Santiago de Compostela
No rice pudding for us this morning. Since it’s a rest day, we eat yoghurt and fruit instead. What luxury! Look for a place to enjoy a café with Tart de Santiago but most places are yet to get moving or sell one and not the other. Visit the Catedral del Apóstol during a catholic service, and see the botafumeiro, the largest dispenser of incense in the world, but it wasn’t in action during our visit. The cathedral is the destination for thousands of pilgrims each year. Walk across town to the bus station to arrange our transport eastward. Wander back to old town and Jonathan downs a coffee while Lisa explores the fixed market; Lisa noted groups of men eating freshly fried green peppers and drinking vino tinto. Do some internet. Eat picnic lunch in our room, then more internet. Down a cervesa and vino at a local cafe then return to our room to cook dinner. Head out into the night around 10:30pm and the streets are busy. Stop at Casa de Xantar/Bierzo Enxebre to listen to classical guitar player and are impressed when our coffees and Tart de Santiago are accompanied by olives marinated in liqueur. We find a cool studenty bar down the street for some wine. It’s empty when we arrive but by the time we leave it is humming. Just after midnight we walk to the Plaza Do Obradoiro for a sound and light spectacular with fireworks and images projected on the wall of the Catedral del Apóstol , including fish and bubbles to celebrate Jacobeo 2004 (a particularly holy year for pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela). Drift back into town with the crowd after the end of the show, and near the Igrexa de San Martiño Pinario find another cool bar for a Coronita. Bed around 1pm, a huge night for us.
{Sonsierra, Rioja, Crianza, 2000}