If you go down to the woods today...

Today was a bit of a magical mystery tour as we had no idea where we were headed. Our destination was Allariz, a town in the province of Ourense. We parked at a campsite and loaded our gear on to a 4x4. We headed off on the 10 minute walk along a heavily wooded riverbank, quite idyllic, picturesque and totally isolated. Our lodging was to be a converted mill with all mod-cons well, except Internet, TV and a very limited phone coverage.  No probs. We unpacked and set up for a late lunch. As there is a high risk of forest fire and this part of Spain is notorious for them, Xose wisely vetoed my idea for a Bar-B. We had an electric grill, marinaded slabs of steaks, I’d love to see the animal they came from. We also had ‘Patacas con Grelos’ prepared by Sebas, this is a local dish and any Irish person would immediately identify boiled spuds and cabbage though Grelos are similar, they have a much more delicate taste and it grows as individual leaves – actually not like cabbage at all.  All this was washed down with a selection of wine from Laguardia, there is method to the madness. It was time to go on a photo-shoot as the sun was going down and the light coming through the trees was splendid. It’s also the time of day when all sorts of flying creature make an appearance and being beside a river the effect was multiplied. We had dinner inside and finished off the rest of the food and wine. All this fresh air and good food can be very tiring and although the boys were settling in for a traditional evening of ‘tertulia’ beside an open fireplace, yes, we lit a fire in the house! 40ºC in Madrid and I sleep with two blankets. Nothing left to do the next day except clean up, pack up say our goodbyes and head back to Madrid. A footnote to this was when we got back to the campsite, part of the reception office had collapsed, not in a very dramatic way you understand but enough to excite the local constabulary and the locals. Some masonry had fallen on Xose’s car and chipped the windscreen, we left them to the form filling.

A 'rest' day in Santiago

Today was a rest/sightseeing day. I took off around town and spent a pleasurable time visiting the sights; the food market, the cathedral, all the little narrow streets, hidden corners and squares as well as dispatch the obligatory postcards. I also managed to re-trace last night’s steps and visited some of the bars in daylight hours. I also made it to Sebas’ bar – ‘O’Ponte’, it’s a bit off the beaten track but well-worth the visit for the amenable host and he also has a weekly jazz session. I lurched home.

Renewing acquaintances in Santiago

Next stop was Santiago de Compostela, a truly magical city. I’ve been here before, the last time as a pilgrim on the ‘Camino’. Willy worked here for over a year and has a network of very interesting friends some of whom I’ve got to know over the years and it is always helpful to have an inside track on the local gossip. Our hosts were Xose, his charming partner Rocio, and man-about-town, bar owner, musician, actor and above all, ‘Galego hasta la medula’, Sebas. Time for a trip around town, bar hopping between showers. First stop was Plaza do Obradoiro in front of the cathedral, this is where all the pilgrims end up. We ended up in a series of bars all ‘round town, I recommend ‘O’Beiro’ for the fine selection of wines and tapas, ‘Derby’ for pure classic café atmosphere and wonderful beers, ‘Bar Tolo’ as a late-night venue, great music and for my money, better décor than ‘Morticia’ in the previous post. It also afforded me the opportunity to prove, yet again, how inept I am at ‘Futbolín’. We also had the local tapas; Octopus, ‘Tigres’(Mussells in a hot sauce), ‘Queso Tetilla’. Then, Sebas, Willy and myself ended up in a great place with a charming barmaid who I knew in another life. We ambled home for the sleep of the just.

Following the Camino

Today’s was a very long drive, made even longer by road works. We followed the ‘Camino de Santiago’ by and large so I’ve seen what’s in store for me when I come to do these sections. At Astorga, we left the main road and followed the Camino over one of its higher points – El Cruz de Ferro beside El Acebo, another interesting visit is to the town of Compludo, buried deep down in a valley. It has a water-powered forge but has only been open once out of the three times I’ve been there. Next stop was Molinaseca where some neighbours from Madrid are from, well, Juanco the husband is. The town was buzzing with holiday makers, a wedding, and the ‘returnees’. The local wine is called ‘Clarete’ so we had to have a sample of that. Our destination was Ponferrada, the capital of the ‘Bierzo’ region of Leon, once an important industrial and mining town, unfortunately this has all gone and given the current economic situation, things are bleak. Our hotel was ‘Hotel Temple’, close to the centre and the railway station. It’s a curious mixture of mock-medieval mixed with 70’s design. Lots of chains, swords, and suits of armour all tastefully designed to look like something out of an José Luis López Vazquez farce. The bar is noteworthy as an American low-bar. It’s a ten minute walk up to the old-town, right beside the impressive Templar castle. Juan Carlos and his wife Misa brought us to a local bar – no tourist would find it – called ‘El Bodegon’, this Spanish word means wine cellar or a still-life painting. This place was anything but a still-life. It was packed with locals all tucking in to the variety of tapas of which they were only three types; a special Patatas Bravas, Calamar, and Mussels. Then off for a little tour around the town and to visit some places that Willy had earmarked for attention, first off was the ‘Tiki bar’ with excellent R n’ R in a Hawaiian setting, very typical of the region. Final halt was ‘Morticia’, one of the famous late night stops in town. As the name suggests it’s motif is Hollywood B-movie (and not so) Horror. The music, once again, was excellent. We bade farewell to our hosts and returned to our particular B-movie, mock medieval, retro mansion.

A winehouse sort of day

Got up early to try out some new photo gear and a few ideas that I’ve been reading about. This digital photography lark is a bit more complicated than I thought. We drove to Elciego, a short distance, to see the Frank Gehry hotel in the Marques de Riscal winery. We visited the installations and it’s well worth the visit. This is wine-production on a grand scale with warehouses and cellars crammed with fermentation tanks, Barrels where the wine is being aged and racks of bottles waiting to be released on to the market. We went back to our hotel for a visit to their installation. The modern winery is being upgraded so the charming Elena took us around the old winery under the hotel. Not as impressive as Marques de Riscal but what was lacking there was more than made up for by the wine tasting hosted by Elena. We tried some wonderful wines from this producer; Bodegas Palacios and had a chatting and putting the world to right, as you do with a glass of class wine and good company. Time for a serious visit to the town. Our intention was to go wine tasting and trying out the variety of ‘Pintxos’ on offer. A few notable bars were visited, among them the cellars of ‘Los Pajares’ hotel. The waitress was superb and recommended several wines as well as other bars in town, ‘El Bodegón’ and ‘El Pórtico’ among them. We completed one circuit of nearly every bar in town and then started again, by this time we were making a few friends around town, Tomás in ‘El Pórtico’ being one. We started a third circuit but called it a day – a very successful day at that.

An Enological encounter

For various reasons, Willy and myself are heading off on another brief road-trip. This time in Spain and focussing on wine and food, strangely enough. Our first port of call was a town called Laguardia in La Rioja Alavesa. That’s the Basque part of La Rioja wine region. After a tortuous escape from Madrid we finally entered the Province of Logroño via the Puerto de Piqueras and the spectacular canyon that is Viguera. Straight through and on to Laguardia where we checked in to our hotel, in a vineyard. In fact the hotel is the old winery. A small and very personal hotel and we were shown to our room, the best one in the house, therein lies a story but I’ll tell you when I see you. It’s a ten-minute hike uphill to get to the town but well-worth it. This is serious wine territory and everything is local – no dud or dodgy stuff here. I don’t really know a lot about wines, colour of the label and price are my criteria, but I’m willing to learn. The Essex Youth Orchestra was in town, playing in one of the churches, Essex girls playing the flute – love it. Back down to the hotel for a slap-up meal. Apart from producing great wine, the local produce is also top-class and, we were invited to a bottle of the special House reserve. Happy days.

Day 12, Do the maths - I added an extra day. Munich to Madrid and what the event cost.

Another wicked breakfast in Schmausefalle and back up to clean up and pack. The receptionist obliged us by ordering a taxi to catch the Airport shuttle from the Space-Station that is the Hauptbahnhof. Checked in and time for a ‘Currywurst’ at Smokey Joe’s a curious mix of an American Dreamliner caravan with wings and a Pratt and Whitney motor attached to the front. I evilly ordered the hottest sausage available. The rest is history. Lufthansa brought us safely back to Madrid (free beers) and in jig-time we were skulling pints at ‘The Lock Inn’ and I carried on to the Moustache competition at O’Donnell’s, where I came 3rd.


The Bill;

We flew by Lufthansa – one of the last remaining classic airlines, the other being KLM well, in Europe.

The car came from Sixt and was a brand-new VW Golf Diesel with GPS

Hotels were booked through www.booking.com, www.expedia.com and through local tourist offices, and were about 75€ for a double room, breakfast extra, booking.com only handle rooms.

Total cost per person – 2,000€ with all the sausages and beer you can eat and drink.