The Riverwalk in Monforte

There are three rivers that have affected our lives when we come to Galicia, Spain: The Minho, which we cross in our trips to Portugal; the Sil, which has inspired poetry from me when we've climbed to the cell of an ancient monk atop a hill that over looks the river and Doade; and the Cabe, which flows right through Monforte de Lemos, the nearest town to our village. Here is how the Cabe looked from one of the bridges mid-September a few days after we arrived.

Over the years that we've come (14!), more and more features have been added. And now, below the beautiful park on one side that borders the parking lot, a river walk has been created — a path behind many restaurants and homes.

You can see the famous "castle" of the Conde de Lemos atop the hill in the center of the town. I love this castle. It's my dream to one day paint a picture of it on canvas. The town built up around it at the base of the hill, and it dominates the landscape for kilometers.

On the river walk, in one direction is the bridge I mentioned above; in the other, the old Roman Bridge, (puente Romana), still functional (for autos as well as pedestrians) after centuries!

And everything is reflected, as if in glass. And who cannot like ducks? (There are swans here, too, but I didn't get pictures of them this time.

Or fountains?

 If we lived here, I would probably spend every day (well — in good weather) at this park and river. And I would picnic and feed the ducks.



But since we don't, I'm so happy the main parking lot abuts the park, and every trip to do business means walking across the river on one of those two bridges.


How about you? Do you like rivers? bridges? fountains?  castles? parks? picnics?