Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Cangas do Morazzo

In spite of an awkward time recovering from my jet lag I found some time to embrace what’s left of the nice weather and explore Cangas. Here is a visual.



A few people have commented that the architecture here in Galicia is a bit of an eyesore because a recent construction boom left newer buildings halfway finished and older edificios in a state of disregard. Sometimes the contrast is interesting.

In its heyday Galicia thrived off of the fishing and shipbuilding industries, but like many jobs the those industries are now more favorable in China. According to Wikipedia, Vigo is the second largest port outside of Tokyo. What an unbelievable statistic! I’m hoping to go to one of the feixeiros some morning to see the fresh catches of the day being auctioned off. Maybe I can try my hand at cooking fish!

In Cangas a few specters remain to remind Galicia of its past. In Cangas there are two abandoned factories--one is an abandoned canning factory and the other is a whaling factory. When I asked some teachers about the factories I was surprised that they only just closed within the last thirty years. This isn't to say that the fishing industry has completely died here, though. Galicia is still famous for its (delicious!) shellfish, and has an important role in the global fishing market and conservation efforts. Pesca nova, for example, stays on the cutting edge of shipping technologies and is one of the only companies with rights to fish in certain parts of Africa. For me, all this means a fabulous new gastronomy!




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