Arriving in Porto

So, we made our way to Portugal on a very comfortable coach. The scenery along the way was all very nice evidently. I wouldn't know. I like the rest of the passengers slept the whole way.

We checked into our hotel (dependable old Ibis again) and took ourselves for a short jaunt around our surroundings. This took us past the Coliseu do Porto, a large Art Deco entertainment hall where the best concerts in Porto are staged. They can get pretty varied too by the look of the playbill. Operas and orchestras aplenty are mixed with upcoming gigs from Bob Dylan and Procol Harem. Do you even remember Procol Harem?

A little further on is the Majestic Cafe. It was quite a place back in the 1920s and a regular haunt of the intellectual elite of Porto. Writers, philosophers, anarchists, they all shared their thoughts over coffee and cakes at the Majestic. Sadly, it fell into neglect over the years, but was revived again in 1994 after two solid years of renovation work. It is a little on the pricey side, and their scones are not as good as mine, but such a place has to be visited to be enjoyed. It is invariably full and usually with a longish queue of prospective patrons waiting outside to take the place of customers as they depart.

A short distance north towards the river is an iconic church known for its exterior decorations in blue hand painted tiles or azulejo. This is the Ingreja do Santo Ildefonso and seems to have set a precedent which Porto follows to this day. Everywhere you look now is tiled. The buildings, the apartments, even the footpaths are mozaiced and tiled.

This is especially true in the beautiful old railway station of Sao Bento. The entry hall walls have all been decorated in enormous murals composed entirely of hand painted individual azulejo tiles. And the detail is amazing. Whole vast battle scenes, triumphal entries of victorious kings, depictions of serene scenes of rural life all come together in a jaw-dropping display of craftsmanship and colour.  

 Taking the coach to Porto was a cheap and easy choice.

A couple of hours of freeway driving and someone else did them.

Getting close now.

First drop off was the Porto Airporto. Very modern.

Oporto is all about its iconic tiled architecture. 

Even the footpaths are tiled.

The Majestic Cafe is rated in the top 10 of cafes in the world. 

The queue to get in is not unusual.

But once inside it is amazing. 

The staff are all in a dashing livery.

 And brilliant at their job.

The outside terrace was gorgeous too. 

Not in use today because of the rainy weather.

Even the leather seats were embossed.

A view of the interior is a throwback to the 1920s Art Nouveau era.

All churched out yet? I hope not. This is the famous Igreja de Santo Ildefonso.

It has an astonishing depiction of the life of the saint on the outside in hand painted tiles.

It gives the whole church a "porcelain" kind of flavour, don't you think?

Some detail of the intricately painted tiles.

This is the outside of the Sao Bento train station.

Nice, but nothing too unusual here.

But the inside entry hall has enormous tiled murals of the glorious history of Portugal.

The tiled murals cover every wall.

Some detail of the tiled murals. 

They are hand painted individual tiles and done in minute detail.

Santiago de Compostela

Although the weather had set itself into a fine misty drizzle we set out to explore the place. Well, after an simply scrumptious breakfast at the Hotel San Miguel Gastronomico that is. Our bella Senora Louisa outdid herself with a lavish spread of cold meats, Danish pastries, cereals, breads, juices and fresh fruits. And torte de queso or cheese cake. For breakfast? You bet, try it sometime. We really do owe that lady a present of some kind.

A walk through the old part of Santiago is like strolling from one church to another church with either a continual line of restaurants or souvenir shops joining them all together. It is an absolute maze of twisting lanes and alleyways which all seem to end in a plaza overlooked by a church. The shops are in keeping with the medieval appearance of the town and will display perhaps a subtle shingle on their outside. No garish neon signs in this area at all. You could be excused for thinking this must have been quite like how it would have looked way back in the town's earliest history.

You've seen the amazing exterior of the cathedral itself from the outside in the last post? Well, today we excitedly went inside for a look at the marvellous interior and oh what a shock. It is full of scaffolding. Yep, the cathedral is undergoing some major restoration work and many of the interior features have either been covered for repairs or removed altogether. The crypt under the altar is still open though and lines formed to file past the silver reliquary. The custom of "Embracing the Apostle" was still available and a long line of people had formed up to take their opportunity there too.

Leaving the cathedral we quickly lost ourselves in the alleys and lanes and church plazas. We did take some respite from the cold with a coffee and cake at a cafe called the Cafe Casino. No particular reason why we chose it. It was there and we were feeling the cold. On entering we thought we'd stumbled into the Ritz or the Waldorf or somewhere. The walls were decorated with carved wooden frescoes and lined with comfy looking armchairs and low tables. There was even a baby grand piano although no one was playing it. We needn't have worried. The staff were great, the coffee and cake delicious and the price quite reasonable.

The shops were heavily biased towards souvenirs.

This jewellery shop (and a great many others) featured designs in crucifixes and scallop shells, the symbol of the Camino.

There is no better place than Santiago to satisfy all your religious artifacts needs.

Another jewellery store window.

This one featured liturgical and other items in hand chased silver.

Across the Praza Das Praterias to the steps and side entrance of the Cathedral.

Not sure why their are dressed up like this but how could I resist not taking their photo?
It might have been a photo shoot of some kind with the Cathedral as the backdrop.

The interior of the Cathedral, and full of scaffolding. DOH!

Some of the ornamentation was still visible though.
They couldn't take it all away after all.

A statue in memory of San Julius who was the first pilgrim to walk the Camino and is
now recognised for his tremendous feat.

Inside the Cafe Casino. 
Warm and comfortable and in spite of appearances to the contrary quite reasonably priced.

Carved wood frescoes adorn the walls of the Cafe Casino.

This one is for you, Tina :)

The Mercado or market, where people flock to buy their fresh produce.
And when they've finished doing that, they sit down and have a meal. Seafood seems the main go.

Couldn't resist this sign advertising an orthodontist surgery.

This is the Museo do Pobo Galego with the attached Convento de San Domingos de Bonaval.
And it was closed. Some beautiful gardens surround it though.
Spain has a somewhat irritating habit of closing for a couple of hours in the middle of the day and then reopening again later.

Arriving in Santiago de Compostela

As mentioned earlier, we took a flight from Bilbao to Santiago de Compostela. Via Madrid if you don't mind. A bit circuitous I suppose but we made it comfortably in the end. There is a wonderful bus service from the airport to the Placa Galicia right in the middle of town. It runs every 30 minutes and only cost 3 euros.

Oh, remember me saying I didn't bone up on my Basque? Well I didn't bone up on my Galatian either and that is what they prefer to write their street signs in here. Ah me.

Santiago de Compostela is renowned as the finishing point for the gruelling Christian pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago. It starts typically in Paris or the Pyrenees mountains or Lisbon or where ever you happen to be really and winds its way to here. There are lots of people who still attempt it evidently as the plaza is full of people with backpacks, heavy boots, walking staves and smug looks on their faces. Hey, we trekked there the full 100 metres from our hotel, a little credit where it's due, please.

If Adelaide thinks they are the city of churches, they got another think coming. Seriously, you couldn't throw a spud and not hit a church in this town. I can see three right now from my hotel window.

There is also a wonderful botanic gardens here called La Alameda. It covers acres and acres with woodlands, meandering trails, avenues of trees and flowering shrubs. We saw camellias, rhodies in many colours, maples, oaks and believe it or not, gum trees. That's right, gum trees and they are simply enormous. They are doing very well in what must be a strange land to them. Even their tree ferns (imported from New Zealand) are looking in top shape.

Dinner tonight was at a local restaurant called The Penalty. The name bodes badly but really is indicative of their penchant for displaying La Liga soccer matches on 5 or 6 large screen TVs placed strategically throughout the restaurant. 

Typical street scape in Santiago de Compostela.

Whereas Bilbao was a mix of old and new, Santiago is a mix of old and older.

Our darling little hotel, San Miguel Gastronomico. Honestly, that's its name. 

Louisa at the front desk is just magnificent. We'll have to buy her a present I reckon.

Our darling little room with its adorable balcony niche with table and chairs.

Jackie and I will have conversations over breakfast here.

The view from our window with the Iglesia de San Martin Pinario at the end of the plaza.

 That's the cathedral spire in the background.

Our bathroom with two facilities apparently.

Maybe Jackie and I can have conversations here too.

The church of San Martin Pinario attached to the monastery of the same name.

Oddly, the doors are below street level and have to be reached by descending some stairs.

The stairs to the door look like they were designed by Escher.

Ah, the amazing baroque facade of the famous Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.

This is the end point of the gruelling Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.

Some detail of the facade. Exceptionally intricate and very well preserved.

Some detail of the central spire.

Baroque seems to mean putting lots of statues and things in places where they don't really fit.

 The cathedral stands before the Placa Obradoiro.

Its whole northern side is flanked by the Palacio de Reis Catholicos.

Or it was, now it's a Paradore hotel.

More astonishing detail of the Cathedral facade.

The Cathedral and attendant buildings form the eastern side of the plaza.

Alameda Park is a beautiful botanic garden setting with walks, lawns, forest and hedged garden beds.

The people of Santiago love to come here and relax, many with their pets.

  

An avenue of oaks in the gardens.

 A picturesque fountain setting in a fringed rose garden.

We saw this and our jaws dropped. 

It is a gum tree, (eucalyptus globulus) growing and thriving in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Parts of the park are elevated and give a good overview of the city and Cathedral.

A typical streetscape in Santiago.