A Seattle Arts Writer Visits Northwest Spain

Stepping off the train and onto the slick cobblestone streets of Ourense, a small town located in the Galicia region of Spain, you’d think you had landed right back in the Pacific Northwest. The air is thick with damp, the nature is green and hilly, and the sky is bright gray. So you could say that being here felt a bit like being home.

Last month, I submitted two weeks of vacation, hopped on three planes and one train, and landed with a thud in Ourense. It’s a town I had found myself in several years ago after being accepted into the Spanish government’s auxiliar de conversación program, which employs native English speakers with bachelor’s degrees in schools across the country in an effort to — in theory — make Spanish students better English speakers. As a graduating college senior unsure of my future, I packed my bags, put off paying back my student loans, and spent two years in Ourense, avoiding the fallout of the 2016 election and the early years of the first Trump presidency.

For various reasons, I came back to Seattle in 2018, where life grew a lot bigger for me — I became a journalist and dove deep into the city’s art scene, endured a pandemic, covered the 2020 protests, and watched the world shift into a precarious era. But the threads of my love of art and writing traced back to Ourense, where my environment nurtured my curiosity and ability. It was only this year that I was financially stable enough to return after six years with one of my best friends and fellow former auxiliar, Jenny, to see how much Ourense — and ourselves — had changed in these intervening years.

Of course, it was vacation — I relaxed, I walked around, I ate, I even cried a little. But my brain kept whirring every day I was there. With my steeled arts writer eye, I felt much more attuned to the architecture and art of the city. Here are some major artistic points of note in Ourense:

As Burgas

Settled by the Romans around the first century, Ourense is famous across the continent for its natural thermal springs that sprout from underground aquifers. Romans, locals, tourists, and pilgrims have all enjoyed the therapeutic effects of long soaks in the thermal baths. While in recent decades, the city has built more modern places to enjoy the hot waters, the real OGs go to As Burgas, located in the historic district in Ourense. At night, steam rises off the thermal bath, and people young and old float through the pool, talking in low voices and looking at the ancient buildings around them. As Burgas was sadly closed for a much-needed remodel on this visit, but there were fountains and a public garden to do several thoughtful turns in.

Ponte Vella

Another major architectural icon and point of interest in Ourense is the Ponte Vella also known as the Ponte Romana, which spans the cold Miño River and connects the city’s northern and southern halves. The bridge’s origins date all the way back to the time of Augustus, but was majorly rebuilt in the 13th century by Bishop Lorenzo, with subsequent updates in the 17th century (though some of the ancient support bases are still visible). I used to cross the bridge every morning to get to my school and re-crossing it after six years on a bright day, I was reminded of how cool it is to see centuries of history underneath my feet. Once I saw young kids jumping off one of the bases and into the river during the summer. Everything is romantic.

Fuente de la Plaza del Hierro

Another really special aspect of Ourense is Los Vinos in the historic quarter which consists of a bunch of old streets cobbled together and stuffed with places to eat little bites of food, drink lots of beer and wine, and sneak a cheeky cigarette or two. During the weekend, Ourensanos of all ages are out eating in aire libre and, over the din of voices, you can often hear the pitter-patter of a fountain in the Plaza del Hierro (Blacksmiths’ Square). Originally located at the San Esteban de Ribas de Sil monastery until the Spanish confiscation, the fountain features carvings of mermaids, caryatids, cherubs, lions, and other divine beings. During the day the fountain kind of blends into the background, but under the night lights, there’s an electricity to the structure.

Stickers

In a previous life, I got paid to write about stickers every week, and now I can’t help but spot those little bits of graffiti everywhere I go. When I first lived in Ourense, I never paid attention to stickers, but on this trip, I spotted sooo many.  Some background: Like in other regions of Spain, Galicia has its own distinct language and customs. Many Galicians speak Gallego, which shares a common root with Portuguese, in addition to Spanish, and have a deep sense of pride in their own cultural traditions which stretch back before the nation of Spain existed. There’s a punk, alternative sensibility that many Galicians carry with them. That sensibility is clear in some of the stickers I spotted during my two weeks there, which promoted veganism, anti-fascism, and class solidarity. So sick.

When I lived in Ourense, these artistic and architectural points of note became part of everyday life for me. While crossing the Ponte Vella to go to school, I no longer wistfully contemplated the millions of pairs of feet that crossed the bridge in the centuries since its construction, rather, I started to curse the length of my commute.

Upon my departure all those years ago, I worried that Ourense, which was made of things so ancient and stony, would never remember me. And, of course, it didn’t. But during this trip, my memory and experience of the city did feel different to me. I had grown into myself and learned more about the world. These fountains, bridges, and thermal baths endured periods of unthinkable upheaval, offering moments to ponder beauty and serving a direct connection to the past. I found comfort in that endurance and consistency. That no matter what happens in my life, these monuments would still be in Ourense — it's a comfort we all deserve.