KIOSCO DAS ALMAS PERDIDAS

Right opposite the fishing port of Vigo stands O Kiosco das Almas Perdidas, the tavern that welcomed the last century's artists and Bohemians who didn't sleep at night and workers who started their day in the early morning and were to be found at dawn enjoying a cup of coffee with a few drops of an after-lunch liqueur: coffee or sol y sombra, a cocktail of brandy and anisette capable of evaporating even the worst Atlantic storm, or the desperation of a new rationalisation of the shipping industry as brought to life on the cinema screen by Luís Tosar.

Its evocative name and legend today attract artists and curious passers-by, as well as tourists who have just enjoyed an early-morning visit to the fishing port of Vigo. After a night at the port with fishermen and skippers, seaweed, boats, loaders and fishmongers, ice, containers, platforms, fish from the seven seas of the world, dripping seawater, lorry drivers and auctioneers, they look as if they have emerged transformed from the bottom of the sea and the secret world painted by Urbano Lugrís… and a hot cup of coffee helps them recover from the excitement.