I entered Spain on August 1st via the lovely port town of Vigo.
My first taste of Spain in many years, and tasting it I certainly am. Portugal was really wonderful and cheap but Spain seems to be on a whole other level. In my experience, it would be like comparing Croatia and Italy, i.e., Portugal and Spain. Both lovely, but very different in culture and depth of foodie experience. Of course, Northern Spain has become the hotbed of the foodie world with some of the most famous chefs and restaurants being from the Basque region. Vigo is in Galicia which, among other things, has its own language. Spanish is still a large part of it but many words are different. Still haven't figured out the word for crab, which I saw lots of people eating but couldn't figure out the word she was using for crab. Plus they had 3 or 4 different types of crabs. Fascinating. They use aseos (toilet) to refer to bathroom, not baño. Of course, many cultures think it's funny we call it a bathroom when we are going to the toilet, not going to take a bath.
A few pics from my walk up to the remains of Vigo Castle:
Another tapas of pork rib with potato. Sounds simple but it was not, there was the most interesting spice in the ribs which were fall off the bone tender and the potatoes were perfectly cooked with just the right amount of salt and olive oil flavor.
In No Spain, the tapas are often free with a drink, any type of drink, soda, beer, wine, or whatever.
My first taste of Spain in many years, and tasting it I certainly am. Portugal was really wonderful and cheap but Spain seems to be on a whole other level. In my experience, it would be like comparing Croatia and Italy, i.e., Portugal and Spain. Both lovely, but very different in culture and depth of foodie experience. Of course, Northern Spain has become the hotbed of the foodie world with some of the most famous chefs and restaurants being from the Basque region. Vigo is in Galicia which, among other things, has its own language. Spanish is still a large part of it but many words are different. Still haven't figured out the word for crab, which I saw lots of people eating but couldn't figure out the word she was using for crab. Plus they had 3 or 4 different types of crabs. Fascinating. They use aseos (toilet) to refer to bathroom, not baño. Of course, many cultures think it's funny we call it a bathroom when we are going to the toilet, not going to take a bath.
A few pics from my walk up to the remains of Vigo Castle:
It's all about the food in northern Spain. My first day in Vigo I went to a famous seafood restaurant on the Rúa da Pescadería, Casa Vella.
My gorgeous and delicious razor clams:
My first tapas, Lume de Carozo, salmon with tomato, bread, and burrata...all smothered in olive oil and garlic:
Another tapas of pork rib with potato. Sounds simple but it was not, there was the most interesting spice in the ribs which were fall off the bone tender and the potatoes were perfectly cooked with just the right amount of salt and olive oil flavor.
In No Spain, the tapas are often free with a drink, any type of drink, soda, beer, wine, or whatever.
Tapas there were so good, I decided to check out the menu:
Settled on these perfectly prepared chicken tacos with some fiery sauce on the side.
My first night in Vigo I wandered into the Othilio Bar, which I later discovered is one of the well known "foodie" bars in Vigo. I had something called 63deg egg, pork jowls, and foam. My picture did not do it justice so suffice to say, this was over the top delicious. I had been craving some eggs anyway. The egg was of a soft boiled consistency and floating in the "foam", which was a bit cheesy but light as a feather. Some tasty bits of pork (like bacon) were dispersed throughout the foam. On top, there were some thin, curly potato twists. My oh my...welcome to northern Spain.
Off to Leon next...
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