Typically it seemed to take ages to wind through urban streets and search for all the yellow pointed arrows. Worse still was meeting a major busy roundabout with shops because the little red arrow had me cross over and cross back again..bewildering. And Father Christmas and his 2 ladies seemed to be ahead of me on every corner. I guess the Canadians know what they are doing as well as the Germans.
I know I am not quite there because I have to reach the old town. The biggest fear is to pull up the email that gives your list of hotels for the night….if you can call some of them that…then you switch from your app with the red arrow to google maps and put in the address. You have walked alone for hours when suddenly this really loud voice from google starts shouting instructions….so embarrassing .
The sudden emergence of the SAN Isadore church and the Gaudi museum takes your breath away. It’s Saturday afternoon and the place is buzzing. I get to this old hotel just off the way and collapse.
MY SPECIAL MOMENT!!!
When got to the hotel the receptionist said
“Oh Carol, You are special. I have something for you”
FOR ME?…It was a parcel . I stood there and opened up a beautiful card saying ‘YOU GOT THIS” and it was stuffed with love hearts and lick rice all sorts!! Inside the card every member of my super staff…who are super in ALL AREAS…had signed a word of love or encouragement. There were pictures from my babies!!!
I put my head down and wept.???
It didn’t take long before I was out. There were people and metal statues on every corner. The shoe shop had a sale, I could go back there and get those Berkenstock sandals, maybe they have a Mango and a Zara here. I found a hairbrush in the Chinese supermarket…yeah.
Just on the corner from me was the busy old town street that was heaving. It opened onto a square with the famous Casa Botines which is a masterpiece by Gaudi. It was square tall and elegant building with quirky cylindrical towers at each end. I liked it. Just up from there was a long park that they actually close at night and then you open up into another square. Its one architectural treasure after another.
There was the 11th century basilica of of San Isidoro built on top of Roman remains and a medieval city wall. You have to walk through a door of forgiveness!!! Apparently the sculptures there are from Maestro Esteban who made the famous doors of Santiago cathedral. Not bad I guess, and of course there was a museum next to it but I didn’t pay to go in. You seem to have to pay to go everywhere here and a lot of the churches just shut the doors.
I got a stamp for my pilgrim passport there and decided I had to look at the cathedral which was the others end of this busy street. Calle Ancha. The cathedral seemed to charge you so I left but I found out later that if you go to mass, they let you in!! Well Sunday was tomorrow so that was a plan?
I wandered back into this San Isadore square and parked myself outside in a lovely cafe and waited till 8pm so that I could have a Paella!! 12 euros…I was thrilled….It was a black hot platter of delicious rice with 2 prawns, half a chicken wing, 5 peas and a tiny piece of red pepper. I didn’t complain…I wolfed it down….ate the free sweets in my room …..and slept?