Santiago De Compostela

We had a leisurely start to the day but eventually set off to walk the 2km or so into the centre of Santiago de Compostela. Almost immediate we encountered loads of folks also heading that way as we seemed to be on the same route as the Camino trail takes in towards the cathedral.

The old town of Santiago is lovely. with lots of little narrow winding streets as well as lots of squares and plazas. On the way to the cathedral we passed the university buildings which are impressive, having previously been part of the cathedral precincts. The cathedral itself sits on a big cobbled plaza with the mayors buildings on one side and a 5-star hotel (which previously was a hospital catering to all the pilgrims who undertake the various walking routes to the cathedral) on another. We decided to visit the cathedral museum which was a great choice as it had a load of interesting stuff relating to its history, including art and older recovered parts of the building (statues and the like). We also were allowed into the cathedral part way through a service, which was packed with pilgrims paying their devotions. We even saw the swinging of the "Botafumeiro" which is a large metal contained filled with burning incense that's swung (at a great rate!) through the cathedral.

After that we had a walk through the old town, taking in the sites, before finding a lovely little bar where I indulged myself with a couple of pints of the local Galician brew. The place did food as well so we both gave the huevos rotos a try (fried eggs with sliced fried potatoes) - mine with chorizo and fiona's with ham (she's not a chorizo fan).

Tomorrow we're planning to head into Portugal - possibly to Porto.