Hi everyone :)
Today let´s take a walk through Sanxenxo, a Spanish municipality located in the province of Pontevedra in Galicia.
The pics I share today were taken during a short family vacation spent in this locality, chosen because of the reputation of its beautiful landscapes, history, culture and also for its proximity to my residence.
This last factor was decisive due to the available days.
After some research into this geographical region, we are presented with all sorts of stories dating back several centuries BC, ranging from Roman colonization to the passing of the Phoenician, Celtic, Nordic and even Muslim peoples.
History is based on various archaeological materials found in this part of the current municipality of Sanxenxo with over 4,000 years old and much of the movement in this area of the globe was due to its geographical location, strategically located on the northern side of the Ria de Pontevedra, that allowed to control the entry of any ship in the Ria.
Agriculture and fishing remain the economic engine of the region although Sanxenxo has become over the last century, and especially since the 1960s, a prime tourist destination due to its mild climate, beautiful Galician Rias and all The beauty of the region and the large number of excellent beaches make this region a place of rest, resorts and leisure.
Everyone knows that tourism helps to boost investment and development in the region, and the difference between the small fishing village and the whole tourist-oriented structure that is currently presented to us is notorious, and sometimes this is the focus that unfortunately make us lost contact with cultural roots.
The beaches are excellent, the water calm and mild, natural property caused by the protection of the basin, the locals are very hospitable, the cuisine is excellent and through the whole cluster of apartments facing the beach, we still have the possibility to stroll through narrow streets and small, strictly restored granite houses.
It was on one of these sidewalks that we came across an activist intervention located on a small sandbar near the marina aimed at collecting signatures for a petition in an attempt to prevent a small natural beach from being destroyed in order to expand the nearby marina next door.
In this tour I also had the opportunity to register some very interesting statues.
The statue with the curious name “Hola Margarita” was carved by Galician sculptor (from Ourense) Acisclo Manzano, a disciple of another of the great Galician sculptors Francisco Asorey and was installed in 2003 in a small gazebo near the Marina.
Next to it and looking towards the sea we can see “La Madamma de Silgar” the most famous statue of Sanxenxo, the work of Galician artist Alfonso Lamelas Vilar, born in 1927 and author of most of Galicia's public works and whose shape has become a City icon.
Nearby, further afield in a large open area we can find the Atlante Sculpture, located next to Praça do Mar, in the nerve center of the city, this huge sculpture by Francisco Leiro is 14 feet long, 4 meters high and 4 wide, and representing Atlantis, a Greek god who legend has it, lived in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.
It's an impressive work of 20,000 pounds and the parts that make up your body are joined together, making it look like a puzzle.
Last but not least, the also famous Aviador statue, located in a small square at the beginning of the Silgar beach promenade, installed in 2002, by Afonso Vilar.
This work portrays José Piñeiro Gonzalez, the first aviator born in Ferrol, Galicia, in 1878, who became famous for his “Vôo da Gaivota”.
During the night there are many places that are designed to provide fun, but it is on the street that people like to get together, on the waterfront, on the beach, take long evening walks or just stand by the window watching the band go by.
That´s all for today :)
See you soon
Thank you for watching :)
All photos presented in this article are my own
@aleister