We left Sajazarra and had a one night stop  on the road to Santiago de Compostela. We stopped at Astorga another town on the Camino trail, and another medieval walled town!

 

The gothic cathedral was quite impressive as was the “Episcopal Palace of Astorga” , designed by Gaudi and built in the late 1800’s. The Town Hall in the main square was another nice building , begun in 1683 and finished in 1704 and renovated in 1994!

We stopped at another small village on the Camino trail called Molinascea with a rather nice  7 arched “Roman Bridge of the Pilgrims” ( which we walked across)

Then we arrived in Santiago de Compostela. Yes we finished the Camino de Compostela! Well……we drove some of it but we didn’t walk enough of it to get our certificate!

The first view of the Cathedral was ….WOW!!!!! It’s construction began in 1075 on the site of an old church dedicated to Saint Santiago (or Saint James in English!) It’s construction continued over the years and it has many architectural styles.

 

When we first arrived we noticed the queue at the front was quite long so we decided to be “first in line” the following morning. We arrived at 7.45am and there was a queue already of about 150 people but we decided to wait! Wrong decision!! After 1 1/2 hours we discovered the queue was only to enter The Portico and because it had been recently renovated , they were only letting 15 people in at a time! Although it was quite stunning….no photos allowed , sorry….we really only wanted to see inside the main part of the Cathedral. According to Greg ” that is 1 1/2 hours of my life wasted that I will never get back!”

 

Then we finally got into the main body of the Cathedral, around the back and no queue! One of the things we really wanted to see was the “botafumeiro” a large chalice that swings 20 metres above the congregation dispensing incense! It is only swung after special masses or if you are willing to pay 400 euros!! ( we were not!) They say the tradition was begun in order to cover the smell of the pilgrims arriving after completing the Camino. Maybe they should swing it 4 times a day! There were a lot of pilgrims!!!!! So Greg did go inside and vowed that was the LAST church. We enjoyed some good wine and tapas in Santiago and did a “pub crawl” for Stew’s birthday which was good!

Our accommodation was in a great location , only 500 metres from the Cathedral but it was known as the “Hobbit House” due to it’s low ceilings! Hence Greg has a few “dents” in his head now!

We left Santiago de Compostela and Spain and headed to Portugal. We said goodbye to Olaf in Porto. He behaved himself well, no dents , no scratches and no 85 euro cleaning fee! We also hold the record for the most kilometres for a car dropped off this year , and we only did 12,500 kilometres!

 

Our apartment in Porto is great and when you step out on our little balcony you have a lovely view of the Douro River. ( below) We are stying in the Ribeira area , which is UNESCO listed. It is full of medieval alleyways zigzagging down to the river and what goes down must come up , so lots of exercise!

 

Porto is a big city and for us , there are way too many people and “tourists” but in saying that there are some lovely buildings and the people are very friendly.

We have done many kilometres walking up and down the streets of Porto. This enormous church (below) is actually 2 with Porto’s smallest “hidden house” in the centre.

One church was built in the 17th Century and the other in the 18th Century.

 

There are theories for the “hidden house” but our favourite is that is was erected to keep the nuns and monks from getting too cozy with each other! The tiled wall on the façade was lovely and we are loving the loads of buildings decorated with beautiful tile work.

We did a Food and Wine Walking Tour one morning…thanks kids……it was great! We drank and ate quite a lot, a challenge at 10am , but we coped! Still really haven’t got the taste for Port but the beer is good and the “bifanas” we had was delicious!

 

 

It is pork that has been spiced and seasoned in a big pot with sauce,  and a little spicy! It is put in a white bread roll and ends up being moistened with the sauce, and it is traditional to have a beer with it! Delicious!

 

 

 

 

We have ventured out at night , usually to walk dinner off , and we have walked across the river to take some night photos. It is very pretty , and the other side is a lot less crowded too!

 

 

We took a “touristy” tram ride to Foz which is where the Douro River reaches the Atlantic Ocean.

 

We have also tried another traditional food here called “Francesinha” . They call it a “twist” on the classic French dish , croque monsieur, but it is a rather big “twist”. It is a sandwich made with bread , wet cured ham, fresh sausage, steak or roast meat and covered with melted cheese and a hot thick tomato and beer sauce , served with French fries! Cholesterol heaven!!! But we have to say it was rather good!

 

 

We have been enjoying a lot…..probably too many…… of Portuguese tarts or “natas” . They are quite yummy and go extremely well with a cup of coffee!

It has been great wandering the streets and alleyways of Porto and the views along the river have been sensational.

 

Those with good eyesight, our little apartment is next to the crane with the blue balconies! Good luck!

Tomorrow we hop on a train and go to Lisbon for 4 nights , then we have a lovely 30 hour plane trip home!

So it’s that time again and the good news is that you can get a JUG of sangria here so we are off!

Adios amigos

Greg and Rhonda

xxx