Bob Bolling 's Website in Galicia, Northwest Spain

On January 25th/26th Ambroa Parish held its 2003 Winter Fiesta honoring San Tirso de Ambroa. It's always risky to plan an affair during January because you can't predict what the weather will be like, other than cold. Two years ago, it was "a dark and stormy night" and our big tent blew down overnight. This time it was cold but dry, and it wasn't windy. The turnout was excellent for a winter fiesta, which is always much smaller than our San Ramon Fiesta in the summer.

Our winter fiestas last for about a day-and-a-half. On the first day, there's a 1:00PM Mass and a brief procession at the church, a couple of hundred yards away, followed by a sesión vermut in the big tent. Folks socialize, have a couple of drinks, and preview the band. Then everyone goes home to have lunch and maybe do some chores. The fiesta resumes at around 10:00 or 11:00PM and runs on into the wee hours of the morning. On the second day, there's no evening session, just the Mass, procession, and a longer sesión vermut, this time with a different band.

Here are some pictures from this year's fiesta:

San Tirso 2003 Ambroa's Winter Fiesta February 2003
On January 25th/26th Ambroa Parish held its 2003 Winter Fiesta honoring San Tirso de Ambroa. It's always risky to plan an affair during January because you can't predict what the weather will be like, other than cold. Two years ago, it was "a dark and stormy night" and our big tent blew down overnight. This time it was cold but dry, and it wasn't windy. The turnout was excellent for a winter fiesta, which is always much smaller than our San Ramon Fiesta in the summer. Our winter fiestas last for about a day-and-a-half. On the first day, there's a 1:00PM Mass and a brief procession at the church, a couple of hundred yards away, followed by a sesión vermut in the big tent. Folks socialize, have a couple of drinks, and preview the band. Then everyone goes home to have lunch and maybe do some chores. The fiesta resumes at around 10:00 or 11:00PM and runs on into the wee hours of the morning. On the second day, there's no evening session, just the Mass, procession, and a longer sesión vermut, this time with a different band. Here are some pictures from this year's fiesta:
Fiesta grounds - the large yellow thing to the left is the band's Diesel generator. Given our occasional power outages, it's always a good idea to bring your own. This year, though, the weather was good, there was no wind, and the utility power didn't fail. But the band used the generator, anyway, just in case.
Preview of the band during the sesión vermut.	At night, they got to use their lights and artificial fog

Here's what it looked like from the bar at the sesión vermut	Here I am, pleading with Marivi to leave the bar and come home.