When I told everyone that we came back from glorious Santiago de Compostela, the inevitable questions was:
How many weeks did it take you to walk?
A true pilgrim might have taken a 5-week expedition from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port beyond the French border, or at least a few days of conscious reflection on slow local buses through el Bierzo, Lugo and the Galician countryside. The end of this arduous journey would be marked by a tearful embrace of the opulently decorated statue of St. James at the Cathedral's altar, and perhaps collapsing on the ground at Praza do Obradoiro based on what we witnessed.
Except we're not pilgrims -- in fact we're on a 16-day blitz across the Iberian peninsula through Barcelona, Madrid and Salamanca, before arriving on this final leg on a high speed rail line from Zamora. Yes, the infamous rail line that saw one of the deadliest derailments in Spanish history back in 2013, not exactly comforting as our train braked hard on that same ominous curve approaching our final stop.
Awaiting outside the train station was the centre of Spain's beaten paths, the ultimate destination of one of the world's great religious pilgrimages spanning thousands of kilometres across Europe. The starting point, in the traditional sense, was supposed to be home where one begins a multi-week journey almost entirely on foot -- unless you're from the British Isles in which case a boat trip to Galicia's northern coast is permissible. Wherever you start, your personal Camino would invariably lead to this emotional climax.
Our Camino by high speed rail -- not very devout I know -- brought us into town on a drizzly Saturday night and put us beside hundreds of exhausted runners on an annual long distance event. It was so late at night that we couldn't even get one last order of tortilla at the tapas bar of our choice, and had to settle for Jamon-flavored potato chips that we brought from Zamora.
Once settled down at our rental apartment we took a midnight walk in the shadow of the Cathedral to the adjoining squares of Platerías and Quintana, the latter being a former medieval graveyard and allegedly haunted. This unusual quietude, especially with the runners' finishing line being two blocks away, made for great unobstructed photos.
But we left Praza do Obradoiro, the de facto finish line of the Camino, until the next morning when the square was scattered with exhausted pilgrims resting on the ground. Only the wealthiest pilgrims would be able to afford staying at the adjacent Hospital de los Reyes Católicos, the 500-year-old traditional guesthouse now converted into a posh state-owned Parador hotel that charged, for their cheapest double room, five times the nightly rent of our entire apartment.
Engraved in the middle of the square was the unmistakable symbol of the Camino, the scallop shell of St. James universally seen on every milestone marker along the pilgrimage route originating from as far as Poland. This would serve as the final marker of a weeks-long journey unless the pilgrim is inclined to walk further to the traditional End of the Earth, another 60km to the west.
Under the sympathetic glaze of St. James pilgrims would enter the Cathedral performing a series of medieval rituals, including the placement of one's hand on a marble pillar now indented with hand-shaped grooves from centuries of veneration. Pilgrims also used to bump their heads against the self-portrait of master stonemason Mateo until it was recently cordoned off to prevent further damages after 800 years of head butts.
Everyone's Camino all culminates behind this blindingly golden altar inlaid with tens of thousands of precious stones, where every pilgrim waits for a turn to personally present prayers and dedications while hugging the caped statue of the saint, affectionately nicknamed "el Santiago de los abrazos,” or St. James of the embraces.
While pilgrims and casual tourists alike marvel at the 800-year-old Cathedral, many would miss the adjacent 16th century monastery of San Martino Pinario, featuring its own extravagant Baroque altar covered with flowing sculptures at every inch. The monastery also operates a guesthouse, charging a cheaper rate than the Parador and offering a much more austere and fitting environment for pilgrims.
One of my favorite corners of the town was San Martino Pinario's second floor balcony above the nave, fenced with an old wooden latticed through which visitors could gain a peephole view of the two-storey altar. No other visitor was even in sight.
We took advantage of a break in the weather for a stroll to Parque da Alameda, apparently famous enough for its panorama of the Cathedral's twin Baroque belfries towering above the town's red roof tiles that we were constantly flanked by a Japanese tour group. The magnificent western facade of the Cathedral would remain under scaffolds for another several years before being returned to its full 13th century glory.
Santiago de Compostela felt endearing to me in many ways: Portuguese-like stone buildings designed to weather centuries of Atlantic storms, medieval streets named Rua do Something and cobblestone plazas named Prazas, and of course Galician seafood from anchovies to an plethora of shellfish to the famous octopus.
BAR O'46 (Santiago de Compostela)
Location Map
This tiny bar was one of our favorite finds in Spain for fresh, unpretentious seafood. As bland and rundown as this little watering hole in an 18th century building -- No.46 on Rua do Franco to be exact -- may appear to the uninitiated, you would be hard pressed to find a more authentically Galician eatery within walking distance from the Cathedral.
Newcomers like ourselves sat at the low, heavy wooden tables while regulars claimed their spots at the bar counter, enjoying a live Champions League match on a smallish television next to the beer taps. But most clients would bypass the beer and ask for the house Ribeiro, for one good reason.
How about 0.5 euro for a glass of wine?
Like everyone else we paired our seafood with the local Ribeiro, fresh, fruity and perfect for octopus and mussles, served in these almost Asian-looking ceramic wineglasses.
There was no main course aside from the famous Galician octopus, and you really don't need a main if you keep filling up on the traditional ensemble of seafood tapas starting at 3.5 euros including these vinegared anchovies in olive oil, perfect for mopping up with the fresh bread.
At a cheap 4.5 euros the bar presents its seasonal selection of molluscs, starting with these tenderly steamed mussels, deshelled, marinated in vinaigrette and sprinkled heavily with paprika.
Being more of a purist I personally preferred these fresh cockles, steamed in nothing except their own juices and seasoned with nothing but an optional squeeze of lemon. The natural Umami of the shellfish was flavorful enough.
The lone non-seafood dish on the menu happened to be my favorite Spanish vegetable of Pimientos de Padron, a Russian roulette of the tastebud when any of the largely benign peppers could explode on the palate with suicidal spiciness. At just 3 euros this also happened to be the cheapest dish of Pimientos de Padron of our 16-day trip.
Finally, the famed Pulpo a la Gallega, the most popular Galician dish in any tapas bar across Spain. Blanched simply in salted water and sprinkled with paprika, these octopus tentacles turned out surprisingly less rubbery compared with its typical presentation as a Sushi Neta in the Far East.
Towards the end we ordered one more dish of mussels, steamed in their own shells and again served at 4.5 euros a plate. After five plates of seafood, a plate of fried peppers and four cups of wine between the two of us, our final bill came to an impossibly cheap 32.6 euros.
Bill for Two Persons
| Boquerones en Vinagre | 3.5 euros |
| Mejillones a la Vinagreta | 4.5 euros |
| Mejillones al Vapor | 4.5 euros |
| Berberechos al Vapor | 4.5 euros |
| Pulpo a la Gallega | 10.0 euros |
| Pimientos de Padron | 3.0 euros |
| Cup of Ribeiro x 4 | 2.0 euros |
| Bread | 0.6 euros |
| TOTAL | 32.6 euros (CAD$48.9) |
For dinner we would have preferred a rustic small bar in the mode of Bar O'46, except it was Sunday night and choices were few in and outside of the historic centre. And after a comparatively cheap lunch, we decided to splurge just a little for even more Galician seafood.
MARIA CASTAÑA (Santiago de Compostela)
Location Map
Housed inside an 18th century half-timber building half a block from Bar O'46, Maria Castaña was unambiguously more upscale than cheap neighbourhood bars yet priced within our budget. A glass of Albariño cost 2.4 euros while a plate of Pimientos de Padron cost 5.5, similar to what one may expect in Barcelona or Madrid.
Regular readers know that I ALWAYS advise ordering food in the local language if possible -- taking a couple hours to learn to read foreign menus always enhance your experience and earn respect from your waiters. Case in point -- our large plate of Pimientos de Padron was only 5.5 euros on the Spanish menu yet 10 euros if you order from the English side. Yes it's a scam, and the only way to avoid the scam would be to read the menu in the local language.
Two regional dishes that we could not skip were Vieira Galega, a large scallop baked with chopped onions, slivers of Serrano ham and breadcrumbs, and Caldo Galego, a light broth of potatoes, cabbages and pork belly. Neither was particularly memorable, and it's just conceivably difficult to bake a scallop without overcooking and destroying its delicate sweetness.
Our razor clams however came somewhat undercooked -- one even ending up Sashimi-like in taste and texture -- though superbly fresh fortunately. This was our fourth or perhaps fifth plate of razor clams over 16 days in Spain, and I still dream of a particularly excellent dish at Restaurant L'havana in Barcelona.
My personal wish for some Spanish sea urchins finally came true a week after spotting a scooped-out half-shell at Madrid's Mercado de San Miguel. Our sea urchin roes came not in a raw form a la Japanese Uni Sashimi or a Greek sea urchin salad, but pan-fried and scrambled inside a plate of Revuelto de Erizos. While this sea urchin was nowhere as flavorsome as the Greek variety we had years ago in Mykonos, to an Uni fanatic this one dish alone was worth the meal.
Bill for Two Persons
| Caldo Gallego | 5.5 euros |
| Pimientos de Padron | 5.5 euros |
| Navajas | 12.9 euros |
| Vieira Galega | 8.1 euros |
| Revuelto de Erizos | 11.9 euros |
| Glass of Albarino x 2 | 4.8 euros |
| Bread | 1.0 euros |
| TOTAL | 49.7 euros (CAD$74.6) |
While the region of Galicia is well represented by hearty dishes such as Pulpo a la Gallega and Caldo Galego, Santiago de Compostela itself is even better-known for a sweet creation now popular all over Spain.
No self-respecting foodie would leave Santiago without a taste of the authentic Tarta de Santiago, a dense, heavily almond-based cake that has risen to the pantheon of Spanish sweets with Protected Geographical Indication status to be distinguished from the pretenders. If you're a light eater like my wife and don't fancy finishing an entire 12-inch cake, the 90-year-old pasteleria of Mercedes Mora offers their traditional Tarta in a mini size for just 2.5 euros.
Combined with some cheap breakfast (Montadito of your choice, plus Cafe con Leche or juice for 1.9 euros!) from the ever-present 100 Montaditos down the block, this was enough to fuel us until the notably late Spanish lunchtime.
Bill for Two Persons
| Tarta de Santiago (Small) | 2.5 euros |
| Montadito with Jamon Iberico + Cafe con Leche | 1.9 euros |
| Montadito with Marmalade + Orange Juice | 1.9 euros |
| TOTAL | 6.3 euros (CAD$9.5) |
Our stay in Santiago was made even more affordable by the bargain pricing of our 1-bedroom rental apartment, a 30% discount compared to our suite in Madrid and surprisingly inexpensive despite the city's prominence as an international tourist draw. This was our much-appreciated refuge after some furious last-minute shopping prior to our morning flight to London Gatwick.
This concludes our 1200 km journey across Spain from the Mediterranean Coast to the Atlantic over the course of 16 days. The majestic (and delicious) Segovia turned out to be my favorite town, while my wife probably preferred charming little Cuenca. Barcelona topped my list in terms of world class attractions, while Madrid offered the best sampling of mouth-watering traditional dishes according to my palate.
The full list of articles for this 16-day self-guided trip across Spain can be found HERE.
