Nh Obradoiro Santiago de Compostela

... have been gathering for centuries to visit the tomb of St James. The Cathedral itself was magnificent, and the surrounding buildings where also very impressive. Shopping in the narrow flag stoned streets was a delight. We stayed at were given refreshments in a former hospital dating from around 1513 which is a listed building and is now a first class hotel. It was all very grand.

Ah, getting up at the crack of 9:30, showering, grabbing a wonderful cup of "cafe con leche" and that wonderful goat cheese with manchego for breakfast. This is the life.....I'll have to remember this when I most need it as I'm schlepping my butt from one end of the US to the other most of the year!

The hotel is pretty nice. Roomy, clean and kinda like a European version of a W Hotel without all that annoying music playing ...

... the city which contains all the old buildings and churches is pedestrianised and huddles round the grand cathedral. The Cathedral is vast and very ornate. The guide books say that is best seen in the rain so that all the lichens and mosses are highlighted. The weather duly obliged!

The car has decided to have a sick day and has gone to the Ford dealer to recuperate! We collect it tonight and move on to Portugal in the morning.

Hi All

Sitting in a restaurant waiting for our pizzas - we are all done with bocadillos - dry, dry bread with slices of cheese and dried out ham. Sorry to say I forgot my hat two nights ago but we ended up at a albergue off the track which was a piece of heaven. The bunk beds which I have a permanent bruise on the top of my head from, were quite comfortable, complete with sheets and ...

... We literally see no one and hear nothing, and everything looks to be closed. We finally find one club that has someone in the door, and they tell us they don't open until 4am. DON'T OPEN UNTIL 4AM?! WHAT KIND OF PLACE IS THIS?! We run into 2 British kids on the street and go to some random dance place with them, were the DJ plays music from Grease, obviously causing a spontaneous dance party. Around 4:30, it is still empty, so we decide to just leave and go to bed.

... and when the sculptor sent his finished work to the bishop, the bishop was displeased with the statue's ample bosom, saying it was inappropriate for a cathedral. So, the sculptor gave her a reduction and she was placed in the cathedral. However, the cheesemakers of Galicia were displeased with the bishop's decision, and decided that they would make the signature cheese of Galicia boob-shaped in the statue's honor. Gotta love the badass cheese-makers of 15th century ...

... Vigo when we landed in Spain so we were suppose to meet her in the evening. In the meantime she was so nice that she arranged us other ppl - her erasmus friends - to show us around. This day we went to the park and walked through ale the old centre to visit the Cathedral. That was my second time in Santiago and it was really curious to come back here after 4 years. Last time I came here was during m Camino the Santiago wich I was doing with Olga. I remember ...

Well, i know we just wrote, but while wandering, one never knows when free WiFi will cross our path again. Plus, you know, we're in Spain, and we just ate dinner at 10, finishing up with double lattes around midnight. Free WiFi +caffeine= Internet surfing and travel-blog-writing. Yesterday Ryan and I made the long drive from Bilbao, SP to Santiago De Compostela. It was pretty uneventful -- lots of books on tape and a shuffle ...

... by one of the first to publish in Galician after its use was forbidden for a long time. And, yes, it is indeed a lovely city, such a standard Spanish city outside the boundary of the former city walls (which can be very clearly identified, even though they do not stand anymore), so beautiful inside those limits, with all the narrow streets and granite buildings, and then you are walking around randomly and stumble upon a huge monument ...

... of the day's walk. After walking through Ligonde, which was a significant medieval stop, and which has a church dedicated to Santiago and a Romanesque porch, we cross the Rio Ligonde, where we have a short stop for a drink. A lot of these river crossings have hand washing facilities, with a raised rectangular tank up to 3 metres square by 1 deep, with inward sloping tops on the walls to form washing boards, and walkways around them so that the washing boards are at ...