Train to Santiago de Compostela

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Our train didn’t leave until 10:39, so we did not have to get up at some ungodly hour. I had time in the morning to check work e-mails, (stress I didn’t want) and we had a leisurely breakfast in the breakfast room. It was a quick cab ride to the train station and only about a 10-minute wait before they announced the via para nostros tren. Of course, it was the last care down the track, so the sweating started early.

The trip would be in two parts. First to Madrid then from Madrid to Santiago de Compostela. Sounds easy enough and for the most part it was. Oh, there was the pesky having to take the metro from one train station to the other in Madrid. We had a little over an hour between trains, so it was tight, but we still go to Madrid-Chamartin before they announced our track. Trains from the south of Spain come into Madrid-Puerta de Atocha, the main train station in Madrid. There are several metro’s that run between the two stations, so it is pretty easy to navigate, our suggestion is just focus on the C-7 or C-2 shortest way to connect between the two.

Of course, the transfer increased the sweat factor, but it was a travel day, so it was to be expected. The scenery between Seville and Madrid was olive trees, orange trees and farmland. From Madrid to Santiago, it was lush greenery and taller trees. The weather took a turn. We have had fantastic weather our entire trip, upper 60s to low 70s, either sunny or partly cloudy. The closer we got to Galicia the cloudier it became, and the fog started creeping in.

This is new and unchartered territory for us, in fact, until we return to Paris, the next 6 days are all a new adventure in Spain. Galicia is in the Northwest corner of Spain, the weather is pretty similar to the Pacific Northwest, so I am naturally right at home. When we arrived, it was rainy and windy, just like the Oregon Coast. I love it. A bit later I will give a bit of background on Santiago, but now just wanted to get the day down before I forgot.

We had lunch on the train. To our pleasant surprise it was actually pretty darn good. Nice hot Iberian Jamon sandwiches on a nice crusty batard (a small baguette.) There is no mayo or mustard on the sandwich, but there was a nice packet of tomate (as in what is on pan con tomate) and a little bottle of olive oil, once you added that it was a great little sandwich. It also came with a nice bag of natural chips and a small bottle of wine. This same meal, which you actually could not even get on Amtrack, would cost $40, we paid $25.

The train wasn’t very crowded, and it was a relaxing trip from Madrid to Santiago, I napped on and off. When we arrived in Santiago, there was a nice Portland mist, my fellow Oregonians know exactly what I am talking about. We did have to wait a bit for a taxi, as they were not as plentiful as in other stations. This is pretty much a place of full on NO English, in fact, it isn’t even Spanish, it is Galician, so we are going to struggle a bit, but we did managed to get to the hotel with our non-English speaking drive.

One tiny, little rant. There are several of us standing in line waiting for a taxi, most with more than one person and certainly more than one suitcase. It is rare that a van shows up, but one did, which would have been perfect for several of the families of 4 or those of us with three weeks of luggage, who took it? A very entitled young women with absolutely no luggage, just a purse. Far be it from her to be polite and offer it to the family with a stroller, two kids and luggage.

Anyway, after about 20 minutes it was our turn to get the next taxi. Jerry had to ride in the front because this taxi was quite small and some of the luggage needed to be on the back seat. It was now pouring and very windy, in fact the wind is hollowing right now. Our hotel is in the same square as the Cathedral, much more on that in the next day or two and use to be a hospital. It is huge and old, there parts that are only open to guests, so they are preserved. There are four inner courtyards, we walked through two to get to our room. It is a beautiful building, but you do expect to see Dracula at every turn, or worse Jack Nickson with an ax. I am positive there will be a ghost experience while we are here, if not at least a nun roaming the halls looking for her patient.

Jerry has finished the unpacking; I did my job of setting up the technology and getting the music going. We are getting ready to “go through” to dinner. We are eating in the hotel, because it is probably very good, and we have had a long day of traveling. We of course have to find our way back to the lobby first. I often wonder when I make references like “go though” if anyone picks up on what I might be referencing, for those you do, then you have a bit more insight to the blog experience.

We are here for two full days and three nights. I am sure some of you who have been with me for a while now are wondering when is the cooking class? Well, you need wait no longer, tomorrow is Cooking Class Day. A menu full of Galician seafood specialties. You will have to wait until tomorrow to know what is on the menu.

I am going to try and finish this post tonight, so I am completely caught up with where we actually are on the trip.

I did not meet my goal of posting last night, so finishing up today after the cooking class, which we are getting ready to leave for.

Dos Reis Paradores

Dinner was the best of the trip or at least top 3, final determination to be made at the end. I will give a sneak preview; the best dish of the entire trip was my main course.

The restaurant of the hotel was in the basement of the main building, there are at least four buildings we have seen so far, it looked as it might have once been a wine cellar, but since it was a hospital and orphanage, it have been the morgue, or where they stored their food. It was very tastefully done and even had a piano player.

We were initially offered a table by the piano but thought that might be a little hard to talk over, so we choose a table towards the back. The seats were very comfortable, and we had a good view of the front of the house. The menu was divided into three parts, the regional cuisine, the traditional Spanish cuisine and a tasting menu. The tasting menu looked good and was reasonable priced even with the add on for the wine pairing. We didn’t go with that, because in the end we thought it would just be too much food.

We did start with a couple of very nice glasses of Cava, some of the best we have had on the trip. When the bread service arrived, we went with the traditional Galician, a hearty bread of whole wheat. There were several starters that sounded good, but we went with one regional Baked Scallops, with a tomato, onion and Iberico ham. It was served in the shell and was very good. We also had an order of Iberian Ham croquettes, the best croquettes we have ever had.

The mains were a mixed bag, Jerry’s while tasty, was a bit dry. He had rabbit leg in rice with mushrooms. The rice and mushrooms had a great flavor, the rice was a bit under cooked and rabbit overdone. I had A Suckling Lamb Shoulder with fried peppers and roasted potatoes. This was easily not only the dish of the day, but in the running for dish of the trip. The lamb melted and I mean melted in our mouth.

We finished with our first sherry and a conversation with the couple next to us, Jersey retirees who had been traveling for a month. I was getting tired and still was not 100% as far as feeling well, so I made an excuse so we could end the conversation and go up to our room. I did not want to miss tomorrows cooking class.

No night cap and was too tired to finish this blog, didn’t even download the pictures from the camera to the computer, just crawled into bed and drifted off to the sound of pouring rain.

Next Up, Seafood Cooking Class.

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Photos

Suckling Lamb Shoulder
Dish of the dya