tui has one of the most impressing cathedrals in Galicia and is an important touristic center. It forms an eurocity with the near Portuguese town of Valença do Minho.

How do I arrive to Tui?

  Tui is quite connected with some places in the region of Pontevedra and with Portugal too. 

• Train: the town of Tui is linked daily with Vigo (aprox. 45 minutes).
• Bus: Tui has some connections with some cities of Galicia like Vigo or Baiona.
• Car: if you rented a car, it's 30 minutes from Vigo and A Guardia, 40 minutes from Baiona and Pontevedra and 1 hour from Ourense. Tui is very close to the Portuguese border so it can also be reached in 45 minutes from Viana do Castelo and from Braga and in 1 hour 15 minutes from Porto.

History

The area where it's placed Tui has been inhabited from Pre-history, with several traces of human presence. The current town of Tui was mentioned as Tude by Roman writers around 1st century AD. In the Suebic period it became an episcopal see (around the 6th century) and in the Visigothic one, it was the temporal capital city of the subkingdom of Galicia, leaded by Wittiza. Ordoño I of Asturias repopulated Tui after the battles between Moors and Christians and in the 10th century, it was attacked by Vikings. With Portuguese independence many things realted to bilateral relationships took place here. Tui became an important town in Galicia and one of the seven capitals of the kingdom of Galicia. During the 19th and 20th centuries many inhabitants emigrated to America and to the rest of Europ. During the Spanish Civil War Tui was the last town in Galicia to be gotten by the Francoist side.    

What can I visit in Tui?

Tui Old Town is very nice and considered an unique example of medieval town with streets such as A Canicouba, Entrefornos, rua do Corpo Santo or Encerradas tunnel. Tui had also a dynamic Jewish community, visible in the Jewish quartier.

These are Tui's main attractions:

• Tui Cathedral (9-14 and 16-20; 4€/ 3.50€/ 3€  adults/ retiree/ students): 12th century cathedral and fortress (built over a Paleochristian building), enriched with chapels since its foundation, is one of the most important buildings in Galicia. In its entrance there's a beautiful porch that shows Virgin Mary's life; it's highlights are 16th ceentury bas-relief Lamentación del Cristo Muerto, Expectaction altarpiece or the Barroque-style organs. From its towers there are great views of the town.
• Tui Diocesan Museum (10-13:30 and 16-20 Tue-Sun from Jul to Sep; 1€): museum located in a former hospital for pilgrims with a vast collection that goes from archaeological remains to religious art. In the 2nd floor there's a beautiful votive offering to St. Telmo.
• Chapel of St. Telmo: 17th century church in Portuguese Baroque style, located where the Dominic saint died around the 13th century.
• Misericordia Chapel: 16th century chapel with a Renaissance-style façade and some well-preserved Easter proccesional images.
• St. Bartolomeu de Rebordáns Church (only during 20h mass): 11th century Romanesque church of small size, the oldest one in the town. It has nice 16th century frescoes.
• The town has a nice bridge designed by Pelayo Mancebo y Agreda in 1886, International Tui-Valença Vella Bridge, that comunicates both sides of the border and connects Tui with Valença do Minho.
• On the outskirts of the town there's Aloia Hill, declared Natural Park in 1978. This place seems natural but is just 100 years old, when a natural disaster destroyed it. It was rebuilt with local trees (pine trees, acacias oaks and chestnut trees) and with ages it has recovered its natural state, with plenty of animals and trails to discover it. It has an interpretation center (9-15 and 16 to 20 Tue-Sun; free)

Chapel of St. Telmo

Tui Cathedral

Castro de Santa Tegra

Continuing our way by river Miño to the sea, 30 km west from Tui, there's the municipality of A Guarda (La Guardia in Spanish). This municipality with 10,013 inhabitants is the southernmost in Galicia and 2 km south has one of the most spectacular castros in the region. It's located in Monte de Santa Tegra (Tue-Sun; 1€/ 0.50€  adults/ reduced); this partly restored Iron Age castro has also an interesting archaelogical museum (10-20 Tue-Sun from Apr to Sep; 10-19 Tue-Sun in Oct and Mar; 10-17 Tue-Sun from Nov to Feb) and a 16th century chapel. It has wonderful views of river Miño, Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean too. The municipality has also a castle, Castle of the Holy Cross (11-14 and 18-21 from May to Sep; 11-14 and 16-18 from Oct to Apr; 1€/ 0.50€  adults/ reduced), built in the 17th century to defend the population from Portuguese attacks.

Where can I eat in Tui?

The recommendations in Tui is to eat tapas; suggestions with low-middle prize are the tapas bars O Novo Cabalo Furado (praza do Concello 3) or Tapas e Viño (rúa Seixas 3). To have a drink Cafebar & Lounge Central (rúa das Monxas 3) is a good choice.

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Posted in: Europe,Galicia,Spain

Ourense

Ourense (Orense in Spanish) is a 105,505 inhabitants city by river Miño and capital city of the province of Ourense, in the south of Galicia (Spain). It's the 3rd city in Galicia in terms of population and the most important one which isn't by the sea. Ourense is known due to termalismo (hydrotherapy), with many free and paid spas. It's also part of the Portuguese Way of El Camino de Santiago.

How do I arrive to Ourense?

  Ourense is quite well connected with other places in the region in many ways. 

• Train: the routes link Ourense with Ribadavia (aprox. 20 minutes) in its way to Vigo (aprox. 2 hours) quite frequently. In the other direction it connects with Monforte de Lemos (aprox. 45 minutes), Lugo (aprox. 1 hour 40 minutes), plus Santiago de Compostela (aprox. 40 minutes) and A Coruña (aprox. 1 hour 15 minutes).
• Bus: Ourense has frequent connections with most of the cities of Galicia by Ourense Bus Station. It also has connections with other Spanish cities like Madrid or León.
• Car: if you rented a car, it's 30 minutes from Ribadavia and Allariz, 45 minutes from Monforte de Lemos, 1 hour far from Tui, 1 hour 10 minutes from Vigo, 1.5 hour from Lugo and Santiago de Compostela.

History

Although the area has castros and was already inhabited, Ourense was founded in Roman times, with the construction of the bridge (protected with a garrison) that connected Asturica Augusta and Brácara Augusta. After the Roman domination Ourense turnt into an important trade center due to its geographic position, being the capital city of the Kingdom of the Suebi during Chararic and Theodemir times. In the 10th and 11th centuries it was attacked by Muslim and Norse armies but afterwards it started to recover. Bishops of Ourense ordered the construction of Ramiro castle, destroyed by the Catholic Monarchs. In the 15th century the duke of Lancaster occupied Ourense and proclaimed himself king of Castile and also in that century it took place Irmandiño revolts. Ourense kept itself as a small city till the 19th century, when it was made capital of the province of Ourense and grew in population and economica importance thanks to the railway to Vigo and the arrival of Castilian bourgeoises. After the Spanish Civil War Ourense gained a lot of population due to the inmigration from villages of the province.   

What can I visit in Ourense?

Ourense has a nice walk around praza Maior and all the Old Town.

These are Ourense's main attractions:

• Ourense Cathedral (11-14:30 and 16-19 from Mar to Sep; 11-14:30 and 16-19 from Oct to Feb; 5€/ 4.50€/ 3€  adults/ retiree/ students):cathedral first built in the 12th century but it has modified several times with extra chapels and decoration. It also has a beautiful Gothic cupola, an impressing altarpiece at the high altar and the portico do Paraiso, a 13th century portico inspired by Santiago de Compostela's one. The capela Santo Cristo, a 14th century Baroque chapel, is spectacular.
• St. Eufemia Church: 17th century church that keeps the remains of Eufemia de Ourense, a saint who died martyred in the times of the emperor Hadrian.
• St. Francisco Cloister (11:30-13:30 and 18:30-21:30 Tue-Sat, 11:30-13:30 Sun from Jun to Sep; 11:30-13:30 and 17-20 Tue-Sat, 11:30-13:30 Sun from Oct to May; free): 14th century Gothic cloister composed by 63 arcs and whose capital has surprising details.
• Next to is located St. Francisco Cemetery, a nice and picturesque cemetery that mixes Neogothi and Baroque styles and it's regarded as BIC (Bien de Interés Cultural).
• As Burgas (free): hydrothermal waters placed where the city of Ourense was born and fountains where it goes out. It has As Burgas Interpretation Center (10-14 Tue-Fri), a museum which helps to understand the history and its relationship with Ourense's history.
• River Miño's Thermal Route: in the banks of river Miño there are several thermal pools, some of them free, that can be enjoyed with views to the river.
• Ourense Roman Bridge: bridge from Roman times which was rebuilt around the 11th century. 
• Outside Ourense, 25 km west, can be found Parque Arqueolóxico da Cultura Castrexa (10-20 Tue-Sun from Jul to Aug; 10-18 Tue-Sun from Sep to Jun; 5€/ 3€  adults/ reduced), located in the municipalities of Punxín (Pungín in Spanish) and San Amaro. This castro is one of the largest in Galicia (and just the 12% is explored) and the walk on its more thant 2,000 year old ruins is very nice. To understand the context of the castro, it's recommended to visit its interpretation center.
• Going 40 km north, in the municipality of San Cristovo de Cea (San Crstóbal de Cea in Spanish), there's the Monastery of St. María de Oseira (10-12 and 15:30-18:30; 3€/ free  adults/ kids under 9), monastery first built in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 17th, named by some the Galician El Escorial. It has three cloisters: the most important ones are claustro dos Pinaculos (Renaissance one with a well in the center) and claustro de los Medallones (cloister with representation of historic characters). The chapter hall is designed in Manueline style.

   

St. Francis Cloister

Ourense's cathedral

Praza Maior in Ribadavia

Continuing 30 km by river Miño there's the beautiful small town of Ribadavia (5,028 inhabitants), located by river Avia in the western part of the province of Ourense and it's considered the capital of the winery count of Ribeiro. Here you can enjoy architecture between the 9th and 19th centuries like Ribadavia castle, 14th century castle which belonged to the family Sarmiento, one of the largest in Galicia; the Old Town Wall, 12th century Romanesque Santiago church and St. Xoán Church (both just visited during mass). Ribadavia Ethnographic Museum (10-16 Tue-Sat) helps to understand the town, itsw history and the region too. Ribadavia has one of the best juderias (Jewish district) in Galicia. Here you can visit the Jewish Information Center in Galicia, located in pazo of the Counts of Ribadavia. The town also has a beautiful Eiffel-style bridge, ponte de Ferro, which connects Lugo and Ourense by train. Close from this town can be enjoyed some spa time in termas de Prexigueiro or a beautiuful 12th century monastery (better said, what's left from it) of St. María de Castrelo de Miño Church, in the parish of O Padreiro. Ribadavia has a popular festival called Festa da Historia, in which the town goes back to Middle Age.

Romanesque bridge in Allariz

In case you want to explore the sourthern part of the province of Ourense a good choice can be Allariz, a 6,110 inhabitants town 20 km far from Ourense. This town has several things to do like enjoying the ethnographic museums (11-14 and 18-20 Tue-Sun from Jul to Sep; 17-19 Fri -Sun from Oct to Jun; 3€ for 3 museums or 2€ for each) like Leather Museum (tannery where it's shown its history, specially important in the 19th century), Fashion Museum (shows the history of Galician clothing since the 18th century) or the Galician Toy Museum (collection of more than 800 toys). It has many churches like fore example the Romanesque style Santiago Church, St. Clara Convent (18th century convent with the largest altarpiece in Galicia) or St. María de Vilanova church, close to the Romanesque bridge. 

Monterrei castle in Verín

Another interesting point is the International Garden Festival of Allariz (daily from May to Oct; 2€), a group of surprising gardens with lakes, statues and games, that changes every year. Keeping our way south 50 km there's Verín, a 13,817 inhabitants town less than 20 km far from the Portuguese border (where it forms part of the eurocity with Chaves). Here it can be found Monterrei Castle (five daily guided tours; free), beautiful fortress-palace first built in the 12th century and nowadays it's own by the Duke of Alba (although they loaned for 100 years to the town of Verín) and here it's built a controversial parador. It has a nice 13th century chapel with Visigoth sculptures and a precious of a pregnant Virgin Mary.

Where can I eat in Ourense?

The recommendations in Lugo are eating in places like the bar Cotá (rúa Soidade 18), restaurant A Nosa Terra (rúa Nova 8), the Galician restaurant O Figón (praza do Campo Castelo 47) or bar Daniel Taberna (rúa Bispo Basulto 4). In case your budget higher some choices are the Galician restaurant España (rúa do Teatro 10) or Mesón de Alberto (rúa da Cruz 4). Going 7 km far from Lugo there's a very good restaurant, Casa de Baixo (castro Alfonsín 7).
Ribadavia is obviously an excellent place to try wine ribeiro, the main wine in Galicia. Some options to eat in Ribadavia are Plaza Restaurante (praza Maior 13), O Birrán (praza Magdalena 8), and bar Calvo (rúa Virxe O Porta 5). It's also highly recommended purchasing sweets in Tahona da Herminia (rúa Porta Nova da Arriba) with old Spanish-Jewish recipes like mamul, kupperlin or mostachudos.

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Posted in: Europe,Galicia,Spain