Tuesday in Santiago

A very pleasant day here in Santiago. One of us had a sleep in and the other did the blog for yesterday.  Finally I was able to get her moving and we headed out for breakfast at our new favorite place, Bar Suso which is underneath the hotel we were staying at a couple of days ago. They have the best artisan bread made into toast and fresh squeezed orange juice which I watched him make.

Bar Suso

While there Wendy received an email from Lanzada saying we are to go to an appointment at the pilgrim office at 1pm to meet the Dean. Now this is a BIG deal as he is the big cheese at the Cathedral, the CEO. Wendy had met him last fall when she was here with the 12 other international Camino organization presidents. He doesn't speak English but does speak French. We arrived at the pilgrim office in lots of time because we were worried that the pilgrim line up for their Compostela would be very long and we would have difficulty getting through it. But it all went perfectly. We waited in the court yard and the security guard came to find us when the Dean arrived and took us into his office. The Dean was lovely and explained to Wendy (in French) that it had been a mistake that we were not presented with our Compostelas for the Camino Inglés, so many staff and volunteers and the information just doesn't get down to the right people, etc etc. many apologies and we were then presented with them, and he asked Wendy to let her international colleagues know that in future there will be no problem getting a Compostela for the Camino Inglés from A Coruña. So there, done! 

Just outside the pilgrim office.

We left the office and went off to visit the Cathedral, check out a few shops, and then have a cold drink and a pizza while sitting in the shade in Plaza Quintana, watching everyone else go by. Love it! One of our favourite things to do!

We had dinner with Paula from Victoria at St. Martin Pinario, an old monastery that is used for conferences and has rooms for pilgrims to stay. Paula is staying here for the two weeks she is working as a volunteer. They serve a pilgrim meal in their very large dining room (former refractory). Our first course was Caldo Galego soup (like cabbage), the second course bacalao (cod fish), 2 boiled potatoes, and some salad, then dessert - a piece of tarta de Santiago (a ground almond cake), a bottle of red wine and a 1 1/2 L bottle of water for 10€. So about 1/2 of what dinner has been costing us for our evening meal. Paula gave us a tour of her little room on the 4th floor and we headed back to our Hostal. Another full day and tomorrow we will move over to Victor and Lanzada's home.

A manaña - 

Marion and Wendy