taza de té, my summer vacation to galicia
I’m headed to Galicia, in the Northwest of Spain. Googling around to see if there might be teahouses to visit, I found this advice on Galicia Guide:
If you like tea, bring your own. To make matters worse, even when you speak Spanish and order a tea at a bar, the staff struggle with the concept of mixing it with milk (the English way) and you will invariably end up with a flavoured tea or the addition of lemon. If you are an American it should suit you.
Really?! Undrinkable tea should suit Americans??? (My eyebrow is raised high with this question). Hmmmmmmm. Looks like I’ll be bringing tea to make and share.
I’ll be staying in the town of Baiona, on the Atlantic Coast. I’m excited to swim, explore wineries, get medieval and spend time with the Smiths. Also curious to see what types of local herbs are grown, cultivated…and perhaps steeped. More from the road.
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Back from my trip
Trip Photos
Love Spain! However, Spain doesn’t love tea. They don’t have a tradition of drinking it really, as don’t have a history of cultivating or importing it. In the Spanish colonial days, the colonies grew coffee and chocolate. And then there was that whole English Royal scandal of King Henry the 8th divorcing Queen Catherine of Aragon – which didn’t entice the Spanish to take up a perceived English tea habit.
I confess: I enjoyed cafe con leches and cups of hot chocolate like a native. Why search for something that’s not there?
In traveling to Galicia, being hosted my Stephen’s family, I was the only American around. It was intoxicating living Spanish life on vacation. Waking up to the beach, having a cafe con leche, having a lunch of local seafood, wine and jamon. Taking a siesta. Going swimming in the cold Atlantic, then having a long dinner – with a swirl of English, Spanish and French languages.
I suppose the joy of all that…I can handle one country in the world that doesn’t drink tea.
