Congreso Hotel Santiago de Compostela

The other two tours in Madeira and Lanzzarrotte we planned well in advance, but the trip to Santiago de Compostela was a last minute decision based on the recommendation of the two couples who we had the pleasure of dining with on the cruise. I'm glad we decided to go. It was quite a long drive, but well worth the effort. We walked around the oldest part of the town where the ...

... wildest part was at teh end of Mass when a 6 ft incensor is lowered from high above the altar. It is set on fire and incense thrown on it, then 5 or 6 men start yanking on pulleys that make that baby swing way up into the air. I tried to get some photos of it, but without flash most are a bit "shakey", but you'll get the idea. The next was the tour of the palace and the cathedral roof. Mass was going on down stairs and the<br>organ ...

... 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!<br><br>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.

... our own bathroom and a room to ourselves. Also had awonderful meal served by a grandpa who reminded Shawn and I of Oscar. He went out of his way to solve our language barrier and also pured soup over sara´s arm and went to get a wet cloth to wipe it up - he was so cute. Mary here--I seem to be the only one the bed bugs are drawn to ,no one else has been bitten,except for the fact ...

... does the paying, and we couldn't have been more clear that we were expecting friends). We enter this club and find that he has reserved a VIP table in the corner with a velvet rope and all. A waiter comes and asks for our orders, and once we realize that this guy is paying for all our drinks, we order and sit there talking and drinking. I get one of the other girls to ask him his name, which turns out to be Doglas (DOE-glass). We sit there talking amongst ourselves ...

... and were able to walk all over the roof and take pictures. After the roof, they took us on a tour of the market of Santiago, where we saw a truly revolting aisle of seafood, mostly still alive, a vegetable aisle, and a cheese aisle. The cheese in Galicia is a special local cheese called "tetilla"-- boob cheese. It comes in the shape of, yes, boobs. The story goes that a bishop commissioned a famous Italian sculptor to make a statue of the Virgin Maria for the entrance to the ...

... in the exact same spot i sat in while i sketched the fountain and the south portal. I remembered a man who had walked past with his zipper undone. Of course i said something to him. I remembered this is where I talked to the strange pilgrim with a wooden walking stick and a full backpack. This is where i realized I could walk the road too. I have come full full circle. 12noon was the pilgrim mass. It ...

ENDELIG ER VI DER - MÅLET FOR TUREN ER NÅDD. SANTIAGO DEL COMPOSTELLE - 800 KM FINALLY - WE HAVE REACHED SANTIAGO DEL COMPOSTELLA - TIRED BUT VERY HAPPY! Listen to Caminomusic from Thomas Dybdahl : All our photos from the Camino here: http://foto.vg.no/show_album ...

I feels like I haven't spent a weekend in town in forever! Here are some pictures from this weekend. It's nearly over but its just starting to feel like home. We all wake up late and meet at the park to sunbathe, study, play hurling (an irish lacross type game), devil sticks, futbol, twirl streamers, listen to/play the guitar, and watch capoera and try to have head stand ...

... all the way from Guayaquil on the way out to the Galapagos. We retire in good order, without arrest, and repair to the departure lounge. Manage to find an ATM, then wait for the plane, doing diary until we look like being the last through the gate as flight is un-announced, but a full team of business types come through late. The meals are cash up front, and expensive, so we look at the patchwork quilt of rural Spain out the window. Further north we get into more ...