Now we get a full day in Santiago, where we can poke about and see what makes the city pump. First thing we notice is that there are a million students here. Maybe it is the start of the year but, there are many university kiddies running around talking loudly drinking loads of coffee and having fun. It looks like a good place to be a student.
A friend of mine, Jorge, was kind enough to give us some tips around town, as well as all through Galicia. This was his home town so we had a chance to visit some recommendations of his for food ideas and eating places, too. It was great to have some local insight.
Bodeguilla de San Roque was a really nice place. We did find Santiago to be a little more expensive than other parts of Galicia though, I blame the tourists ;)
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I am obsessed by manhole covers, I saw a video on the net that did prints from them. I WANT to do this, who is in? |
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Sneaky street art. |
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More man hole action.... could be a different website.... |
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Like the daddy or mummy of this guy. |
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Selective washing. |
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More man hole action! |
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Unlike Polish chestnuts these can be eaten, well, eventually. |
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Fountains of the town. |
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Yep, you guessed it, more empanada love. |
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Orange cake looking, well, orange. |
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When there are no tourists, Santiago is a beautiful city. |
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But they have an amazing market, you can buy and get people to cook it for you there. This is the restaurant aisle. |
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These guys are just putting their feet up for now. |
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Chorizo in this part of Spain is just something completely different, incredible and high quality throughout. |
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Cheese is everywhere, and amazing. |
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Cows, sheep, goats and buffalo cheese are easy to get. |
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Or some local seafood, like these razor clams. |
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A happy lobster. |
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Fresh as the morn. |
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More delicious cheeses. |
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Crazy fresh fish and squid. |
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After the markets we needed some sustenance, we ordered cañas, which came with some fabulous salami style sandwiches on wholemeal, not always the most common. |
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Going down quicker than sandwiches! |
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There is also a famous chain/restaurant called 100 Montaditos which are these little sandwiches and on a few days of the week you can get each one for 1 Euro. Not bad for a little snack on the run. I got in trouble for trying to take photos inside. |
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I feel like this guy sometimes, the weight of the world and the podgy little stomach. |
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We could see hints of Autumn more in Santiago than in other areas. |
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We walked all around town, tried some great food, and then finished at the fantastic Cafe Bar Granell in the Parque de Paxonal. Drinking the most amazing Galician Nordes Gin, it is a great way to contemplate the halfway stage of our trip. |
Overall Santiago was quaint, over run by students and tourists and because of that it felt a little soulless in comparison to other places. When you are away from the masses like the bar above, it was lovely and a great place to be.