16 July 2022
Today we walked all over Vigo hunting for mural artwork, something I have been meaning to do for a while. (We also visited Parque do Castro, but that is another post.)
This first one is near Plaza de America, but tucked away behind some buildings where you wouldn't see it just driving by. I recall seeing it when I first came here as I stayed in Airbnb's in this neighborhood.
This mural, with a ship motif, is next to a bar called
A Cantina do Fonso (Fonso's Canteen in the Galician language), so we decided to start with drinks and tapas.
We had cider and wine, both regional specialties produced here in Galicia. Here in Galicia they usually bring some kind of
tapa with each round of drinks you order. The tradition of tapas is said to have originated from bartenders putting a piece of bread, ham, or cheese to cover the drink and protect it from things falling in (medieval times were good times), hence the word
tapa which means cover or lid. This one is
empanada gallego, a kind of pie or tart baked in a large round or square and sliced.
We ordered a cheese tray and a tray of pickled anchovies (not realizing it also came with cheese). I discovered that while I really like the dried salted anchovies, the pickled ones are not for me. The cheeses in Spain are always good, but the blue cheese was out of this world.
Walking up the stairs of that mural, we came to another set of murals. These two musicians were on garages on either side flanking the staircase going up in the following images.
The staircase had a fishing theme and there were murals on the sides as well, below are some details of those.
Couldn't resist taking a silly selfie here at the top of the stairs!
Looking back down, there is a mosaic of an anchor and a view of the ría or estuary in the background.
Wandering along the street, we passed by another one.
This photo I took because of the profusion of morning glories blooming over this abandoned building site.
Those of you who follow my blog know that I have a thing for doors...
Next we wanted to ride the funicular. You know the streets are steep when they have not only stairs, but elevators and funiculars to take pedestrians up to the next street. We were hailed by a pair of tourists sitting in the cafe who wanted to chat before we went up.
Across the street from the funicular was an elevator going back down to the street we started on.
Here is how the funicular looks from the bottom:
And from the top:
And the hill goes up further via this set of stairs. Each mural is so unique and different.
This is the wall of a school. I didn't get a picture of the brightly colored mural peeking in the background, but this literary themed mural features Don Quixote, a tiny image of a windmill, and stacks of books.
The gate and fence to the right of the mural were also interesting. The large gray stone blocks and wrought iron are elements I associate with the building style of Vigo's heyday.
Next we come to this beauty, which reminds me of Alice in Wonderland. It has so many details it might deserve its own blog post.
Perhaps some inspiration from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" as well. ♫ "Be our guest, be our guest..." ♪
And another I hadn't discovered before.
This one is at a main roundabout, Plaza de España, and it wraps around three sides. This is a side street. The sleeping woman's skirt becomes the night sky and the mural is longer than seen here.
This is the side facing the roundabout.
And this side goes up the next side street fanning out from the roundabout.
Door!
This one we saw from a distance but is nevertheless magnificent.
I also have a thing for manhole covers which look different in every city.
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