EUROPE BLOG April 26th, 2023 - SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

4/26/23- There’s just something freeing about being in a foreign country and waking up to the daylight shining through the windows. This morning is just that as we prepare for what the day may bring.

We have a tour of the Cathedral set for 5pm (hoping for good weather as its currently overcast and we’re going on the roof). With some time to spare, we explore the old city of Santiago further. I had no idea how vast this place is with small alleyways and buried buildings around every corner, and each street seems to have a life of its own one way or another.

We circle back toward the cathedral to go inside the worship area, which is free for anybody. The intricate designs and crypt are quite a sight to see and a good way to spend a few hours.

It’s now 3pm and we are craving food. We stumble upon a restaurant with outdoor seating and a view of the cathedral, and when we check the menu we find pasta. How did we miss this yesterday, especially since it’s literally right outside our hotel? Two plates of pasta coming up, one with shrimp and one carbonara, along with a pitcher of Sangria. Once again, the food is excellent.

Ready to get going, we walk the town a bit more and arrive at the cathedral for our scheduled tour. They scan our tickets before confirming we’re okay with Spanish only, which we nod our heads, and off we go. I mean, even if it was in English we probably wouldn’t have paid much attention anyhow with all of the photos we plan to take.

 

Immediately, we’re met with several flights of stairs, and I can already see Sharece start to rethink her decision. Yet, she pulls through and makes it to the roof of the cathedral. Once we step outside the doorway we’re met with an awesome view of the city with a complete blue sky as a backdrop. I can’t believe how fortunate we’ve been on this trip as each place has given us at least a day or so (if not more) of beautiful weather.

Walking up the slant of the roof, I’m surprised they allow people to be able to come up here as any false step will be a bad fall, but I’m not complaining as the view of the bell tower and cathedral are breathtaking.

The entire tour lasts an hour as we’re given plenty of time to see each corner of the cathedral and take whatever photos we need. It’s the extra stairs to the top of that cathedral that about kills Sharece. “We need a wheelchair on stair 5, please!” I admit, I wasn’t sure she’s going to be able to make it, but slowly and surely she managing one flight at a time. I’m so proud as her bruised heel has been sore for weeks now.

Going down the steps doesn’t provide her much relief, and as soon as we hit the bottom we’re ready to go back to the hotel for the night. We try to celebrate the day with a glass of Port but the souvenir cork we purchased in Porto breaks in half. First world problems I know, but I did go back out again to buy a new one so we can take the bottle with us without having to drink it all tonight.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ITALY BLOG SEPTEMBER 9th, 2025 - PORTOFINO

Image
  9/9/25– I wake up to the sound of thunder rolling outside. Thankfully, we have nothing to do this morning and able to sleep in. We check the weather and see it should clear up around 1pm, so we decide to go ahead with our Portofino plans. Our hot water stopped working yesterday and our AirBnb host stops by this morning to check it out. Unfortunately, the issue is broader than what she can handle and calls a maintenance person that won’t be here until later. Good thing is, we ask about how we can call a taxi for the day we leave and she offers to take us herself. Wow, didn’t expect that and greatly appreciate the hospitality. Shortly after noon we notice the rain beginning to let up. I check the ferry schedule and see a 1:15pm time that goes to Portofino so we get ready for our day out hoping the weather holds up. It takes ten minutes to walk to the port (everywhere here seems to take ten minutes), purchase our tickets and take a few photos around the pier before we embark. ...
Read more

ITALY BLOG SEPTEMBER 2nd, 2025 - ROME

Image
  9/2/25– Another day, another timed ticket in the morning. This one is for the Galleria Borghese Museum and gardens at 11am. We’ve missed on previous trips and made sure to include this time around. We eat our pastries for breakfast (that we purchased yesterday) and called an Uber around 10:30am. I am a bit nervous for a moment wondering how close one would be, but only took a few minutes and we arrive at the Borghese ten minutes early. Upon entering the museum, we are asked to check our bags before continuing on. We oblige, get our check item number and proceed to the first room of the gallery. Wow! The room is decked out in marble from ceiling to floor with sculptures in every corner. I don’t know what I was expecting, but this is definitely better. We continue to the next room and it’s more of the same, with beautifully painted fresco on the ceiling and gold radiating throughout. Every attention to detail is present, including the elegant chairs and mosaic flooring. The...
Read more

HAWAII BLOG FEBRUARY 6th, 2026 - HAWAII BIG ISLAND

Image
  2/6/26– Wake up, eat breakfast and get ready for our day out… same-o, same-o. Except for one minor detail. We need to get Sharece some long pants and a jacket. Hmmm Jeff, why would you need that in Hawaii? Well, apparently their mountain, Mauna Kea, can get pretty cold and windy and we didn’t think about this coming in. No worries, we leave a bit earlier and Wal-Mart is on the way so Sharece runs in for her warm clothing and presto we are on our way. The drive takes an hour and a half. We can’t ask for a better day as there’s hardly a cloud in sight (unusual for this side of the island). By the time we reach Waipio Valley Lookout, we jump out the car and dart down the short hill to see an incredible view of the valley and coastline. All the greenery is lush, the sky nice and blue and our cameras can’t get enough. It is a touch warm at 80 degrees so we escape to the shade every now and then, but the view is simply amazing. Next up is Akaka Falls which features a 442 foot wat...
Read more