part 1

Saturday 1 September 2018

We leave at 7.36 on the InterCity train from station Rotterdam Blaak to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The High Speed Raillink is closed today for maintenance which is why the IC Direct service has been suspended. We arrive at 8.32. We have already checked in for the flight of Air Europa and want to drop off our suitcase at the machine, but that is not possible. At a manned desk can drop it off, but we have to go to KLM's cashier first to pay for the luggage. This was not possible beforehand because the flight is operated by Air Europa and we have booked with KLM. The cashier is doing us a great favour by charging only 20 euros per suitcase (the KLM presale price) instead of 60 (AE airport rate). We drink coffee at Starbucks and board the aircraft at 9.55. The flight departs on time for Madrid at 10.45. We arrive there around 13.15. We have an hour and a half to transfer to our connecting flight. At 2pm we can board the next flight to Vigo. That too leaves at 2.30 pm on time. At 3.45pm we arrive in Vigo. It is a small airport and the suitcases come through quickly and the rental car from AVIS is swiftly arranged as well.

The NH hotel is little over than fifteen minutes away and is located in the center of the city. As we arrive there is a coach in front of the entrance and there is a crowd and some police. It turns out to be the players coach of Atletico Madrid and the players are about to leave for the stadium to play against Celta de Vigo. We see a few players get in. We have a nice room in a great hotel. Our car is parked by the concierge.

Later we go to the town center for a beer. Then back again to the hotel to watch the football game in our room. Vigo wins 2-0 from Atletico. After the game we go back into the city. We eat tapas or pintxos as they call them up North at Pintxoteca Mar and later at Fai Bistes. Delicious tapas with a beer. Then back to the hotel, where we take a nightcap.

Weather: in Vigo 33˚C/91˚F and sunshine

Sunday 2 September 2018

Vigo - Pontevedra: 27km / 29 minutes

Het ontbijt van het NH Colleccion hotel is overweldigend uitgebreid. We kunnen onze lol op met van alles en nog wat. Na het ontbijt lopen we nog even de stad in. Vigo is niet een zeer mooie stad. De ligging tegen de bergen aan aan de Ria de Vigo is wel mooi, maar daarmee is veel gezegd. We gaan terug naar het hotel, checken uit en laten de auto voorrijden. We rijden naar Pontevedra, zo’n 30 km noordelijker. Hier hebben we een eenvoudiger hotel, het net buiten het oude centrum.
We lopen de stad in en drinken koffie. Het is stil op straat op de zondagochtend. We bekijken het Santuario de Peregrina, een kapel voor pelgrims op weg naar Santiago met een plattegrond in de vorm van een schelp, het symbool voor St Jacobus. Iets verderop ligt de San Francisco kerk, waar een mis op punt van beginnen staat. We lopen nog verder naar het Praza de Leña, een mooi verstild pleintje. We komen tot de rivier, de rio Lérez, waarover een op de Erasmusbrug lijkende brug gespannen is. We gaan we terug naar het hotel en eten wat in de buurt.
’s Middags nadat we de Vuelta etappe op tv hebben gekeken (Mollema wordt tweede) gaan we de stad in. Veel restaurants en bars zijn nog dicht. Sommige de hele zondag, andere gaan pas om half negen open. We komen uiteindelijk bij de uit, waar het diner ook pas vanaf 20.30 wordt geserveerd. We eten prima en lopen weer terug naar het hotel.

Weer: half bewolkt, 23°

The breakfast at the NH Colleccion hotel is overwhelming. We enjoy ourselves with anything and everything. After breakfast we walk into the city. Vigo is not a very pretty city. The location against the mountains on the Ria de Vigo is beautiful, but that is a lot said. We go back to the hotel, check out and let the car be driven in front. We drive to Pontevedra, about 30 km to the north. Here we have a simpler hotel, the Hotel Room just outside the old center.
We walk into the city and drink coffee. It is quiet on the streets on a Sunday morning. We look at the Santuario de Peregrina, a chapel for pilgrims on their way to Santiago with a ground plan in the shape of a shell, the symbol for St James. A little further is the San Francisco church, where mass is about to begin. We walk further still to the Praza de Leña, a beautiful quiet little square. We arrive at the river, the Rio Lérez, where a bridge similar to the Rotterdam Erasmus Bridge is spans the river. We go back to the hotel and eat something in the nearby.
In the afternoon after having watched today's Vuelta stage on TV we go into the city again. Many restaurants and bars are still closed. Some for the whole Sunday, others only open at half past eight. We end up at the Parador, where dinner is served from 20.30 onwards. We eat well and walk back to the hotel.

Weather: partly cloudy, 23°C/73°F

Monday 3 September 2018

After breakfast we drive out of the city to Cambados. This is the center of the wine region for white Albariño. The town does not look very special until you enter the historic center around the Praza de Fefiñans. A beautiful square with a church and a number of wine-bodegas.

We continue along the coast of the Ria de Arousa to O Grove. This holiday village has a harbor and a beautiful view over the Ria. We let the drone up in the air and then have lunch at Balcon de Floreador. The menu of the day tastes great with a glass of Albariño. We continue along the coast via San Vicente do Grove and then along the coast of the Ria de Pontevedra. The view of the Ria is beautiful, but the coast itself has not been able to withstand the pressure of the tourist development. Many holiday resorts, hotels and inexpensive restaurants dot the coast line. It is not a Costa Blanca, but it is by no means pristine and authentic. At Cambarro we see hordes of locals at low tide looking for cockles on the dried up sandbanks. We drive back to the hotel, where we arrive around 15.30.
We drink something at the Praza do Teucro, after which we eat at an Indian restaurant, New Bombay. We are early and therefore the only guests. The food is okay. After dinner we have a drink near the hotel.

Weather: cloudy, about 20°C/68°F

Tuesday 4 September 2018

Pontevedra - Santiago de Compostela: 66km 54 min

Breakfast is overshadowd by a group of extemely loud women. It is deafening. After breakfast we drink coffee on the corner of the street, after which we check out from the hotel.
We drive via the motorway (toll) to Santiago de Compostela. We arrive at about 10 am at the Parador Hostal de Reinos Catolicos in the center of the city, next to the cathedral, which is the final destination for the many pilgrims who make their way here(on foot or bicycle) called Camino de Santiago. The room is not ready yet, but we can hand over the luggage. The car is parked for us. We drink coffee at The Bistro. We are immediately struck by the high price level: 9 euros for 2 capucinos. This morning we paid 1.55 in Pontevedra.
We go to the cathedral, but the line in front of the entrance is huge and does not move or hardly moves. We step out of it to return at a later moment. We walk around the cathedral to see the three squares that surround it. We visit the monastery San Martin Pinario. It has a beautiful monastery church with an impressive altar and choir. On the upper floor is a natural history collection of the Benedictine monks who lived here once. There is also a historic pharmacy, which served to take care of the pilgrims.
We walk through the very busy Rua do Franco, named after the French pilgrims (not the dictator with that name). We walk out of the old center to the Alameda, the park just outside. From there we have a beautiful view of the old city and the cathedral. We walk back to have lunch at A Tulla, but they are close on Tuesday. We go to the neighbors of Entre Ruas. Very simple eatery, but with a 12-euro menu, it is value for money.
Then we go to the hotel and check in. We have a superior room and it looks great. This Parador was built more than 500 years ago at the initiative of the Reyes Catolicos, Fernando I of Aragon and Isabel I of Castile, when during a visit to Santiago they found out in which deplorable circumstances the pilgrims were lodged, especially if they were ill and tired. In this magnificent building, built around two inner courts, the pilgrims could recover in comfort. At present it has been a Parador for decades and it is our turn to rest. The hotel has two restaurants in the basement, a bar, terrace and various lounges.
After our beauty sleep we go back to the cathedral for the roof tour. It leads through the rooms of the archiepiscopal palace from the 15th century and then onto the roof of the cathedral. A bit scary, but quite an experience. The view of the city is beautiful and the perspective on the church is special. The guide is a little too detailed in her descriptions in Spanish and after a while we loose track of the story. The other participants on tour too. After an hour we go back down again. We have a drink on the terrace of the Parador on the Obradoiro square.

We eat in the Enxebre restaurant in the Parador, the simpler restaurant with Galician specialties. We eat veal and pork respectively. A bit too salty to our taste.

Weather: cloudy 19 °

woensday 5 September 2018

We get up early to be able to queue up early for a visit to the cathedral. After breakfast we get in line around 8.20. We learn that the cathedral opens already at 8 o'clock. The line at the front of the cathedral is only for the Portal de Gloria, the medieval portal by master architect Maestro Matei with the beautiful polychrome sculpted pillars and arches. Visitors are admitted in groups of 25 at a time and can then enjoy of the beauty of it all for 10 minutes, after which you have to go out again. Taking photos and videos is not allowed. The portal is very special. Above the main arch, Christ presides over the 24 wise men of Christianity who play music. At his side are the archangels and the 4 evangelists. On the left doorpost we see prophets, including Isaiah and on the right apostles, starting with Peter, Paul, James and Philip. The figures are polychrome although the color has suffered through the ages. Below Christ, St James welcomes the believers sitting above the tree of Jesse. So many pilgrims have touched the base of the tree over the centuries out of pure joy, so that two large holes have been formed in the marble.

After viewing the portal we go outside, walk left around the cathedral to the entrance for the church itself. There is no line here yet. That is different from yesterday. In the church it is relatively quiet. Behind the altar, mass is celebrated in chapels, also in other languages ​​such as French. Above the main altar, which is largely gilded, is an image of the apostle James with a mantle encrusted with precious stones. You can go upstairs by a ladder, which leads you up behind the statue. Believers embrace the mantle for some reason. Underneath the altar is a crypt with the remains of the apostle St James and his assistants.

After the visit to the church we look at the Pilgrims' Museum, which places the pilgrimage in a broader universal framework and from there zooms in on Santiago. Pilgrimages are not unique to Spain and not even to Christianity. We walk to the market hall, which was built above the city wall. We have lunch at A Tulla in a narrow alley in the city center.

In the afternoon I make a timelapse on the Praza do Obradoiro and enjoy a cocktail on the terrace of the Parador. In the evening we eat in the big restaurant Dos Reis in the Parador. Great food with a good wine.

Weather: 21 degrees, slightly cloudy

Thursday 6 September 2018

Santiago de Compostela - Finisterre: 81km 1:20 uur

After the delicious breakfast buffet our car is driven in front by Jesus, the bell boy, and we head for Fisterra. Before we get there we make a stop in Noia, a town that does not amount to much. It is not exactly the Florence of Galicia, as the local tourist office likes us to believe. It was once the port city of Santiago. Our next stop is in Muros, a fishing village on the Ria de Muros. We find nice narrow streets with typical Galician houses. The San Pedro church is early Gothic and worth a visit. The tower can also be climbed and offers a beautiful view over the village and the Ria. From there we drive over mountains with beautiful views via Ezaro to Fisterra. Fisterra is the Galician short for Finisterra, which means end of the world in Latin. This is where the pilgrim route of Santiago actually ends at the lighthouse and where pilgrims are supposed to burn there pilgrim outfit and pick up a shell from the beach as a souvenir and proof of there journey. The town is beautifully situated on the Atlantic Ocean. We check in at the hotel Rustico Prada da Viña and after a short break we drive to the lighthouse. It is very busy there. Coach loads of day trippers visit this place. The lighthouse has been joined by a small hotel and there are a number of crosses, with which the visitors take a picture. The sunsets must be very beautiful in the evening.
Back in the town of Fisterra we drink a glass of wine on a terrace at the waterfront. Later in the evening we return for an excellent dinner in the Anduriña restaurant. I take the seafood platter and Erik has pork.

Weather: 18-21 ° C slightly cloudy, moderate wind

Vrijday 7 September 2018

Fisterra - León: 413km / 4:15 uur

Breakfast starts at 8.30. It is fairly simple, but it is good enough for us. We get our way for the longest leg of our journey to León, about 4 hours and 15 minutes drive. The journey is for 90% on motorways and we cover a lot of ground fast. The roads are not busy. We arrive in León around 2 pm and can check in at the hotel Eurostars Leon.
We eat at restaurant La Fabrica in the same street as our hotel. After lunch we take a rest in our room and watch the 13th stage of the La Vuelta on TV. The Vuelta ends today near León. Our hotel is located opposite the El Cortes Inglés department store, so we can not resist the temptation of going there. We return with a number of items of clothing. We see trucks and buses belonging to the cycling teams of Astana and UAE parked on our street. The are apparently staying here too. They have everything with them. Kitchen, laundry, workshop ..., you name it.
After the shopping we go into the old city to have a drink and eat tapas. First at Jamon Jamon, an old-fashioned bar, where you get a collection of tapas with your beer. Then on a terrace where we can get more food. Around half past eight we go to La Piccola Stanza, an Italian restaurant / Pizzeria, where we eat a tasty pizza with a view of the Cathedral, which is nicely lit at night. Then back to the hotel.

Weather: sunny 22°C / 72°F

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