NH Obradoiro 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 ...

... of young people around. The cathedral is surrounded by the old city with its small streets and medieval feel about it. It is supposed to rain all day today so we've got a late start.....but no rush. Enjoy the photos. Today's goal is portraits......<br><br><!--StartFragmen t--><br><br>October 22, 2009<br><br>Made it to Barcelona late last night (well after<br>midnight). We had a slightly<br>delayed flight out of Santiago--raining ...

... 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.

... dessert crepe, and then naturally, some more coffee.... As we were eating and drinking, there was a street jazz musician sitting in the square playing music. Otherwise, the plaza was completely quiet, there was a gentle breeze, a few puffy clouds in the sky, and a giant, beautiful church presiding over this square. At this moment, we realized... this was about as European Perfect as it gets. <br><br>We finally left the restaurant after about 3 hours and went window ...

... As a side note, despite the interesting shape, tetilla cheese tastes like your standard, semi-soft, mild cow's milk cheese. <br><br>After the roof tour, we were given free time for lunch, and then met up again with the group. About half the program headed back to Madrid with Nuria and Eva, but my friends and I had dediced to stay the weekend, so we got our stuff off the bus and headed to the hostel. When we got there, we found out that, though we thought we had booked 2 triple ...

... Born To Be Wild was played. Later he also played This Life as a request. Unique moment as well: I got upset with Springsteen&#8230; never thought that would ever happen. Want to know why? He held up the sign and said (to the one who requested it I guess): &#8220;I&#8217;ll play this because you&#8217;ve been to so many shows&#8221;. Excuse me? This is the Working On A Dream Tour, right? This Life is on that album, right? Sigh&#8230;<br><br>But there it ...

... stars." The leaders of the time did whatever they could to make the city into a great city of pilgrimage on par with Rome or Jerusalem. In the Middle Ages, half a million pilgrims a year flocked to the cathedral from all over Europe. Most of them went over the Pyrenees. Oftentimes, they donned the traditional garb of cape, long staff, and curling felt hat adorned with scallop shells, the symbol ...

... perhaps, more diverting than we found it to be. It was great...but walking gets old. Don't get me wrong, I regret it not at all. Anyway, I recommend it, sure. It is probably the cheapest travel route in Europe. If you decide to go, check out the Ataritouchme pod on it: there are many useful recommendations for the trip - most of which I heartily second.

Almost one month I'm finally starting to fit in now. My piso feels like (temporary) home, we cook in our underwear, have dance parties and fashion shows in the hall, and watch american dubbed in spanish movies all in a twin bed (or sometimes 2 pushed together). We have a regular hangout where the manager knows me by name and loads us up on free vino and tapas. I have a gym membership and see the same faces there ...

... of trails originatining from almost every corner of europe that lead to this spot. One of the most popular is a 600 mile trek from France aptly called the French Route. We chose this route, but had to start a little closer than France as we only had 5 days to walk. We covered an average of 25 kilometers a day, as the blisters on my friends heels attest to. Also carried all our supplies, clothes, etc.. Since people ...