Wednesday in Santiago

Today is a holiday here to celebrate the Galego language. This means many offices and stores are closed today. But in the old town some stores are open. I went into a little shop that sells fruit, bottles of water, some wine and odd bits, to buy a couple of oranges and bottled water for me. I don't drink tap water when we travel, Wendy does as she doesn't seem to have any trouble with it. The shop keeper said she is open every day of the year, if she is closed she cannot make any money. Pretty straight forward. 

We had breakfast again at "our" bar then went over to the Correos (post office). One section was open for receiving packs and packages to move forward or mail for pilgrims who are not carrying their packs. We chatted with the gal behind the counter and I was able to buy some stamps for post cards from her. Then checked out a few shops before heading back to pack and check out of the Mapoula Hostal before noon. We got that done and then down to another coffee shop right on the main street outside of the old town so we could meet Victor who was to pick us up at 1pm. We had just started our coffee con leche when the police started arriving in numbers to that very corner. All the traffic was stopped and a huge parade of Spanish folks, kids and adults, marched past for nearly 40 minutes carrying flags in support of the Galician language.  There were drums beating and Uilleann pipes (Gallic bagpipes) and lots of shouting and singing.

Great fun to watch but we had to let Victor know that we could not meet him until 1:30 when it was over. Lots of messages back and forth until we finally met him and got our stuff loaded into his car.

It wouldn't be Europe without one or two manifestations (protests) each visit. We always seem to have a front row seat for this kind of thing. But this one was very happy and well behaved.

Victor, Lanzada's husband, drove us to their house just in time for a wonderful family lunch with their kids. This will be our 'home base' until we leave Santiago. Lunch was what we would call dinner, a hot meal, delicious, with wine and dessert, cookies made by Lola who is 12 and her friend who was visiting for the day. We sat at the table and talked until nearly 5. Then upstairs to our guest room on the top floor to get ourselves organized for our trip our to Finisterre tomorrow. We are just taking my pack with stuff for both of us and we will leave the rest of our stuff here. 

Supper was at 9:30; fresh bread, cold meats, pate and lots of cheese and wine of course. Chocolate for dessert. The kids, Martin who is 14 and a budding soccer player, and Lola, 12, head off to bed right after dinner. We talked on at the table until nearly midnight. We covered schools and education in Spain, politics, raising teenagers, the Camino, Lanzada's work. Victor is on sabbatical this year from the university of Santiago where he is a professor of German literature. 

Tomorrow we are off to Finisterre by bus.

Wendy and Marion