Santiago de la Compostela

Santiago de la Compostela
Monday March 16, 2015

Refreshed and ready for the day, we awoke to sunshine and warm weather.  So far this trip we have been surprised at how warm it is for March.  We had seen a Post Office yesterday on the main street, so we went to buy stamps.  We had written the postcards earlier, and we decided it was time to mail them.  We used to send about a hundred postcards, but the stamps really have gone up in price, so postcards have become less frequent during our trips.  Sorry guys - we figure a blog is good too.  Much faster and a lot more pictures than you can get on a postcard.

Tip - Don't forget to get a ticket when you enter the post office.  The stations will post numbers for service above each clerk.  There are different ticket dispensers depending if you want stamps, or shipping, or bill payments.

The sun was very bright and so we thought today would be a great time to get some pictures.  The sunset the night before had some clouds, and created a mixture of oranges and purples pastels. We didn't know ahead of time, but the facade of the Cathedral is best captured in the afternoon with the setting sun.  The sides get light at different times of the day, so as we kept wandering and moving we figured out where we would have to be to capture clear blue skies and details without all the shadows.  We're using both our iPhone 5 and Galaxy 4 and 5 phones for pictures, along with an older Cannon Vixia HF11. We mapped out our shots that we loved, and planned a follow-up visit later.

Tetilla Cheese

It was Monday and we heard the Market isn't busy on Mondays.  We found it and Lois at the hotel's front desk was right.  It was mostly empty, but we did manage to get tomatoes, bread, and cheese that is called Tetilla.  It is a soft cheese that is similar to Mozzarella, but comes in the shape of a woman's breast.  Thus the name.  

Most of the rest of the day was spent hanging out in the hotel writing and keeping up with the adventure.  The blog is fun to write, but each page does take time to go through photos and try to not be boring or repetitive.

O'Piorno - Wine & Tapas

At dinner that night, we weren't really hungry because of our large lunch from the marketplace, so we walked the city at night - which is completely safe to do here.  Although it may be dark and look like something from the a Saturday afternoon film noir, the alleyways are full of life.   Even on the deserted alleys,  you don't feel any fear.  We found a bar and ordered a bottle of Via Romana, from the Riberia Sacra region of Galicia.  We planned on having half of it and then going back to the room, but the waiters brought over two rounds of mixed tapas (croquettes, grilled cheeses and ham, Manchego cheese, tortilla espanola) which was more than we needed.  We ended up finishing the whole bottle.  The waiters do let you take it home if you don't finish.