vigo's secret underpasses and my 3am mural obsession

woke up late for good reason. missed the bus. again. decided to walk instead. stuck in this downpour that’d make a soggy sock weep. there’s something about vigo that makes you feel like you’re in a movie where nobody’s supposed to exist. probably why i’m here. anyway. it’s 8.62 degrees out. i just checked. there right now. hope you like that kind of thing. the bridge is icy. or maybe reviving. who knows.


weird thing about this city. the weather’s basically a secret agent. 8.62 today. same temp min and max. like it’s lying. went to a café expecting coffee. got a lecture about real galician chants instead. neighbor across the alley tells me the radio plays russian folk music at 3am. said it’s true. i’m not buying it. brrrr factor. 86% humidity though. suffocating. like you’re inside a plastic bag that forgot to zip.


overheard gossip. someone told me the old docks have a hidden speakeasy. bartender said it’s just a myth. unless you’ve got a tattoo of a sailor. then you’re let in. probably. i’m considering it. i heard another rumor too. that the street artist collective there paints entire buildings into art. not just murals. like… walls of town meetings. sgeerts. yeah. i’m thinking about joining. need a partner in crime. anyone up for painting a bridge? maybe write a message on it. see if anyone reads it. what’s the worst that could happen?



need to talk about the neighbors. not the creepy ones. the actual humans. the ones who sell grilled octopus by the road. or the ones who play ukulele at 6am. this one old lady keeps trying to teach me traditional weaving. i’m no help. i knitted a sock once and it fell apart. she kept talking about ‘patience’ like it was a spell. meanwhile, my blanket is melting. thanks humidity. if you get bored, the coast is just a short drive away. don’t believe the hype. i drove. it’s flat rocks and broken waves. but hey. maybe that’s the point.



here’s the thing about reviews. i heard that the best tapas here is at this tiny joint called something in spanish i can’t remember. someone whispered it to me in the pub. i went. it was a trap. or maybe magic. got a dish of squid that tasted like regret. but i liked it. maybe. the yelp review says ‘authentic local experience.’ TripAdvisor says ‘vigo’s most overrated pub.’ which is fair. i’m not here to argue. just here to absorb the chaos. even if it’s freezing.



okay. sun’s gone. moon’s rising. going to try that underpass mural. brought a canvas that’s too small. fine. made it work. painted a dancer mid-leap. not sure if it’s real. maybe it’s a hallucination. i’ll tell you what. if you find it. tell me you saw it. i’ll buy you a pastel. or something.



here’s a map to confuse you.

. don’t trust it. i might’ve added some phantom landmarks. anyway. let’s move.



stayed up too late. got lost in a photo shoot. asked a local for directions. she said ‘follow the fish.’ i did. ended up at a bonfire. joined. ate whale meat. it was okay. weird. but the stories were good. someone there claimed to have seen a ghost ship. others said it was a drone. couldn’t tell. proof is in the pudding. or lack thereof.




images here for no reason?

. yeah. that’s vigo’s vibe. random. unprepared. slightly nuts.



links for you to waste time on. tripadvisor.com/vigo-historiaval - allegedly talks about that ghost ship. yelp.com/vigo-tapas-odyssey - review says the squid was ‘emotionally resonant.’ facebook.com/vigo-local-news - probably full of memes about the bridge.



pro tips. don’t trust the weather app. it’s lying. wear more layers than you think. smile at strangers. they’ll either scam you or give you free stuff. and if you hear a song that sounds suspiciously like ‘i will survive’ at 2am. follow the sound. it leads to things.



anyway. i’m writing this in a park now. blanket melted. sitting on a bench made of oil drums. beside a mural of a flying squirrel. it’ll probably wash away. but that’s the point. vigo’s magic is that it doesn’t care. just shows up. says hello. ghosts or not. 8.62 degrees here. still judging you.

You might also be interested in:

• https://votoris.com/post/finding-an-englishspeaking-doctor-in-soweto-if-youve-got-a-camera-and-a-hangover
• https://votoris.com/post/demographics-of-bremen-who-lives-here-in-2026
• https://votoris.com/post/port-elizabeth-drumming-the-wild-coast-in-south-africa
• https://votoris.com/post/kayseri-unfiltered-a-photographers-chaoscape
• https://votoris.com/post/studying-in-tianjin-where-every-alley-could-be-a-film-set