If there’s one animal I associate with Galicia, without a doubt, it’s the cow. I’ve been surrounded by them since early childhood. In my village, they were like any other neighbor you’d constantly bump into in the streets. Their imposing bodies, slow gait, massive tongues with a thousand shapes, piercing eyes, threatening horns, and those black hooves that somehow bear all that weight in such a small space, everything about cows is admirable. Galicia is full of cows, and without them, it simply wouldn’t be Galicia.
A few weeks ago, when I reached the heights of the Ancares mountains, I was stunned by absolutely breathtaking views. A whole series of mountain ridges faded into the horizon, and deep down below, the valleys were slowly losing the sun and filling up with shadows. The scene was majestic, and I let my photographic instinct run free. I climbed hills, pushed through the underbrush to play with depth of field, searched for impossible compositions that would preserve the perspective and grandeur of the place, and filled my little M6 with photos. Every winding, narrow kilometer of road I had taken to get there was completely worth it.
And as incredible as it may seem, the scene got even better. A line of cows, walking in single file, perfectly disciplined and organized, began descending from the top of the mountain. There was no shepherd, no dog guiding them, just the cows, making their way on their own toward greener pastures. I started taking pictures like crazy, it was a gift of a moment. But in the middle of it all, I couldn’t help but notice a city kid, probably visiting with his parents, who suddenly panicked and rushed back to the safety of their car. I, on the other hand, played the “brave one,” the “man of the countryside,” and stepped right in among the cows to get the best shots. I felt like the king of the cows… until I noticed a small detail, there weren’t just cows. There were bulls too.
At that point, I took a few cautious steps back, and my ego gently returned to earth, down into one of those shadowy valleys where the sun no longer shone. Because nothing brings us back to our place quite like reality does.
