# Galicia, a few questions



## Draughtsman (Aug 23, 2009)

Hi, 

Newbie here.

Galicia is one of the areas ive been looking at when thinking about moving to spain, id appreciate a little advice from any expats who have experience of the area. 

1. How well is the area served from UK airports, lane: the area i eventually decide to buy in would need to be within an hours drive from an airport, ideally on a route from manchester airport as i live only 10 mins away.

2. My good lady  speaks a little spanish and i am about to learn. But is spanish the main language in this area or do most folk speak galacian. the web does not give a clear answer.

3. Any general advice on the area would also be welcome. esp from someone local from anything from the weather, things to avoid, things to look forward too, decent areas etc.

As for what we are looking for, we would love to find a semi rural property, inland or coastal.
At present we are not looking to move to spain full time so this would be a home from home for a few months of the year with friends and family using it on occasion. We also dont intend to work (apart from on the house) in spain so we dont have the problem of looking for jobs.
Weve had property abroad before in more tourist type areas and this time fancy putting down a few more roots and making it more of a home. Hopefully spending more and more time there each year.

All the best from Very Wet Manchester

Steve


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Draughtsman said:


> Hi,
> 
> Newbie here.
> 
> ...



Hiya, well we have a few posters who live in that area and know it very well! I dont, so I'll leave to them to talk to you about it!! They'll be along shortly

Jo xxxx


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

Draughtsman said:


> Hi,
> 
> Newbie here.
> 
> ...


Hi Steve ... welcome 

I believe we have experts who can help with Galicia  and Im sure they will be on the forum over the next couple of days!

Usually you would get replies on here pretty quickly  but given its August! lots of us are juggling the forum with work / heat / kids / school holidays / heat ! heat and more heat!! 

Sue lane::ranger:


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Suenneil said:


> Hi Steve ... welcome
> 
> I believe we have experts who can help with Galicia  and Im sure they will be on the forum over the next couple of days!
> 
> ...


Very true Sue. Tallulahs the one I think who would normally be along first, but she's got her parents over from the UK right now, but she still pops in every now and again! She's lived in Galacia for about 6 years I think, is married to a Spanish chap who's entire family live there and so she's really knowledgable and then her friends from that area come on here too... Just give em time

Jo xxx


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## Chica (Mar 23, 2009)

Hi and :welcome: to the forum. I too know nothing of Galicia only a visit one time. Very green, pretty much like UK with lots of rain!!:rain:

We had thought about moving up there at one time as I struggle with the heat down here in the south and Tallulah, who I am sure will post shortly, suggested Sada just outside A Caruna. There are a couple of others that I'm sure will have some input too and love it 

Keep looking in.

Chica. x


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## Tallulah (Feb 16, 2009)

Draughtsman said:


> Hi,
> 
> Newbie here.
> 
> ...


Morning Steve! Nice to "meet you"....and thanks girls! 

I'm in Galicia - La Coruna province. There are four provinces in the region of Galicia : La Coruna, Orense, Lugo & Pontevedra. We moved over here four years ago with our three children and built a house on some land my OH has. OH is Spanish, although was raised in the UK from the age of 8. And the girls are right - we're surrounded by his side - and it's a VERY big family!! Seriously though, it's a wonderful place and we love it here.

Your question:1. How well is the area served from UK airports, lane: the area i eventually decide to buy in would need to be within an hours drive from an airport, ideally on a route from manchester airport as i live only 10 mins away.


Well....La Coruna province is served well by two airports : La Coruna and Santiago de Compostela - they have direct flights to Heathrow and Stansted (Clickair & RyanAir). There are two other airports that are also used to travel to Galicia from the UK: Vigo and Porto (yes, Porto is in Portugal but is only a short distance from Pontevedra) - I am afraid I have no knowledge of where they fly to, but a quick google and you'll find out I'm sure! 

Your question:2. My good lady  speaks a little spanish and i am about to learn. But is spanish the main language in this area or do most folk speak galacian. the web does not give a clear answer.


Learn Spanish! Castellano is spoken everywhere, but there is the language of Galicia which is Gallego. Once you have a handle on Castellano, you'll be able to recognise and work out Gallego. You will hear and see Gallego pretty much everywhere - in the ayuntamientos, schools, doctor's surgeries/hospitals, any official paperwork, etc - but don't let that put you off!! Castellano is spoken too - in fact it's more prevalent in some areas and anything official should be shown in the two languages anyway. Depending upon where you go in Galicia, there are small enclaves of expats - but I should also let you know that a lot of the older generation are "retornados" - in that they returned from places like the UK etc following Spain's return to democracy and better times - so you will suddenly be surprised by someone hearing you speak in English and starting up a conversation. The people as a result are incredibly warm and friendly and extremely helpful as they usually had a good experience in the UK.

Your question:3. Any general advice on the area would also be welcome. esp from someone local from anything from the weather, things to avoid, things to look forward too, decent areas etc.

I couldn't really say what to avoid I'm afraid - we love where we are which is pretty much rural but within a five minute's drive of gorgeous beaches and then towns and schools etc within a short distance also. I'm not a fan of cities - been there and done that and not planning to return anytime soon! - so it's horses for courses really. 
The weather : well, at the moment it's fantastic! However, Galicia is very green and lush so that can only be the result of one thing - rain!! Yes, we do get rain here ,much more than the South but the winters aren't too harsh where we are (although those in the more mountainous areas suffer more) and the summers are not as intense heatwise as the south - there are lots of areas here with their own microclimates and we're lucky in that we can still find ourselves going to the beach during the winter months (OK, not maybe in a skimpy bikini, but certainly with a light top and enjoy a picnic!). Galicia is a celtic region and you will see a lot of references to that - especially culturally and musically.  The food is incredible - meat, fish and seafood - lots of specialities. The wine - too many good ones to mention! Aguardiente (orujo or cana - fire water!!). Blue flag beaches.....so I'd better post a link for you otherwise it could go on and on :
GALICIA-TURISMO-TURGALICIA 

Your question :As for what we are looking for, we would love to find a semi rural property, inland or coastal.
At present we are not looking to move to spain full time so this would be a home from home for a few months of the year with friends and family using it on occasion. We also dont intend to work (apart from on the house) in spain so we dont have the problem of looking for jobs.
Weve had property abroad before in more tourist type areas and this time fancy putting down a few more roots and making it more of a home. Hopefully spending more and more time there each year.

Great to see that you don't have to work - so you'll be in a good position to just get on and restore that property!! There are lots of good websites regarding properties - just have a google once you've decided on an area you fancy. Otherwise - inmocoruna, tukasa - a couple of good ones - I don't have others to hand at the moment (and I need a coffee!!):ranger:

There are a few others of us Galicia folk on here and perhaps they'll reply about their particular areas for you to give you another insight.

Anyway, any more questions and I'd be pleased to help where I can. Good luck in your search!

Tallulah.x


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## Expat Ben (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello Steve

Galicia is very green and beautiful. 
I know Galicia very well and each province is very distinct.

The most attractive city by far is La Coruna and the most visited city is that of Santiago de Compostela (very touristic) with flights to the UK e.g. Liverpool

Note: Santiago de Compostela is very cold in winter (extremely cold)

That said, there are major differences in terms of climate between the the Rias Altas (La Coruna and Lugo) and the Rias Bajas (Pontevedra & Ourense)

The Rias Bajas have much warmer temperatures in the summer

I think if I were to live in Galicia I would choose the province of Pontevedra as apart from the better weather in summer; it's also near to Vigo and not that far from Santiago de Compostela (2 cities within 45 minutes drive) 

Property wise, there are thousands of old properties in dire need of restoration that could snap up for a reasonable amount of money; but I suppose you need to solve the problem of where you want to be before you look for property

I think a few fact finding visits are in order as only you can decide where you want to live. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Ben


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## Draughtsman (Aug 23, 2009)

Hi,

1st let me say thanks for the welcome, just sat at work over lunch and thought id see if anyone had replied, im mighty impressed.

Special thanks to Tallulah & Ben, ive only had time for quick read through and your advice is very interesting. I'll digest it in full tonight when im home and let you know a few of my thoughts.

once again...many thanks

steve


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## Draughtsman (Aug 23, 2009)

hi, once more

ive had a little time to digest some of the info you have provided.

with regards to the language, 'Learn Spanish' was the answer i was looking for, so thats a good starter. i'll be booking myself onto a local spanish course at some point in the near future, id like to learn a little asap.

with regards to flights lane: to galicia it seems the area is well served, i checked out skyscanner unfortunatly for me manchester isnt the best place to travel from it seems, the london airports seem to offer a better deals, but i'll look into that in more detail. if theres good deals out there ill track them down 

part of the reason im interested in this area is its cooler climate, basically im not looking for endless sunshine, but i would like a few half decent days of sunshine during the summer, something we seem to be getting less and less at the moment in manchester, its not the rain thats the problem its just the endless dull day after dull day 
in july and august what percentage of days would you say are good clear sunny days (not a chance of any rain type days).

im aiming to do a load more internet snooping on the area in the next month or 2 then may take a trip over there in the autumn or next spring....ill have a load more questions im sure.

cheers

steve


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## Chica (Mar 23, 2009)

The BBC weather site is good for following patterns. Here's the link if you haven't got it. BBC Weather | United States of America If you enter western europe it's fairly accurate. Although the link says USA I think you will find that it's Spain. You can see what the weather is doing now


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## Warren D (Aug 18, 2009)

Draughtsman said:


> in july and august what percentage of days would you say are good clear sunny days (not a chance of any rain type days).


Try a Galicia climate rainfall search on Google and you should get plenty of sites tat can tell you about the rainfall. You could also do the same for Manchester and compare the two.


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## Tallulah (Feb 16, 2009)

Hello again Steve!

Found some information on weather statistics in Galicia for you - it might shock some of those down South who think of us here as the Frozen North!! Note that some areas of Galicia can be even hotter than Malaga during certain periods!! ....so the good news is that if you're into green lush countryside, rolling hills, mountains, lakes and beautiful beaches, the only thing you would have to live with is certain rain in the winter... Galicia allows you to choose the level of heat in the summer and cold in the winter, by choosing your location depending on what you want!:juggle: In our experience, this link is pretty much how it is - we've noted that when we've experienced 30 degrees or so, it is incredibly hot in Ourense (approaching 40 degrees) and when we're in low to middle 20s, Ourense is hitting 30! We tend to have much milder winters, however - and Ourense does see under zero fairly often. 

THE WEATHER IN GALICIA

On another point regarding rainfall, I tried to look at meteofr which years ago had excellent meteo stats for European regions, but can't get it to work now....site has changed quite a bit unfortunately. I can say however, to put it in simple terms, that when it rains in Galicia it really does come down and it can last several days....therefore, from memory of the meteofr stats, rainfall in certain months is significantly higher than the UK, but the other months before and after that period are significantly less - resulting in a fairly faithful summer where apart from the odd drizzly day or three, you can count on sunny and often very hot days that will stay sunny and unlike the UK, maintain consistency throughout.

Tallulah.x


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## Expat Ben (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello Steve,

I think Warren makes a good point, as the amount of rainfull in Manchester must be similar to that in Galicia. But the latter wins every time in terms of natural beauty; unless you consider the canal to be a beauty spot 

Oh and you cannot gaurantee sun anywhere in the North; especially not in Galicia

Ben


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## Xose (Dec 10, 2008)

Expat Ben said:


> Hello Steve,
> 
> I think Warren makes a good point, as the amount of rainfull in Manchester must be similar to that in Galicia. But the latter wins every time in terms of natural beauty; unless you consider the canal to be a beauty spot
> 
> ...


OK, I'll play. Galicia is hotter than Granada in the summer, and I have stats to prove it.

Now, shall we be a bit more specific, or do all English men go to work wearing a pin stripe suit, a bowler hat and an umbrella even if it's a scorching at 22 degrees C.

Also, whilst I'm there. You can have central heating fitted in Spain. You can have properly insulated walls and double glazed windows. Second hand cars cost more because they have to give you a 2 yr guarantee (right down to the wipers) as opposed to 3 months and good luck mate. Buying private is not more expensive like with like. Not all Spanish drivers are white van man. Not all Guardia Civil are lazy sods that take a look at a UK MOT cert and say "No... comprendo... go away porfavor" - some will make you realise that if they don't understand, that's your problem, not theirs.......etc., etc. It's a big place. Not everything or everywhere is the same.

OK - that's my little gripe for today done with.

So, yes, Galicia has more rain than Manchester - at a given time of year. Then it has about 10 months of seriously less and about 9 months of a lot more Sun. Sweeping statement, yes, but it has some foundation and it's based on my experience on the coast - nothing to do with Galicia South and South East which, as stated above, has hotter climes than the Southern Costas at given times of the year.

Xose


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## Normatheexdiva (Jan 29, 2009)

Hi Steve,
I live right in the centre in Lugo province. 
Definitely learn Castellano. You will be shocked at how few people speak any English here, after what you see about Spain on the tv. 
People do study English, but have teachers who can read and write English, but often have little confidence at speaking. It's up to us to learn their language and watching España Directo on tvei each night will help a lot. The Open University courses are good and Teach Yourself isn't too bad either.

It does rain a lot, probably less inland where we live than on the coasts. Our house is situated at quite a high elevation. I'd hate to live in Ourense for example as it's just too hot for my liking. 

Ryanair were flying from Liverpool for a while and then stopped. They may start again, but I'm not sure - who knows what their plans are!

Clickair fly from Heathrow to La Coruna. I think that flight is likely to be the most reliable. 

There are a number of websites for properties. Quasar, Galicia Inland, Inmofaro, to have a look through and see if you like the look of houses.
Me - if I could choose, money no object, I'd live in Porto Bares or perhaps O Barqueiro. A bit far from an airport but really pretty.

As it is, I live in O Savinao. Right in the centre and that's where I'll be staying. 
It can be cold in winter and hot in the summer, but the air is clean, the light is amazing and the people are actually welcoming. Lots of people, like Tallulah says, are retornados and they mostly had a good time working in the UK.

The wine's pretty good too...

best wishes,
Norma










Draughtsman said:


> Hi,
> 
> Newbie here.
> 
> ...


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## Warren D (Aug 18, 2009)

Xose said:


> Now, shall we be a bit more specific, or do all English men go to work wearing a pin stripe suit, a bowler hat and an umbrella even if it's a scorching at 22 degrees C.
> 
> Also, whilst I'm there. You can have central heating fitted in Spain. You can have properly insulated walls and double glazed windows. Second hand cars cost more because they have to give you a 2 yr guarantee (right down to the wipers) as opposed to 3 months and good luck mate. Buying private is not more expensive like with like. Not all Spanish drivers are white van man. Not all Guardia Civil are lazy sods that take a look at a UK MOT cert and say "No... comprendo... go away porfavor" - some will make you realise that if they don't understand, that's your problem, not theirs.......etc., etc. It's a big place. Not everything or everywhere is the same.


I don´t understand why the silly rant?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Warren D said:


> I don´t understand why the silly rant?


Dont worry, Xose has these "moments" every now and again, I'm sure its his sense of humour, I wouldnt take it personally. He can be lovely when you get to know him

Jo xxx


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## Expat Ben (Jul 28, 2009)

The comment about very few Galicians speaking English is spot on

You must speak Castellano if you want to spend a fair amount of time in Galicia

It's a completely different world to the one on the costa del sol

PS. What is Xose going on about...how odd 

Ben


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

Expat Ben said:


> PS. What is Xose going on about...how odd
> 
> Ben


I was wondering that myself Ben....maybe it's a midlife crisis, or erectile dysfunctionality, or even limited availability of donkeys in his area.


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## Chica (Mar 23, 2009)

XTreme said:


> I was wondering that myself Ben....maybe it's a midlife crisis, or erectile dysfunctionality, or even limited availability of donkeys in his area.


I could suggest it was PMT but somehow that wouldn't be right so maybe it's the heat??

You poor men!! You don't have that to fall back on!!


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## Chica (Mar 23, 2009)

Chica said:


> I could suggest it was PMT but somehow that wouldn't be right so maybe it's the heat??
> 
> You poor men!! You don't have that to fall back on!!


Ooooops!!!! Maybe that should be a no go area!!:whip: :tape2:


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

Chica said:


> Ooooops!!!! Maybe that should be a no go area!!:whip: :tape2:


Well they do have "man flu" Chica ... thats always a good one to fall back on ...


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

Suenneil said:


> Well they do have "man flu" Chica ... thats always a good one to fall back on ...


And Baboon's Bum....I'm still suffering with that!


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

XTreme said:


> And Baboon's Bum....I'm still suffering with that!


OH NO! I thought the cream had sorted all that out for you! 

Sorry ..... :focus:


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

XTreme said:


> And Baboon's Bum....I'm still suffering with that!


You obviously spend too much time sat on it!!!!!!:ranger:

Jo xxx


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

Suenneil said:


> OH NO! I thought the cream had sorted all that out for you!
> 
> Sorry ..... :focus:


The wife still hasn't got it for me! 

And the reason I'm sat sweating in front of a computer screen around 80 hours a week is WORK Jo! No mindless yapping on my watch!


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## Xose (Dec 10, 2008)

Warren D said:


> I don´t understand why the silly rant?


Sorry Warren. Caused by past HUGE overgeneralisations like "Spanish Houses don't have central heating".

I guess the "Guarantee of Sun" in the North wasn't quite in the same league, but "Guarantee of sun" is Spain anywhere is becoming rare - and the North is no different. Not too long ago there were flood problems in the south east when Galicia was basking in sunshine.


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## Xose (Dec 10, 2008)

Expat Ben said:


> The comment about very few Galicians speaking English is spot on
> 
> You must speak Castellano if you want to spend a fair amount of time in Galicia
> 
> ...


Hi Expat Ben,
Sorry to reply in the first person.

Xose was clarifying some past overgenerelisations along with the "Oh and you cannot gaurantee sun anywhere in the North; especially not in Galicia". The mentioned items have been on past posts.

Zamora is in the North, Valladolid, Ourense also. I can guarantee Sun there as much as anywhere else in Spain. These past few years, we get flooding in the South whilst Galicia is basking in sunshine.

The oversimplification of weather in a country 5 times the size of England. That's what Xose was going on about.


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## Xose (Dec 10, 2008)

XTreme said:


> I was wondering that myself Ben....maybe it's a midlife crisis, or erectile dysfunctionality, or even limited availability of donkeys in his area.


Steve's not around - readjust your sites please.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Ok, so we've "done" the weather up there in the North, but there are many, many other aspects to living in Northern Spain, in fact living in any part of Spain!

:focus:

Jo xxx


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## Warren D (Aug 18, 2009)

Xose said:


> The oversimplification of weather in a country 5 times the size of England. That's what Xose was going on about.


It´s actually even bigger than that. It´s 5 times bigger than the UK. 
[insert rant here about how I am sick of people referring to the UK as England ]


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## Expat Ben (Jul 28, 2009)

Xose said:


> Hi Expat Ben,
> Sorry to reply in the first person.
> 
> Xose was clarifying some past overgenerelisations along with the "Oh and you cannot gaurantee sun anywhere in the North; especially not in Galicia". The mentioned items have been on past posts.
> ...


You have a point there Xose.

It would have been better for me to say you can only really "gaurantee sun in Ourense in Galicia", although everywhere gets a little sun 

Anyway, I do hope the OP has learnt something from our replies as although the weather may not be the best in Spain; it's fair to say Galicia is very beautiful as is much of the North. They call Asturias the green coast, so it obviously rains a lot there too. 

Ben


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## Draughtsman (Aug 23, 2009)

jojo said:


> Ok, so we've "done" the weather up there in the North, but there are many, many other aspects to living in Northern Spain, in fact living in any part of Spain!
> 
> :focus:
> 
> Jo xxx


:focus:

lol have i hit a nerve with the weather question 

anyway, ive enough info on that to last a liftime now, the answers were as expected, which is good, im happy with your advice 10 out of 10 to all. 
I also found some excellent info elsewhere from a guy who lives in Pontevedra, he's logged temperature and rainfall stats for galicia which was very interesting.

I dont think i can post a link on here as yet to his webpage as im a newbie but its worth a look.

back to work, i have things to draw :ranger: 

more questions to come


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## Suenneil (Feb 17, 2009)

Draughtsman said:


> :focus:
> 
> lol have i hit a nerve with the weather question
> 
> ...


Oh and I thought you worked hard at sealing the gaps in badly fitted window and door frames 

Glad you found the forum helpful D .... come back and visit us again soon, and let us know how everything is going.

Sue lane:


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Warren D said:


> It´s actually even bigger than that. It´s 5 times bigger than the UK.
> [insert rant here about how I am sick of people referring to the UK as England ]


:lol::lol::lol:

Hope everybody's feeling better now!!


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## Spanky McSpank (Aug 27, 2009)

galicia is brilliant. I have just got back from Santiago, went to a comunion and enjoyed a big feast in a casa rural.
From a weather point of view,(santiago area) it does rain a lot, it rained for 2months solid one winter. Or if not you get the "calabobos" which is like constant drizzle. 
People on here have been talking about the rain, but often the skies are cloudy although it may not rain.

However, you do get sunny days and although the summers have been generally dissapointing the past 2years, they are a lot better than the UK.

Food is far superior to UK, lots of fresh stuff available. Seafood is tops. People are friendly.

Better to learn Spanish first, then galego. Lots of people speak galego in the rural areas or sometimes a combination of the 2 (castrapo). It´s very similiar to spanish, and written down if you knew spanish you could usually understand it.


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## Tallulah (Feb 16, 2009)

Another one who likes Galicia?!?!? Sssshhhhhhh.....don't tell everyone or they'll all want to come here!!

Tallulah.x


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## anles (Feb 11, 2009)

Tallulah said:


> Another one who likes Galicia?!?!? Sssshhhhhhh.....don't tell everyone or they'll all want to come here!!
> 
> Tallulah.x


Which is why I have refrained from commenting :eyebrows:


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## Normatheexdiva (Jan 29, 2009)

Me too. I did write something and then thought....hmmmm,no!
It's a well kept secret, although my neighbour just told me that Gwyneth Paltrow had been seen at Belasar. Oh dear...



anles said:


> Which is why I have refrained from commenting :eyebrows:


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## Warren D (Aug 18, 2009)

Normatheexdiva said:


> It's a well kept secret, although my neighbour just told me that Gwyneth Paltrow had been seen at Belasar. Oh dear...


I have been interested in Galicia for a while now but that comment about Gwyneth Paltrow may have put me off :wink:

BTW that´s got to be the worst wink smilie I´ve ever seen.


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## Tallulah (Feb 16, 2009)

Warren D said:


> I have been interested in Galicia for a while now but that comment about Gwyneth Paltrow may have put me off :wink:
> 
> BTW that´s got to be the worst wink smilie I´ve ever seen.


Don't complain about the smilies Warren - they might take them away again!!:cheer2::flypig::behindsofa::hurt: We were SO happy when we got them!!

Yes, that's a good reason for staying away.....dreadful, dreadful place


Tallulah.x


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