Monday, August 16, 2021

Another Rise and Shine at 7 am, and another persona dormida (sleeping) on the living room couch…. This time it was my roommate, our Energy Bunny who officially sprained her ankle the other day. She went to the hospital yesterday for x-rays and thankfully nothing was broken or torn. She had a huge hematoma and sprain so they wrapped her ankle as well and gave her crutches and some high-level ibuprofen.

Eventually there was movement amongst a few, and ultimately, the two leaders of the separate groups and myself went to breakfast at a place where we have gone in the past and have truly enjoyed the service and selection. At Turtulia I once again had pan con tomate (So Good!) and this time con (with) dos huevos fritos (2 fried eggs). Very delicious! And since I didn’t eat dinner last night given my generous lunch, it really hit the spot!

I have really made a habit of hanging out at the Parador. They have big comfy couches in the living room area, I can use the bathrooms, and I can get onto the Internet. It’s extremely inviting and relaxing. So I enjoyed that for a while, did some shopping to get pins I can bring back to “Phil’s Camino” Oasis gathering this upcoming weekend back home and headed back over to the market for my lunch date – even though it was only hours from having breakfast together. He was up for trying the barnacles!

While waiting for my lunch buddy I stopped by the outdoor café where I fell in love with percebes (barnacles) the first time I came to Santiago de Compostela and where I have returned after the last three Caminos for that very delicacy. I was extremely disappointed when I learned they did not have them to offer!! One reason they are considered a delicacy is because it is a dangerous diving feat to pry them from their underwater perches and bring in what they gather fresh daily.

There is a long row of seafood restaurants on the inner edge of the Mercado building and I was relieved to discover that a couple of them did in fact have some!!

I wandered around and around, and ultimately sat inside the market to claim a seat as it was getting busy and popular! I settled in an hour earlier than I had planned to meet because I intended to do some vegetable shopping first. It became apparent that they were not going to open the main Mercado up for farmer’s market type shopping, maybe because it’s a holiday (The Assumption of Mary)? So I guess there will be no salad with our Paella dinner…

I struck up a conversation with my server, Juan, who gave me two different Galician Alberiño wines to try. It was here in the Galicia region I first discovered this white grape varietal and find it perfectly refreshing! They are growing Alberiño in Washington, Oregon and California now yet the actual wines I have tried don’t even come close to the Spanish wines I have enjoyed. There is a bit of sweetness imparted, considerably less than a Riesling and it’s drier (in my estimation) than a Sauvignon Blanc. One of today’s that I tasted had a lot of minerality with a very slight salty taste which was curiously delicious! I was served a generous atún empanada (tuna) tapas to accompany my vino and as now my appetite was primed, I also ordered zamburiñas (scallops) again, a smaller version of what I had yesterday. They were So Incredibly Amazing!

My friend and group leader arrived and I was able to share the shellfish and wine with him as well as a delicious order of percebes!

More town wandering turned into a last watching of new pilgrims coming under the arch to bagpipes playing and into the square with tears of joy and relief! It never gets old – the reliving of that moment!

Before too long it was time for another meal – Chef’s homemade paella with meats, cheeses, bread and olives. We also had our “intentional closing” where we all shared growth and motivation experienced on our individual Caminos. Our last night together…