Ourense y Relajarse

This Sunday my roommates and I decided to make the trip up north to Ourense! Known as El Capital Termal, Ourense's claim to fame includes multiple hot springs along the banks of the Rio Miño. We spent our day relaxing in 41°C waters, walking along the winding path bordering the Miño, and admiring the fusion of the city's modern and ancient architecture.

After an early morning wake up call, we packed our lunches along with our swimsuits and walked to the neighboring Guxar Train Station to catch our ride. After arriving at the train station in Ourense, we made our way across the Puente Romana-- built during the first century rule of Emperor Augustus-- and hopped on the Thermal Trolly. The small Disney-esque trolly took us away from the center of the city and winded down a small walking path along the Miño river. We rode the trolly to the end of the line where we hurriedly changed into our swimsuits and hopped in our first hot spring of the day.

Along the river path, there were six different areas of man-made pools filled with thermally heated waters. We first stopped at Pozas de Outariz, an area of four separate pools that were free and open to the public. After a couple hours of relaxing there, we walked back up the path to a privately owned spa named the Outariz Thermal Station. Admission was only five euros and included two hours at the Japanese Onsen themed spa. Featuring eleven outdoor and three indoor pools, we spent our Sunday afternoon solamente relajando. While the private pools added a bit of flare, I would still highly recommend the public ones for those wanting to unwind and save a euro or two. They were all very clean, less crowded, and had changing rooms and bathrooms for use.

Thoroughly relaxed, we spent the rest of our afternoon strolling along the footpath back into the center and exploring the rest of what Ourense had to offer. Ourense was a wonderful way to end our week on a high note and set the tone for the upcoming work week. Once the weather begins to turn back home in Vigo, I am sure that we will make more trips to the warm waters of Ourense.