Poptarticus

Shannon’s Super Sexy Blog. Music. Travel. Randomness. And a Lot of Wine.

Estamos Aqui!

It´s about 7:15 in the evening of our second night in Spain. All´s I can say is, I really,really, really love this country.

We are in Santiago de Compostela, and our hostal is on the very edge of the big square, Praza do Obradoiro. I can´t even begin to tell you all how amazing this square is. The cathedral is massive and every time we walk out the door it´s the first thing we see. When the cab dropped us off yesterday, totally exhausted, our jaws dropped. It´s a pretty impressive public space, let me tell you. I wasn´t really prepared for it.

There was a public demostration in the praza yesterday, and the entire square was filled with people waving flags that said “S con luma.´´ There was a big stage and a giant screen, and in between the people talking on stage, they showed images of the fires that recently ravaged this area, and then politicians talking on screen with words like “`manipulation,´´ “incompetence,´´ and “lies´´ imposed on the bottom of the screen. The people in the square were very emotional and heated and it was pretty powerful. Me and mom pretty much got it that they are not too happy with the way the government is handling the pursuit of whoever started all those fires. I know nothing about why and when and for what reason but I could still feel it. I almost started crying.

The rest of the city is a maze of twisting streets and houses made of granite. There are bars and restaurants everywhere. Everywhere. This also reminds me of Venice – wherever you go, there is some really cool little spot to have a glass of wine and a tapa.

Speaking of tapas, can I start talking about food now? After our bit of time checking out the demonstration, we walked down the hill to a little bar. It was just a local bar – nothing special. A couple of local guys drinking beer and reading the paper. At this point we were really tired – you know that 23 hour journey and now I am not feeling so great kind of tired. I saw the owner in the back frying up a Spanish tortilla – the frittata of eggs and potatoes that is a staple in every Spanish bar. She came out and we ordered two glasses of white wine, and she poured them and then brought us a couple of squares of the freshly made tortilla, and a dish of olives. Then she brought us a little dish of pimientos padron, the little flash fried green peppers that we fell in love with on our first trip here. We had two more glasses of wine and some other guy gave us a plate of banderillas, pickled vegetables on a stick. And when we asked for the bill, I was shocked. It was 5.20 Euro. 5.20 EURO. The day before, stuck in O´Hare airport for four hours, we dropped about seventy bucks in the Wolfgang Puck Cafe for four glasses of wine, a salad, and a little pizza. The equivalent in this bar? SIX DOLLARS. For better wine, too.

After that we slept for a while – we had to – but then we went out and had more tapas. In one place, a little dish of miniature chorizo and a plate of bread brushed with tomato and oil, and in another some empanadas stuffed with tuna and some fried sardines. Then we went to a really cool wine bar and had some of the local cheese – called Tetilla because it is shaped like a woman´s breast (I think) and some red peppers stuffed with a seafood mixture. This was my big splurge of the night because I ordered a reserve Rioja at the whopping price of 4.50 Euro a glass. It was a fine night of eating and drinking, and it all came in for well less than a couple of rounds at the O´Hare airport.

The Spanish know how to do it right, food and wine-wise, that is for sure.

We walked home through the square, the cathedral all lit up, and watched some young musicians dressed in costumes play and dance. There were probably fifty people there, watching them, laughing, and singing along. Then we went home and totally crashed.

Today we really got out and explored. It´s an easy city to walk in, clean and safe. It seems extremely livable. I know where I am, I can get around, I don´t get lost – I move from campo to campo. Did I tell you this place reminds me of Venice yet? We had to stop, of course, for a couple of tapas. We had bread topped with a mixture of lettuce, mayonnaise and ham, and bread topped with cured chorizo, and bread topped with a pickle and fresh anchovy marinated in vinegar and sugar. We also had more pimientos padron because we are seriously hooked. I´m hooked on this city. Gotta go have some more tapas now. Bye. Oh, actually some messages. Stella – I was happy you talked me out of the big suitcase my very first day. Deborah – you need to spend one week in this city when you come here next year. Clive – I bought a little bottle of that crazy brandy you were telling me about. Everyone else – this place rocks and I am never coming home. Just kidding. OK now it is really bye, because I have to go eat some little sausages now.

3 Responses to “Estamos Aqui!”

  1. Deborah Says:

    Shannon, I can’t believe it took you three whole paragraphs to start talking about food!
    Reading every word with growing envy. Keep eating and drinking and telling us all about it.

  2. Pauline Says:

    Shannon!! Connie!! How wonderful to read a blog post so soon after arrival. I have been thinking about you both everyday since you left!!

  3. Clive Says:

    I have some of those padrons growing in the garden. We’ll flash them on the plancha for a snack when you get to us. Travel safe.

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