Ruta Jacobea 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......



October 22, 2009

Made it to Barcelona late last night (well after
midnight). We had a slightly
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!

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.

... in Santiago. He invited us to come have a drink with him at his friend's club, who was also Brazilian. We tried to tell him we were meeting our friends in the plaza in a few minutes, so we couldn't leave, but he was not having it, and tried to put his arms around us and lead us to this club. Of course, we hadn't payed at his bar, so we kind of felt guilty slipping away from him, but we definitely did NOT want to end up alone at a club with this dude. We get to his ...

... la Alameda, a 5 minute walk from the Cathedral, where we got an amazing panoramic view over the city and of the cathedral. We then hurried back to the cathedral for a tour of the bishop's palace and cathedral roof, which are attached to the Cathedral proper. The palace was not particularly interesting, as far as palaces go, because it was mostly empty. But it was totally worth the climb when we got to the roof of the Cathedral. From there, we had amazing views of the entire ...

... de l estpagnol...le Galicien! Top 5 des souvenirs achetes a Santiago 1- Baton du pellerin avec petite courge sechee (on n a jamais su a quoi ca servait... de gourde? Boibois tu peux nous aider) 2- Tarte aux amandes 3- T-shirt avec la fameuse fleche jaune 4- Coquille St-Jacques avec epee rouge de la Galice 5-Chapeau de pellerin en feutre brun

... a non-ensuite, non-comfortable stay in a convent. Morally suspect hotel booking aside, Santiago is a beautiful place. A mouthwatering array of food is on offer as you walk down the streets. Unfortunately, we were restricted to the nice-but-cheap menu del dia that alll Spanish cafes offer as a way of forcing you to put on weight and writing you off for any work or sightseeing you have planned in the afternoon. A&Vx

... day, is there? NO. So, I saw A Coruna for the first time in the day light and we walked all over the place. We waded out to these rocks and sat watching waves and chatting for hours. "Hey, I've had worse Mondays." Then I brought him back to my new homeland to explore Santiago. We went out with my buddies here. (I had to do a little translating in a heated futbol convo. between Kodiak and one of my Brazilian friends, I felt so useful!) So ...

... Spain) Up with the alarm, quickly dressed and downstairs to surrender our bags. Pay and check out by 8 am. Walk a different path through the old town, and find the markets by accident, so buy apples and cherries, and get to the bus station by 8.30. Check that the ALSA bus on stand 3 is not ours, and get the right one when it turns up half an hour later. Sit in the front seats, even though we have 13 and 14. Manage to hold onto them all the way to Luzo ...

... everywhere. There's a very strong Celtic influence here, so lots of bagpipes and drums. These little bands of musicians and costumed people have been making lots of little parades through the town all day, and I spent a good while just following them around. (Or was I following the men? I think I like the Spanish ones the best.) Every now and then one little band would bump into another on the street, and then they'd play together. There's just a really good celebratory vibe in this place.