An Epicurean Odyssey: Galicia part II (incl Santiago)

Lugo has the appearance of a generic Spanish mid-sized city until one suddenly arrives at the dense, undulating walls that surround the old town. For those particularly interested in Roman remnants, Lugo is the only existing city in the world completely surrounded by intact Roman walls. Within the walls, the vehicles and casual commercial activity of the town give way to the quietness of cobblestone streets and antiquated buildings. Despite its beauty the old town was almost eerily empty on a sunny August afternoon. We had truly arrived at Spanish tourism's outer reaches.

In the old town the most interesting building is the structurally intricate cathedral, which defies attempts to photograph it it one frame. The 12th century edifice incorporates numerous different architectural styles and appears radically different from every angle it is viewed at. Around the central square Praza Major are several other beautiful buildings. The town hall is reminiscent of the one in A Coruña on a smaller scale. The Círculo de las Artes cultural center also stands out for its green hue and elegant design touches.

The plaza itself is a shady respite within the old town with beautiful landscaping and numerous benches on which to take a breather from sightseeing.

Before leaving Lugo we stopped at an immaculate gourmet food store to peruse local specialties and pick up a snack for the kids.

As it goes quite often on our trips, our arrival in Santiago de Compostela was complicated by a difference of opinion between Google Maps and Airbnb regarding the location of our apartment. Eventually our host arrived to guide us to the correct door and I located the nearest parking garage. Street parking near the center of Santiago de Compostela is inconceivable. It was clear that we had rejoined the international tourism circuit that we had left a week earlier in San Sebastian. Santiago is the capital of Galicia and the final stop of all the St . James pilgrimage pathways, as the city's cathedral was built upon the reputed site of St. James' burial. The night was drizzly and chilly enough to require layered clothing. We set off through the narrow streets of the old town to dinner at Abastos 2.0, a popular seafood tapas adjacent to the covered market. We had just enough time to order and consume one of everything on the menu before the rain drove us away from our al fresco dinner and back to our Airbnb.

Tuesday morning we were eager to wash away the market failure we'd experienced in A Coruña. The name of Santiago's market, Mercado de Abastos, was a good omen. The market by the same name in Oaxaca, Mexico is possibly the most spectacular market we've ever visited outside of China. Santiago's version takes place inside and outside a collection of long granite hallways, each one dedicated to a different specialty. The market was bustling with both locals and tourists and there was no shortage of small restaurants where freshly caught seafood was being served. We passed a pleasant hour running back and forth between different restaurants placing orders and trying to remember where we still had to collect food from.

We returned to the center of the old town and found it had become quite crowded. The current of people in the narrow streets finally brought us to the square where the amazing Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela was located. There were probably over a thousand people in the square, many of them walkers of the Camino waiting to be let into the cathedral for the final step of their pilgrimage.

Once we had seen the market and the cathedral there was really no reason to dawdle longer in Santiago de Compostela. It was a pleasant and vibrant city well-deserving of its tourist patronage, but quite compact and devoid of attractions outside the old center. I had chosen two cities to stop in on the way to Porto. The first was Pontevedra, a mid-sized city on the southern bank of the river Lérez. The attraction here was a typical Galician city that would be almost free of tourists, yet still offer some interesting sights.

The absence of street parking anywhere near the center forced us to walk some distance in order to reach Pontevedra's highlights. This proved to be somewhat of a blessing as the outer parts of the old town were quite atmospheric in their own right. We indulged in our favorite activity of choosing the narrowest street available at every fork, surprising ourselves when the route suddenly opened into a new charming square.

Pontevedra's scenic center is the Praza da Ferrería, a wide open space surrounded by cafes. In the squares and alleys around Praza da Ferrería are majestic churches, parks, and some Gothic ruins.

There was no shortage of majestic churches in Pontevedra. The magnificent Basilica of Santa María la Mayor is the essence of Gothic architecture both in its design and its placement in desolate splendor atop a rocky hill at the edge of the old town. I was thankful to be seeing the sinister-appearing church in broad daylight as even the gathering grey clouds overhead were starting to raise the hairs on the back of my neck.

Tui is a well-preserved medieval village on the northern side of the Minho, the river that forms the northern border between Portugal and Spain. We parked the car in the designated area for visitors and ascended through the nearly-deserted flagstone alleys and stone staircases to the town cathedral. At the highest point of the town we had partial views of the river and some Portuguese houses on its southern side.

On the way back down to the car we passed the Portuguese-styled Capela de San Telmo and stopped at a juice bar for refreshments. A few minutes later we were waving goodbye to Spain for the second time on this road trip.