Visiting Vigo in the rain!

Well, that seems to be the end of summer. Officially autumn doesn't start until the 21st but nobody has told the weather gods. Friday was cool and cloudy. Saturday began wet. Very wet! When I looked out and saw the state of things I decided that running was not on. It takes quite a lot for me to forego my run but this was one of those days. Originally I had planned to walk my running route, sheltered under my umbrella, but by the time I got down to street level it was raining so hard that I gave up on that idea as well and simply walked to the bread shop via the short route. It was the kind of rain that they call "la tromba", rather like the north of England expression about raining stair-rods. It's as if someone has just turned a million taps on a full pressure! 

 Down at the harbour there were two huge cruise boats again. I saw the second one arriving again. As it docked the mist thickened and you could no longer see anything. Parking a big boat in the Atlantic blanket cannot be an easy task. And what would all those tourists do on Sunday? There must be close on seven or eight thousand when you put two huge boatloads together. And they couldn't even take refuge in shopping because it was Sunday when all the shops are closed. Is there capacity for so many even in all the cafes of Vigo? 

No doubt there were buses laid on to take them off to Santiago de Compostela but the same question arises. What would they do there in the rain? Because if it was raining in Vigo it would almost certainly be raining in Santiago. It rains there even when it's sunny everywhere else. I exaggerate, of course. We have visited Santiago on beautifully sunny, blue-sky days. I have the photos to prove it. But Sunday wouldn't be one of those. The visitors would no doubt buy plastic ponchos and big umbrellas from the African blokes who pop up like mushrooms in the rain to sell their wares. 

If I were one of those cruise people I think I might opt to stay on the boat with a good book.

By mid afternoon the day had improved somewhat. The boats left in rather cloudy sunshine. So at least they would get a better view of the ria as they left than they did in the morning on the way in! 

Today there's another one. As I helped a lady out in a shoe shop today - shopping, of course - she commented on how rough their cruise has been so far. At least they have had a bit of sunshine today.