Hotel Hesperia Compostela 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 ...

... the lobby. Dinner last night was quite exceptional. Paul had the duck confit and I had the pork chop....both were delicious.<br><br>So we left Ribadeo yesterday and took the coastal road. It was like I imagine Highway 1 down the California coast used to be in the 50s. We stopped at Cathedral Beach and I'm attaching the photos. Santiago is a big-ish city with lots of traffic and its accompanying exhaust. It's a university city so ...

... 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.

Hi All<br><br>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 ...

... and then, naturally, real shopping) for a while, then sat at another cafe and got a quick snack, since it was about 7:30. We then changed quickly and went back to the same "Carpe Diem" bar we had been at the night before. When we got there, we saw a waiter we had seen there the night before. Friday night, this dude had been running laps around the block, stopping after each lap to check on the bar and make sure everything was ok, which we found pretty weird ...

... traditional "veiera", or scallop shell, the symbol of St. James, attached to their bags. Given their clothing and backpacks, and their smell, it was pretty clear that they had literally just arrived in the city and walked straight into the cathedral. The "rules" of the pilgrimage say that to be a true pilgrim, you have to walk at least 100km or bike or horse-ride at least 200km, but there were people of all ages, shapes and sizes. The most interesting thing to me was how few ...

... est qu'un morceau de papier, et comme je l'ai deja dit, ca n'enleve en rien a ce que j'ai accompli. Plus tard, en soiree, nous nous sommes retrouves pour aller souper ensemble. C'etait bien, nous avons eu beaucoup de plaisir. Il y avait Berci, Dominic, le tcheque, Pascal, le francais, et Florian, Christian, Chantal et Anna, les allemands. Le restaurant avait des problemes electriques, nous avons eu des problemes d'eclairage, nous avons donc mange a la chandelle.

... the Germans have the hardest time. In fact one day I observed one German man using sign language and grunting, pointing to things so the Spaniard would get his message. I am not sure if he did or not! And, for Asians it is difficult, too. But for those who bother to learn just a few simple words and phrases, they are rewarded generously. -Like I said before, electricity is expensive here ...

... center. I had a few bites, and took a photo of what was left. The earliest a few people would trickle into bars was 11:00, and clubs/dicsos didn´t even open until 1:00 a.m. I found one place I liked and ended up there everynight - the Atlantic. What I liked about it was that it was busy, played regular rock music (not Spanish , not house), drew an interesting (slightly younger and hippier) crowd, and an awesome staff. The DJ/bartender ...

... see leaving, but we get a good view of the Ecuador coast, which is surprisingly dry. Looks not unlike the Peru coast, as compared to the approach to Guayaquil, which is inundated with water. There seem to be a lot of rice paddy fields, under clean water, so it is not a flood. The farmhouses and villages sit on elevated mounds above the fields. Can see the Cerro we climbed on the right as we land. We bid farewell to the rest of the ship's complement, who are all ...