Greg's Wanderings

Tag: Santiago de Compostela

  • Day 28 – Santiago

    Day 28 – Santiago

    Oct 8

    I started my morning by finalizing the remainder of my time on the Iberian Peninsula.  I had previously scheduled an overnight trip to Finistere starting tomorrow and then back to Porto on Friday.  

    My parents generously gifted me a day trip up the Douro Valley, so I booked that for Saturday along with another night in the hostel in Porto. 

    I now have train tickets back to Lisbon and a hostel in the historic city center for Sunday & Monday nights.  I’ll then move to an airport-adjacent hotel Tuesday in preparation for my early Wednesday flight home. 

    Santiago is by far the most expensive place on this trip.  It’s fairly easy to blow 70-80 Euro a day on meals and drinks.  I was getting beer or wine in the countryside for €2. It’s €5.50 here. Dinner entrees that are under 10 elsewhere are closer to 20 and more.  

    Since I’m on my own today, I’m going to try and go frugal.  I’m starting my day at Cafe Paradiso, which was listed in Trip Advisor as one of the best cheap places to eat.  That said, my Spanish tortilla was still €8.  But it was hearty and tasty and will hold me for many hours.  

    After breakfast, I decided to walk over to the Pilgrim Office and see about getting a Compostela.  I had heard that rules changed this year and any 100km segment of a Camino qualified you for the certificate.  

    When my number was called, a volunteer from the UK greeted me.  She asked when and where I started, and I told her Lisbon on September 11.  She said, “oh, you walked 630 kilometers.”   Had I kept my mouth shut I would have been issued the certificate, but I said, “no, I injured myself and stopped walking at Redondela.”   It was her first day working, so she summoned a supervisor who asked me if I had walked into Santiago.  When I said “from the train station,” she shook her head and said that didn’t qualify.  

    I was issued a certificate showing that I had visited Santiago and the cathedral.  No worries, for me the most important document is my Pilgrim Passport with all the places I’ve visited on this journey. 

    I learned that Ruth & Thea, the mother/daughter duo from Vancouver BC were still in town and we got together for one final dinner.  Ruth found a really authentic place with a pilgrim menu (starter, entree, bread, dessert & wine or beer) for a fixed price of €14.  They had several options for each course, so we decided to each order something different and then eat family still.  Our feast included roasted Padron peppers, muscles, green salad, paella, grilled squid, an omelette, almond cake, flan & rice pudding.  

    A tortilla in Spain is like an omelette with chunks of potatoes added to make it hardy
    Back side of my pilgrim credential with stamps from various places visited
    Front side.
    My certificate of visitation
    I spotted this very interesting looking building on a hill. Turns out to be the City of Culture of Galicia. Their website says nearly every window is a different shape. 
    My leg injury has put a damper on my daily steps. Apple Health was nagging me this morning
  • Day 27 – Santiago, part 2

    Day 27 – Santiago, part 2

    Oct 7

    After our marathon session at the tattoo parlor (four clients, one artist) Ana, Ruth and I headed to a cafe.  We shared a plate of grilled Padron peppers.  Most of which are very mild, but occasionally one will bite you.  

    When we finished, Ruth headed back to her hotel to catch up with her daughter Thea who was hiking in. Ana and I decided to go see the cathedral museum.  

    Ana is a professional tour guide back in Croatia and really was absorbed by some of the exhibits in the museum. While it was inside the cathedral, most of the things on display were giant tapestries, along with a few chambers full of religious relics.

    While we were at the museum, we were joined by Nick, a guy from Vancouver, Washington. He was part of the group that Ana had met two days prior. 

    The Casa de Fernanda Camino family planned to get together for dinner that evening. We had staked out at a restaurant that sounded good but when we got there when it opened at 8 PM, there was a line out the door and we discovered that we had needed reservations. Fortunately, there was an intriguing place right across the street and so we tucked in there. There ended up being 12 of us for dinner.  I had been craving vegetables which seemed to be in short supply in this country so I had a green salad to go with my octopus.

    Ana, Nick, Nuom, and Inga had attended the pilgrims mass at the cathedral. The Botafumeiro  which normally is only used on five religious holidays was actually used today. We believe this was because  they’re filming the sequel to the movie “The Way” right now and it was probably done and paid for by the movie company.

    As the meal was wrapping up, we came to the realization that our Camino family was going to be breaking up. Dave, Tory, Frank and Hailey were flying out in the morning for Boston. Nuom was catching a train to Madrid and Ana was catching a bus back to Porto and flying home to Croatia from there.  Ruth and Thea we’re heading for Finistere after getting their tattoos in the morning. Only Brenda, who had just arrived that evening and I were still going to be around come Thursday.

    We all said our goodbyes and hugged everyone and promised to keep in touch. Although I’ve only known these people for two weeks, they’ve become dear friends, and I do hope to see them whether they visit me Portland or I visit them in Boston or Vancouver or Croatia or Germany or Israel. 

    If you leave a few crumbs on the table, they are quickly consumed by vigilant pigeons.
    Alter inside the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
    Royal tombs from the 12th century
    The Botofumeiro. In olden times, this was filled with incense and swung in the sanctuary-to mask the stench of the pilgrims
    My daughter has a King Charles Spaniel, so I had to send her this shot of King Charles’ spaniel on a tapestry
    The museum gives you access to the balcony overlooking the square where all the pilgrims arrive
    Many of the tapestries showed typical scenes from centuries ago.
    This tomb cover seemed to be missing a tomb
    Galician Octopus (pulpo). It was really yummy
    Our last group meal. From left: Ruth, Thea, Ana, Nick, Tory, Dave, Frank, Hailey, Nuom, Inga, me, Brenda
  • Day 27 – Tattoo Day

    Day 27 – Tattoo Day

    Oct 7

    Full disclosure: I did drink too much wine last night, but my decision to get a tattoo wasn’t some drunken impulsive idea.  Even before leaving I had thought that if the trip turned out to be as amazing as I had hoped, a tattoo might be a good way to commemorate it. 

    The deal was sealed about a week into the trip when I saw a guy walking with the yellow Camino arrow pointing ahead on his calf. I thought it looked great and then got me thinking about what I’d like to get. 

    I decided to get the camino shell and below it an upward pointing arrow – since I’ve been walking north.  Inside the arrow is 547, representing the number of kilometers walked.  To the right of the arrow is the year 2025 written in Roman numbers since much of the Camino followed old Roman military roads.  

    Dave & Tory had walked the French Camino in 2023 and knew of a parlor they used last time.  They were going back for more and Ana wanted one too.  Yesterday, I made appointments for the four of us and discussed my design with Jose, the artist.  

    When I arrived this morning, he had a few renderings on his computer and asked my preference.  Since I was the first to arrive and the only tattoo virgin in the group, I went first.   The process was faster and less painful than I was expecting. 

    While in the chair, I got a message that Ruth had arrived by bus Thea, Inga and Noum would be arriving this afternoon. Our little group that bonded at Casa da Fernanda alberge is almost all here.  

    Balinese Tattoo. If you are ever in Santiago and need a tattoo, Jose is your guy
    Frank’s cross of St. James
    Haley’s spiritual variant scallop
    Barney is nearly covered neck to toes with tattoos but found a spot on his thumb
    Tory added Buen Camino to complement her 2023 Tattoo
    Dave added the cross of St. James
    Dave’s 2023 ink
    Ana got a pilgrim with the scallop as their backpack
    Hard to read from this photo, but my distance traveled is in the arrow.
    Jen’s wandering shell

  • Day 26 – Santiago de Compostela

    Day 26 – Santiago de Compostela

    Oct 6

    Skipping the final few stages by taking the train, I arrived in Santiago Sunday afternoon in ahead of my Porto Camino family, who will start to arrive this afternoon (Monday). 

    My Lisbon family WhatsApp group now has 41 members and most arrived a few days ago, but there are some stragglers and a few still in town.  

    I had a (mostly) wonderful sleep last night and despite not using earplugs or my eye mask, I slept until 7:30 – still an hour before sunrise. 

    My leg continues to bother me, but I can already begin to feel the benefits of not hiking long distance with a backpack on. 

    I ventured out around 10 am for a few errands: get appointments at a nearby tattoo parlor for Dave, Tory, Ana and me; find an ATM; find a barber for a shave and get some breakfast. 

    The tattoo parlor that Dave & Tory used in 2023 was two blocks from my hotel and I booked four appointments for tomorrow morning.  

    I found a barber shop and got an appointment for later today. It will feel wonderful to get this scruffy beard off my face. 

    I stopped into a bar for breakfast and ordered a tosta.  I pointed my chubby little finger at the item I wanted on the menu – essentially French toast on brioche.   When it arrived, I got instead the next item on the menu: brioche with cream cheese, a fried egg and salmon on top.  The Camino provides you with what you need and it was reminding me that since I’m not walking 30,000+ steps, I need to start cutting back on the sweets. 

    After resting my leg for a bit the hotel, I ventured out to find some lunch when I heard my name called out. 

    It was Jen & Barney!  They were having their last meal together before Barney flew to the UK to visit his mother.  Jen was leaving the next morning for Muxia where she was scattering the ashes of her mother and brother.  Jen is going to try to put together a dinner tonight for the Lisbon crew in town.  

    After leaving Jen & Barney so they could say their goodbyes, I wandered towards the cathedral to see the scene there.  Having not walked into Santiago, I had a bit of imposter syndrome, but then I realized I walked further about 90% of the folks there and I felt a little better. 

    As I write this, I’m sitting in a bar across the plaza from the barber shop.  I have 40 minutes to kill before my appointment and am playing another game of menu roulette.  We’ll see what “Bandidos bravos” turns out to be.   The place has a great vibe and I’m rocking out to the 70s music playing – currently China Grove by the Doobie Brothers.  And it turns out to be chicken strips with a really hot dipping sauce. 

    After lunch, I wander across the street for a hot towel shave with a straight razor.  After nearly a month of feeling the scruff on my face, it feels heavenly. 

    While sitting in the chair, I get messages from Ana, Tory & Dave that they are close to arriving.  

    I head towards the Camino trail heading towards the cathedral with the intent to intercept them, when I hear my name called out again!  It’s Simon from Australia with Mie from Belgium!   I join them for a beer and get caught up on all the Lisbon crew that had gone in different directions after Porto. 

    While chatting with them, I get a message from Ana that she has arrived and then another from Dave & Tory.  I find Dave & Tory on the cathedral plaza, along with their friends Haley & Frank who started in Tui.  The five of us go to the bar where Ana is waiting and have a celebratory beer. 

    Ana, who is a very devout Catholic is feeling great, because the day before she ran into a group from Washington and the priest leading the group offered to hear her confession.  Going into Santiago immediately after her confession added special meaning for her. 

    To cap off the night a met up with three other Lisbon veterans Mie, Simon & Jen. We made up for the mediocre service & food with lots and lots of wine. 

    Santiago is full of these narrow streets filled with all kinds of shops, restaurants & hotels.
    Shell markings are embedded in the sidewalks
    The bell tower on the side of the cathedral
    The plaza in front of the cathedral is massive. Most of the recently arrived pilgrims are sitting in the shade
    Last selfie before the scruff goes away
    All cleaned up
    Later in the day when the streets come alive
    Ana proudly showing her Compostela
    Jen, Mie, Ana (joined us later), Simon & me