Blogs from Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, Europe - page 2

We made it!!!! And it was great having our niece Courtney meet us Pics are from the last couple of days. Will post more pics of SdC in another post. Plan to go to Pilgrims mass tomorrow. A bit disappointing the botafumeria appears to only be done on special holidays. But the city is gorgeous. We arrived in a slight rain. But hope to take some pics tomorrow. All and all. A great experience and so grateful we had the opportunity and health to do it!!! ... read more

Nach dem Frühstück und dem Check-out habe ich mich auf den Weg nach Santiago de Compostela gemacht. Dabei besuchte ich auf dem Weg zwei ehemals römische Attraktionen. Zuerst die Goldminen von Las Medulas, die zu den größten im römischen Reich gehörten (ich dachte immer, dies wären jene im heutigen Rumänien, die später verloren gingen). Dazu gibt es in dem kleinen Ort eine Tourist-Information, die mir sagte, wie ich zu einem Aussichtspunkt und einer Höhle mit Galerie komme. Das schaffte ich auch, kurz bevor letztere in Siesta ging. Man gab mir sogar einen Schutzhelm für die Besichtigung. Wieder am Tageslicht genoss ich von besagtem Punkt die Aussicht. Das Gold hier wurde durch Sklaven und Wasser abgebaut. Danach setzte ich meine Fahrt fort zur zweiten Sehenswürdigkeit des Tages: den römischen Stadtmauern von Lugo. Die sind nicht schlecht und ... read more

Hey, we leave Santiago tomorrow, but first we have to change accommodation. When our flights were booked to Frankfurt Hahn Airport, I couldn’t extend our booking at the Monastery, so I rebooked at a hotel a few steps from the airport bus. We will still eat breakfast at the Monastery tomorrow, 6€, cheap cheap, so it’s really a win win from our viewpoint. We enjoyen our usual breakfast at San Martin’s, said thanks and goodbye to the stocky waiter who I had a few chats with over our stay; he gave me a hug and sadly wandered into the kitchen - well, a slight exaggeration . We were earlier today and the crowd was yet to arrive. These waiters are full on. They are waiters, baristas, kitchen hands, table cleaners and setters, and they do a ... read more

Why do Spanish men have pronounced black eyebrows? So they can talk. A flick of the head, a thrust of the hand, a twist of the eyebrows, and a spanish man has made what he just said very clear. Italians are similar, but I was watching spaniards today. And the women aren’t far behind. It’s very interesting to watch, and compared to the deadpan, expressionless way we talk in Australia at times, this is free live theatre. We went on a bus tour today: this rates closely to root canal treatment for pleasure to me. It was just for one day, and remember, it‘s not always all about me. The tour guide reminded me of Paulo Coelho, the Brazilian writer, so it was a good start. I told Sue we should try to sit on the ... read more

Whenever I have to wake at a certain time, my body makes the alarm obsolete. Sleep last night was fractured and infrequent. We had to catch a train to Santiago de Compostela this morning, and still weren’t too sure of the surest way to get to the station. The options were walking, largely uphill with 2 suitcases, taxi, or my preferred bus trip. I went to the bus stop early to work out the likelihood that this was the way to go. I spoke to a lady, and then an elderly man who joined us, and without a word of English between them, I managed to walk away convinced, even with a Saturday timetable, that the bus was the best bet. I went back to get Sue and our gear, and we checked out, dropped the ... read more