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.
My first day trip with Anna and Jorge 
A Coruña struck me as a city of contrasts. Great natural beauty and wonderful turn of the (20th) century architecture at times clashing with patches of modernist wasteland. Though overall it’s an attractive place and well worth visiting. I was grateful to have my two very knowledgeable friends as guides, which definitely helped me get the most of my few hours in town.
Notice that I don’t call these “free tapas” (as they are so fond of calling them in Granada). But they are complimentary, included in the price of your drink, which like in Granada, are usually more expensive than in Sevilla. I paid up to 2.80€ for a caña in Santiago, which of course is outrageous. A typical caña in Sevilla is 1.20€, though you don’t get a “free” tapa with it. To be honest, I prefer to just pay for what I want to eat without elevated drink prices.
It seemed I’d been planning this trip for years, or at least ever since my friend Anna 
We had pulpo a feira (natch) and pimientos de padrón (ALL of them fiery hot), both of which I’d tried before, many times. But then we moved on to a couple of new dishes for me: zorza (think “prueba de chorizo” – pork mixed with garlic, smoked pimentón, oregano) and raxo (marinated pork sautéed with garlic). Both were super rich and super delicious. Anna ordered some local wine served in bowls, Galician style, which later fusioned into an Italian custom of dipping bread into the red wine. I loved this spot and went back to it later on my own.
That evening Anna also helped with organising my week (we both LOVE lists) and we came up with a good variety of things for me to do, both on my own and with them as my trusty guides (including two day trips) which really made things easier for me. In fact, I would have been lost without them. Can’t stress enough how insider knowledge like this enhances a visit, so do get in touch with 
I’ve been planning this since June and now it’s just one more sleep until #GaliciaGetaway! It will be my first visit to Santiago de Compostela and I’m really looking forward to it, as well as seeing 
casa azahar 