31 Wednesday Aug 2016
Tags
friends, galicia, galicia getaway, getaways, santiago de compostela, the kilomeaters, travel, trips
Santiago de Compostela is very photogenic, as you can see. You can either click on the collage above to see a bigger version of it, or see the single images below. So many nice memories…
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30 Tuesday Aug 2016
Posted in food & drink, gastronomy, getaways, restaurants, spain, tapas, travel, trips
Most of the time I was out on my own in Santiago de Compostela I opted for a couple of complimentary tapas here and there, but I also had some “proper meals” (not tapas) that were very enjoyable. The only problem for me when dining alone is that I am so used to sharing plates – over the years I’ve developed a kind of food ADD and lose interest after the first couple of bites. But these places (like everywhere else I went in Santiago) were recommended by Anna & Jorge @thekilomeaters and, as always, they were spot on.
At Cafe de Altamira, across from the market, I opted for the set lunch (13€), which is something I don’t often do, mostly because I don’t “do” desserts, but the two dishes on offer that day sounded so good I decided to go for it. The starter was an unusual take on the traditional Galician empanada, this one made with crispy wonton pastry and filled with baby sardines and sautéed onions. Main course was grilled mackerel with puréed marinated potatoes. I did try the dessert – lemon meringue “pie” in a jar – way too sweet in my opinion (even though I don’t “do” desserts, I can appreciate a good one). But overall it was a lovely lunch and front of house manager and sommelier Alex took excellent care of me.
The afternoon I was about to get thrown out of my AirBnB apartment (though I didn’t know it at the time) I stopped by Horta D’Obradoiro for some lunch, and I’m really glad I did. Not only was it an amazing lunch, but it lingered as a pleasant memory when things took an unpleasant turn later on in the day. When I arrived at the restaurant I introduced myself to co-owner Kike (blue shirt) who immediately took me on a tour of the place and then sat me at a very cosy table near a window looking out onto the patio. I tried two dishes, first a playful (and delicious) take on the traditional fritura mixta. This was followed by sous vide pork ribs with bourbon sauce. The latter was so massive that I ended up asking if I could take half of it home with me (I still had a fridge then). Great food at very reasonable prices, and very good service too.
My last night in town I really just wanted a snack, so stopped in at hipsterish A Moa to try their tapas menu. I started with octopus croquettes, which were super smooth, creamy… and super bland. Couldn’t really taste any pulpo. Then I thought I’d try the zorza, a dish I’d had during my first meal in Santiago. But rather than the subtle “prueba de chorizo” experience I’d enjoyed at Deulpo this just tasted like already cured chorizo that had been taken out of its casing and fried up. Not bad, but well, chorizo. Perhaps the restaurant menu here is more exciting, but at least they did have some tapas on offer.
Overall the food in Santiago was very good. I liked the complimentary tapas, but missed the option of being able to order tapas, rather than larger plates. Next time I will have to visit with a travel (and dining) companion.
27 Saturday Aug 2016
Lugo was our destination on my final full day in Galicia, a day trip suggested by Anna and Jorge @thekilomeaters after vetoing my request to go down to Rías Baixas country (home of albariño wines). I was told that this was the worst time of year to visit that area as it is virtually swamped with tourists and I would not get a genuine experience of the place. And well, when given expert advice it is always wise to take it, so off we went to Lugo.
Probably the most distinctive thing about this provincial capital is that the old centre is surrounded by over two kilometres of Roman wall. You can also walk along the top of this wall (which we did) getting some excellent views of the city. Later we walked to the Plaza Mayor and visited the Cathedral. Then it was suddenly Beer O’clock and off we went to quench our thirst and try some complimentary tapas.
complimentary tapas in Lugo
We started off at a very traditional bar Las Cinco Vigas where not only could we choose a complimentary tapa, they also kept passing around a tray of pinchos… you could effectively fill up on these but we had to move on. Next stop was Mesón de Antonio, a classic restaurant. I’m not sure what is normally given out here with your drinks as, thanks to being with Anna & Jorge, we were given the VIP treatment and an array of tasty dishes arrived at our table for us to sample, along with a complimentary bottle of godello wine.
Mesón de Alberto
We made a couple more tapa stops after this, and along the way met local resident León the cat, who was out for a walk with his flatmate. She had the huge beast out on a harness and leash, which had got tangled up in his front legs, so we stopped to help her de-tangle the gentle giant.
León and flatmate
It was a lovely day out, soaking up sun and culture and sampling some delicious food and wine. And plans were made for a return Galicia Getaway next May, optimum time for a visit to Rías Baixas. Can’t wait!
26 Friday Aug 2016
I fell in love – nay, became slightly obsessed – with the Galician “galerías”, beautiful window-encased balconies at the front of houses, meant to trap the sun (and heat) during winter months. And as luck would have it, I ended up having my very own galería for my last two nights in Santiago.
I had booked an AirBnB apartment for my stay back in June, which I knew was small, but as I wasn’t planning to actually be in the apartment a lot, I thought it would be fine as long as it had good WIFI. Which it did. But after moving in I discovered there were a few problems with the place, the worst of which were that it was not very clean (ick) and that the cheap single bed frame SQUEAKED with every movement, all night long. But hey, it was high season, and there was no way I’d find a last minute option that wouldn’t be double the price, so I decided to stay put and make the best of it.
Then one night I discovered a pool of water around the base of the toilet… wtf? It was leaking every time I flushed it (ewww). A message to the owner had her and the plumber around the next afternoon while I was out… after which they insisted there was nothing wrong, that I must have left the shower door open. WTF?? A second message to the owner had the plumber come back in the evening – and for some reason I was told I had to be there to let him in (really? I was a paying guest on holiday) but I did so and ended up having to deal with a crazy idiot who clearly knew nothing about plumbing and seemed to think it was okay to yell at me. I shall spare you the ugly details about this encounter, but suffice it to say shortly after he left the apartment owner got in touch saying she wanted to cancel out contract. Which meant I would either be out in the street the next day, or else paying through the nose for a hotel for the rest of my stay.
So I went out for a walk. Happily I was in good spirits from having enjoyed one of the best meals of my entire Galician Getaway that afternoon (more on that later) and while I was in one of the bars I’d gone to with Anna and Jorge on our Complimentary Tapas Tour I started seriously looking at my options. Eventually I found a small family run hotel that seemed to have a room free. First I checked with A & J who recommended it for what it was – hey, with a one-star hotel I wasn’t expecting the Ritz, just wanted to know if I should book. But instead of booking online I gave them a call and talked to a lovely woman who sounded like somebody’s grandmother. She informed me that there was a single room available and when I asked her if I could please have a double bed there was a pause, and then she said they could give me a nice double room for one person on the second floor, with windows overlooking the street. Well, I was in! Especially as it was 10.30 pm and I had to be out of my dread AirBnB by 11 am the following morning. So I booked the room, informed Anna & Jorge of my plans, and went home to pack.
Yes, the hotel was double what I was paying for the AirBnB, and the room was a bit “cosy”, but it had great WiFi, a nice firm comfy double bed and … MY OWN GALERÍA!!! Also, some of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet running the place. From the receptionists to the cleaning woman, I felt so welcome and cannot say there were any complaints at all. I also have to say that AirBnB also came through and offered me compensation for my hellish experience, which pretty much covered the extra cost of the hotel, so I was happy. All’s well that ends well. Especially because I got to spend my final two nights in Santiago de Compostela in one of the best areas of town (in my opinion) AND WITH MY OWN GALERÍA. Happy.
Hotel Fonte de San Roque
Santiago de Compostela
25 Thursday Aug 2016
Posted in food & drink, friends, gastronomy, getaways, holidays, markets, spain, travel, trips
One day while Jorge was away filming Gastrópodos Anna suggested we embrace our inner guiri and spend a day, well, being guiris in the city. So we met up not far from the Cathedral and, after a short “tour” of the centre, ended up at the market. Market visits are one of my favourite things to do and the market in Santiago really is something special. And being with Anna, I also learned a lot.
Later on we stopped for a light lunch at A Maceta, a modern-style restaurant with a fusiony menu. As most of the dishes were large plates we stuck to a couple of Anna’s fabourites: crispy fried patatas bravas with a lovely spicy sauce, and an Asian take on the classic bocadito de calamares. The perfectly fried chipirones were served in a soft bao bun with citric mayo. Very tasty.
casa azahar 