Virxe Da Cerca Santiago de Compostela

... 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 ...

We left the Casa Rural in the morning right after breakfast, headed for the city of Santiago de Compostela, about an hour and a half inland. Santiago is the third most important Catholic pilgrimage site, after Rome and Jerusalem, because it is supposed to house the remains of Santiago (St. James the Apostle). Santiago was the only city in Galicia I had ever heard of before our trip, and I has heard it was a pretty cool place, so I was quite excited. We were a little behind ...

... 8230; finally: My Love Will Not Let You Down. I know it doesn’t, Mr. Springsteen. I know… Thank you so much!

The tears in my eyes, shivers down my spine moment? Clearly the acoustic version of No Surrender. What can I say… to start the encores like that. Just he and his guitar… wow. Sometimes you don’t want to say anything and just hug someone… this was such a moment.

The set list showed two real ...

... the saint. The various routes, marked by cathedrals, churches, and hospitals built along them are still used by travelers today. A certificate is given to pilgrims who cover 100 km (62 miles) of the route on foot, or 200 km (125 miles) on bike. Each pilgrim has a passport that is stamped in each of the destinations to show the route they traveled. It is not uncommon to see pilgrims traveling ...

The long and peaceful sleep was so lovely. Waking to a waiting breakfast and being waited on by (the somewhat wheezy) Ester was also lovely. We chatted with a German guy at breakfast about annoying things about the Camino (early risers, never-ending bag rustling, and so on). Monte de Gozo, he said, is "like a camp 50 years ago in Germany". We headed over to the cathedral ...

... There's so many local events that go on everyday, even the locals have to be tourists to see all the exhibits and celebrations. The language isn't intimidating anymore, I don't really have to think too much before I open my mouth (which is good because I'm not used to thinking before I speak). Everyone is getting to know eachother pretty well as well as the local students here. We even have birthday parties!

... landscape was beautiful and the pictures just dont do it justice. Met alot of really interesting people as well. Theres a certain bond that people feel at the end of a long day of trekking. I also feel this kind of excursion draws a certain kind of person a little different from the norm. Had a great week. Was really nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of Madrid, and see the beautiful country side of this region of Spain.

... br>
These Spanish people are crazy, they do this all the time. The streets were covered with stylish young Spaniards who were in various states of drunkenness and mobility. Party all night, and then, to quote Pito, "tomorrow I am from the bed to the sofa, from the sofa to the bed, all the day."

My hostel owner and her mom laughed at me (but gave me cake) when I crawled out of bed at noon today to pay for another night. I spent all day wandering around town.

There's live ...