My two concert trips to Cambados in Galicia (northwest Spain) had me totally convinced: not only is this truly an Albariño wine capital, it is also a seafood heaven.
I also had the good fortune of making some new friends here, among them the honorable mayor of Cambados. He was one burly, imposing man only countered by a gentleness and humour rarely wonted from a man of his stature. His quiet manners masked the deep love he has for his hometown.
During our parting lunch at a rural country house, we sat down side by side and talked about Cambados.
兩次到西班牙西北部加利西亞省坎瓦多斯小鎮的旅程徹底的把我說服
我很幸運地在坎瓦多斯認識了許多新朋友，
Luis Aragunde (L)
Ernest So (E)
E: I am definitely coming back again. When is the best time to come to Galicia?
L: Galicia is an interesting region all year round! All the sights and activities have their own colour and character in every season. Summer is of course an important season for us, but the Spring and Fall are equally beautiful.
E. What's one thing that defines Cambados?
L: Enotourism! Wine tourism is increasingly popular nowadays. Cambados is the capital of Albariño wine and our tourism office helps organize and advises on activities such as visiting wine makers, vineyards, and tastings. In Cambados you can smell our wine culture.
E: But one can't drink all day long, even for a wino like myself ...
L: Enotourism is but one of the "trinity" of attractions in Cambados; there are also historical monuments and characteristic restaurants. The region is covered with Pazos, or grand manor houses. They are akin to stately homes you find in England or France, filled with history and art. In the town, our restaurants will satisfy even the biggest craving for seafood and fish. We are so closely linked to the sea I can stretch my hand out from the office and catch a fish without looking.
E: That's easy for you but mortals like us would have to pay dearly for this!
L: Well, for a small town of 14,000 we have a super wide variety of restaurants. There are expensive fishes and seafood, certainly, but there are also affordable catch-of-the-day selections. You get top-notch quality mussels and shrimps, for example, for relatively very little money here compared to elsewhere. Doesn't matter what you are paying, we dish out the best seafood you can find.
E: I know, I've tried. Too bad I can't bring any of these back to my friends.
L: Cambados support a huge canning industry as well. You can find a lot of these canned seafood in our shops. They are caught and canned right here in town.
E: Well, there is one thing I can brag about coming to Cambados this July: the Festa do Albariño. This Albariño Festival had been a fantastic week. I am actually glad we took time off from all the drinking to be at this rural country house today.
L: On average, not that I am ever sober enough to count, the Albariño Festival receives about 200,000 visitors. Granted, it's less than a fraction of a percentage of people in Hong Kong or China but here in a small town like Cambados, this number is astronomical.
E: What do you do in Cambados when you're not working?
L: Kayaking, and, typical of everyone around here, enjoying wine with friends and family.
E: Now that I have visited Cambados, you must come to Hong Kong with me.
L: I will miss the smell of my sea...
Luis Aragunde (L)
Ernest So (E)
E: 我很希望可以再到坎瓦多斯來，
L: 加利西亞是一個很有意思的地區，
E: 你可以用一樣東西來代表坎瓦多斯嗎？
L: 品酒業！品酒圑現在越來越流行，坎瓦多斯身為
E: 但是我們好像不應整天都只是喝酒，即使我其實很想這樣做...
L: 品酒對愛酒人仕是一項很好的活動，
E: 哈哈！這可能對你是很容易的事，但是我只是星斗小市民，
L: 坎瓦多斯這裏有14,000 個居民，絶對不算是小地方，我們當然有不同種類的餐廳，
E: 我知道，我亦試過了，這裏的海鮮應該是我吃過最好的！
L: 坎瓦多斯其實也有很發達的罐頭業，
E: 我來坎瓦多斯某程度上其實是為了今年的 Albariño葡萄酒節，這讓我過了一個很精彩的星期！
L: 雖然葡萄酒時常都令我計算得不太清楚，
E: 在坎瓦多斯你不用工作的時候會做什麼？
L: 我喜歡划艇，以及像所有坎瓦多斯人一樣，
E: 好了，你現在邀請我來了坎瓦多斯，我也想邀請你跟我到香港。
L: 那我怕我會捨不得我這個漂亮的海洋......
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