Follow me on my journey through my first two years of University abroad in Madrid, Spain at Suffolk University Madrid. Here, you will find entries about my travels around Europe and Africa, life in Madrid, Spain, observations, hot spots around the city and Europe! If you have any questions about my experience, feel free to post it up and I will be sure to respond. Enjoy!
October 12th, 2011
100th POST!!! Santiago de Compostela (Day 3)
The day did not start off on a good foot… considering my alarm didn’t go off and I woke up 5 minutes before we were supposed to leave for our tour of the Cathedral Rooftops (SABOTAGE!). It was a good thing I had packed my bag the night before, so I just got ready as quickly as possible and was relieved to see people still eating breakfast. I had enough time to slip in a quick breakfast sandwich before we walked to the Cathedral.
After climbing about 84 GIANT steps, we reach the top of the Cathedral and were rewarded with a beautiful view of the city. We learned that the archbishop to this day lives in the “palace” section of the Cathedral.
The specific design of the rooftops acted as an easy walking ground for soldiers to defend the city, as the Cathedral acted not only as a religious sanctuary, but as a sort of fortress lookout. “In the Middle Ages, pilgrims visited the roofs of the cathedral. A the stone font, overlooked by the “Cruz dos Farrapos” (The Cross Of the Rags), they carried out the ritual of the burning of their old clothes worn on the pilgrimage” (Museo De La Catedral).
We were given a couple hours of free time to wander around, so Lauren and I went to check out the Medieval Artisan Market where the were selling jewelry, sculptures, candles, cheese, reed infusers and many other cool things. I ended up buying a cool leather cuff which I had been wanting to get for some time. The Medieval performers from the nights past were in the Plaza that day, so we sat down and watched/listened to them perform for a while. I wanted a CD SO bad but unfortunately, they hadn’t made any. It was the coolest sound ever and they were dressed to the part.
For our last meal in Santiago de Compostela, we went to Restaurante San Clemente. Did they feed us well! We had the BEST fried calamari I have EVER had! Other appetizers included thinly sliced ham with olive oil and paprika, Croquetas de jamón, and of course bread. As our main dish, we had what tasted like pot roast but looked like pork, with vegetables and potatoes. It was SUCH comfort food. So much, but so delicious! And for dessert we had a variety of mini cakes, such as Tarta de Santiago (an almond cake), leche frito (firm, sweet, cold milk-pudding fried) and Tarta de queso con membrillo.
It was a great ending to a great weekend in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia. After a 7-8 hour bus ride, it was great to be back in Madrid and in the apartment which has become my home :)
Until next time!
To see all of the pictures from my trip, visit my Shutterfly here!
