What a great way to start a day! You wake up in a clean, comfy bed just steps away from the wondrous Cathedral de Santiago de Compestelo. You meet your friends for cafe con leche y croissants at a nearby cafe, passing by today's incoming pilgrims, the shop keepers setting up their windows, the street performers getting into position, the cathedral bells ringing out the hour. Muy bueno!
Santiago is a beautiful, old city that has gradually spread outwards and modernized. I prefer the older section with the cobbled streets and old, plastered buildings all compacted together where you cannot tell where one building begins and another ends.
We bade farewell to Santiago and some of our fellow pilgrims late this morning. Adios to Jose and Isabel, my new friends who travel back to Barcelona, where Jose is a professor in Biochemistry at the University of Barcelona. Adios to Lisa and new amiga, Jill, who travel back to La Canada, CA. Mucho gusto, mis amigos! It has been a pleasure meeting you all and sharing el Camino Ingles with you. In a few days, hopefully we will forget the aches and pains, and only remember the laughs, the sights, the sounds, smells and tastes of el Camino.
So begins the final leg of my journey. Back to the rental car with Marian and the Zwinglis! We left Santiago around 11, and headed towards Marian's family summer home in Arenas. We stopped a few times along the way. First stop was Luarca, a beach town, where we enjoyed the regional specialties for lunch. I had the stew de Asturia and shared a bottle of hard cider with Jack. The cider is a local favorite and the taste is improved by the way you pour it into your glass. The further the distance between glass and bottle while pouring, the better. I need more practice!
Next stop was the town of Cudillero, another beach town with impressive cliffs where we snapped a few photos. Then onwards and onwards to Arenas, which after a couple glasses of cider, required a nice car nap from me. Thanks for the soft shoulder, Katherine. I better not see any YouTube videos of me snoring!
When we arrived in Arenas, we drove to the gates of the mansion that was used in the eerie film, The Others, with Nicole Kidman. Now I need to see the movie again and compare the house with my pictures. We also made a quick visit to Marian's oldest brother's house, where we met some of her cousins before settling in at our hostelria. The area is experiencing an unusual heat wave, and with no air conditioning, it is almost stifling up on the third floor of this old country B&B. At least the windows open, but there was no breeze. I don't handle extreme heat very well, so I had to warn everyone that I was now officially grouchy! They probably already figured that out. That is one of the things you know to expect on long trips with friends. After so many days of constantly being together, you do have some irritable moments. At least I haven't poked any of my friends and told them they were very bad...there's still time.
I was able to Skype with India and Chuck, which was a real treat! I miss my family!
Our hostelria used to be a country home that has been remodeled into a very cozy and cute bed and breakfast.
We enjoyed another great dinner out , where everyone's personalities became more pleasant with a bit of lubrication.
Hasta mañana!
We did the cider thing in Valencia, too! It was a Northern Spanish restaurant. I loved it. Your pics make me want to go back. :)
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