I was quite pleased this morning, waking up and not having to pack all my stuff into a backpack and get walking for 20+ kms!
We decided to change up our routine and try a different place for breakfast, so we went to Don Leon's, where I had a café con leche and a chocolate croissant. But actually, before we even went for breakfast we had a tour of the cathedral in Lugo. It's a magnificent church!
There was one statue in particular that struck me to the core, a statue of Joseph and Jesus. They are walking, perhaps in the field somewhere or outside their house in their yard, Joseph holding Jesus' hand, and as they walk, Joseph glances down at a delighted and joyful Jesus. Joseph's glance towards the young boy is so tender, so embracing, so loving, it really touched me. And Jesus too, he has such a joyful and trusting expression on his face. It's the image of a good and healthy father-son relationship.
In the tradition of the church Mary gets so much attention, I sometimes feel bad for Joseph, and so I welcomed this beautiful image. The artist got it just right.
After touring the cathedral we walked around the muralla romana, the Roman wall that encircles the old part of the city. Lugo is one of 2 cities in the world that still has such a wall. What's unique about it is that it encircles (what would've been) the entire city (in the middle ages). It spans about 3kms, and took us an hour to walk, at a slow and leisurely pace. As always, I took pictures during our walk: many pictures.
The timing of our visit to Lugo actually couldn't have been more perfect, because this whole week is fiesta. They're celebrating their patron saint, San Froilán, and so most people have the week off work or school, and there are festivities everywhere.
One of the things that I've found refreshing about Spain is that there seem to be lots of children around, everywhere. In the western world it's unusual to see places with many kids, but I wonder if Spain bucks that trend.
Below is a picture of a culinary specialty of Galicia, pulpo. Octopus is advertised in almost every food establishment. I tried some at lunch, and thought it was just ok, it had the feel and texture of squid, and it tasted similar, but then again, my seafood tastebuds are rather underdeveloped. Jen liked it more than I did. We also ordered pimientos de padrón, small, salted and seasoned grilled green peppers. Now they were good!
After touring the cathedral we walked around the muralla romana, the Roman wall that encircles the old part of the city. Lugo is one of 2 cities in the world that still has such a wall. What's unique about it is that it encircles (what would've been) the entire city (in the middle ages). It spans about 3kms, and took us an hour to walk, at a slow and leisurely pace. As always, I took pictures during our walk: many pictures.
The timing of our visit to Lugo actually couldn't have been more perfect, because this whole week is fiesta. They're celebrating their patron saint, San Froilán, and so most people have the week off work or school, and there are festivities everywhere.
One of the things that I've found refreshing about Spain is that there seem to be lots of children around, everywhere. In the western world it's unusual to see places with many kids, but I wonder if Spain bucks that trend.
Below is a picture of a culinary specialty of Galicia, pulpo. Octopus is advertised in almost every food establishment. I tried some at lunch, and thought it was just ok, it had the feel and texture of squid, and it tasted similar, but then again, my seafood tastebuds are rather underdeveloped. Jen liked it more than I did. We also ordered pimientos de padrón, small, salted and seasoned grilled green peppers. Now they were good!
Below, a gigantic pot of paella. Mmmm.
For dinner we stayed inside the ancient Roman walls and ate at a restaurant. This caused a bit of tension for Jennifer I think. She wasn't that hungry and was wanting to be a bit more picky in terms of choosing a place to eat, including going to a place that would mean we wait upwards of 30 minutes for a table. I, on the other hand, was starving, and just wanted to go to a place where we could sit down without too much of a wait. Usually she wins out on restaurant selection, and I'm ok with that, but tonight I think I bulldozed my way through to get what I wanted.
Tomorrow we want to walk to San Román. We've concluded that the best option for walking is this route, as it's short and well marked. The route between Lugo and Sobrado, because it's not officially part of the Camino, is not well marked, and very long. The plan then, is to walk 20kms tomorrow, somehow find our way back to Lugo, stay here for the night, and then head to Sobrado by bus the day after tomorrow.
I'm so glad to be here with Jen. To be sure, we've grown a bit distant this past year, but maybe this time together can reverse that. I'd welcome that, because I enjoy being with her. I always have.
No comments:
Post a Comment