Month: October 2018

Toledo, when seen from the opposite bank of the River Tagus, is simply stunning. It is a view, you feel, that has not changed in five hundred years. We went out on a bike run as soon as we arrived and literally came round a corner to be confronted by this amazing vista and just went wow!

The Silver Machine has been parked up at Camping El Greco for the last four nights. We’re only really here because Paul and Imelda planned to join us and their preferred option was to fly into Madrid Airport. Toledo seemed reasonable driving distance if they hired a car, and there was a decent campsite on the outskirts. We had absolutely no idea at the time how beautiful and interesting Toledo was going to turn out.

The campsite itself is very good, it has decent sized pitches, excellent heated toilet and shower blocks and an onsite restaurant and bar. It is on a bus route although at 3 kms it is a pleasant enough walk into town. At 30€ per night, 2 people, motorhome and electricity it is on the expensive side, but it is in a prime location with little competition.

Unfortunately the weather decided to be a bit mixed with a bit of rain on Friday and Saturday and overall it was quite cold. Despite this we still managed to explore much of Toledo on Friday and Sunday, and took the car for a run on Saturday to Talavera de la Reina. Luxury!

We spent a lot of our time just wandering about the narrow streets of Toledo, appreciating the age and beauty of the place. Toledo was an important city over the centuries. In the 6th century AD it was the Visigoths capitol and later the capitol of Christian Spain before Madrid was awarded the honour.

We did visit the impressive Cathedral, the Sinagoga de Santa Maria la Blanca with its Mudejar arches, and the El Greco Museum. We did come across a statue of Federico Martín Bahamontes, a highly successful cyclist known as the Eagle from Toledo. The won the Tour de France in 1959 and the King of the Mountains 6 times, amongst many other successes.

El Greco moved to Toledo in the 16th Century when he received a commission to paint an alter piece in one of the convents. He fell in love with the place and stayed until he died in 1614 and many of his paintings can be seen in the city. The museum is housed in a restored 14th century building and has been done in such a way as to show how El Greco would have lived as well as show off his paintings. It is really well done, enjoyable, informative and even more importantly it was free!

The cathedral is an exceptional building. Started in 1226 on the site of a Visigoth Cathedral and Mosque, it is claimed to be the biggest cathedral in Christendom. It is certainly big, hugely ornate with so many intricate carvings and has many impressive religious paintings. A self guided tour was expensive at 15€ euros, but was well done and well worth it. The tour included a trip up the tower which was well worth it for the views and the 17 ton bell.

We “hit the town” on Sunday evening, our last night together. We would have anyway but we had the additional excuse that it was my birthday. Toledo is just a beautiful and vibrant in the evening as it is in daylight and we had a great time. In fact the whole weekend was great having Paul and Imelda there. Thanks guys for coming and we’ll see you sometime, somewhere, next year.

The Silver Machine is parked up in Area de Baeza, behind the bus station, and short walk into town. It a new Aire, with modern drive over services, and free! We are here because we are on our way to Toledo, just south of Madrid, to meet Paul and Imelda, chums from Brixton, who are flying in for the weekend.

Our 1999 travel guide also sold Baeza to us describing it as beautiful and unusually rich in Renaissance architecture. Apparently when Baeza was finally won back from the Moors, it did not immediately benefit from the economic resurgence seen in many of the other towns we have visited over the last 2 weeks. Instead it was the 15th century when Baeza became wealthy through textiles that the nobles of the day commissioned eminent to architects to design churches, palaces and other public buildings in Renaissance style. It is these building which make Baeza the lovely town it is today.

With a population of 16,000, Baeza is relatively small, so a slow saunter around the town this morning allowed us to see everything we wanted to see. Which is good, because it freed us up to go cycling in the afternoon. We have managed to get out on the bikes both afternoons we have been here which is great as the surrounding countryside is stunning and the road network, through big rolling hills, is made for challenging cycling.

Olive oil production is huge in Andalucía generally, and the area around Baeza is no different. It is literally olive groves as far as the eye can see and must be the areas biggest employer by far.

The Silver Machine has been parked up in Cordoba for the last two nights. We arrived here on Sunday, late morning, after spending Saturday night in Zafra. We are in a huge car park across the road from Cordoba’s football stadium. There is no facilities but it costs 2€ per night and it’s only a short walk to the historic centre. In between matches it’s used as a Aire, a car park for buses taking visitors to the city, a place for lorries to park up overnight, and an over flow car park for the shopping centre also across the road. Sound noisy, you bet it is! Having said that on Sunday night things really quietened down about 11pm, and we had a decent sleep. Unfortunately, on Monday night there was a refrigerated lorry parked close by whose fridge kept kicking in on a regular basis, all night.

Known locally as little Seville, we only really stopped in Zafra because it had a free Aire and basic service, but it turned out to be a delightful little town. It has two impressive squares, the Plaza Chico and the Plaza Grande, which we could reach with a short stroll down the Calle Sevilla, the main shopping street. Just off the Plaza Grande is the Iglesia de la Candelaria and a network of pleasant narrow cobbled streets flanked by small two story white painted houses. We had planned to spend two nights here and perhaps get a bit of cycling in, however the forecast suggested that it was going to be rainy on Sunday so we just decided to continue to Cordoba.

Heading to Cordoba, we finally leave the Ruta de la Plata behind which we have followed on the N630 or A66 more or less since Ponferrada. The Ruta de la Plata is an ancient road, built by the Romans and joins Seville with Gijón and is one of the 4 main pilgrim routes, from Seville to Santiago de Compostella.

What a beautiful, delightful city Cordoba turned out to be. You can literally spend hours, and we did, wandering though the winding narrow cobbled streets, many not even wide enough for a car. The architecture has changed dramatically in Cordoba and is much more distinctly moorish. As you walk past the houses and a door happens to be open, more often than not, you can see along a corridor to an enticing, brightly coloured, courtyard garden. You don’t really need to think where you are going as there really is something fascinating around each corner.

We took a bike tour of Cordoba for two hours on Monday morning. There was only four of us, including the English speaking guide George and Mellisa, an Australian from South Wales, who is spending 6 weeks touring Europe. It was reasonably good value at 25€ each. It was certainly an education in cycling, racing through the city Spanish local style, zig zagging through narrow alleys, jumping up onto pavements to go the wrong way up up one way streets, and dominating zebra crossings to cut across the flow of traffic. The locals seemed pretty relaxed about it all. If we had cycled like this in the UK , there would have been a lot of grumpy people! We covered a lot of ground, visiting parts of the city we would not otherwise have seen, and of course got an understanding of the buildings within the context of Spanish history, we might not otherwise have had.

We identified two places that we really wanted to see: the Mezquita, the great Mosque and the Alcazar de los Christianos.

The Mezquita, first built in the 8th century, is accessed through a large garden courtyard and is truly awesome. You enter into this vast space, filled with pillars and painted arches and it is literally jaw dropping. When Christians recaptured Cordoba in the 12th century they built an grand cathedral in the centre of the mosque and the mix between the two is simply astonishing. We are not sure we have ever been in such an amazing building.

The Alcazar de los Christians was the Palace/ Fortress of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isobella. The Palace is self is unfurnished and there is little remaining to wander around but it is the gardens which make the visit so worth while. Again the Moorish influence is apparent with the formally laid out gardens dominated by water terraces and fountains.

We had a couple of beers on our last night sitting in the Plaza de la Corredera, watching the moon over the far buildings. This square has been used for many things over the years, filled with cafes and bars it is the place to come to socialise and be seen and there are markets held here daily. In the past it has been used for bull fighting and more darkly executions. It was a very pleasant ending to our stay in this great city. There is no doubt we will be back, but I doubt we will be staying in a car park!

For most of this trip, to a greater or lesser degree, we’ve written about the Roman influence on the towns the Silver Machine has been parked up in. Well after leaving Cáceres, the Silver Machine landed in the Car Park Teatro Romano, Merida, where we’ve been staying for the last couple of nights, and we’re completely surrounded by terrific Roman archeology.

It was only an hours drive down the A66 although we had to rely on the sat nav to get up here once we entered Meridia. The car park provides mixed parking, including buses, for the near by ruins and the Aire is in a discrete area in the far corner. The bad news is it’s 12€ per night and includes basic services, electricity is 3€ extra. The good news is that it’s all about location. Most things you would want to visit are all within a 15 minute walk from here.

The history of Mérida mirrors the history of the towns we have stayed in really since we left Ponferrada and reflects the history of most of Spain. Town founded and fortified by the Romans within the 1st century BC, taken over by the Visigoths around 4th Century, captured by the Moors around 7th Century, won back by Alphonso IX in the 13th century and handed over to the Knights of Santiago to allow them to continue their Crusade.

Mérida differs in that there is little evidence left of a medieval citadel of the you sort you can see so spectacularly in Zamora and Cáceres. Instead it is buildings from the Roman occupation, spread across the city, which continue to amaze visitors today.

We headed for the Roman Amphitheatre and Theatre first, both in the same site and only about 10 minutes walk from the Silver Machine. Tickets cost €15€ each to see all of the 6 attractions you have to pay for in Merida, with no time limit, so no brainier really. In addition to the Theatre and Amphitheatre the tickets included: a Roman House, a Graveyard, the Alcazaba – an Arab Fortress, the Santa Eulalia Crypt and the Roman Circus.

The amphitheatre is impressive, but it is the theatre which has the real factor. I don’t think I have seen anything like it outside Rome. Built between 16 and 15 BC, it had the capacity for about 6000 people. Plays were performed here, council meetings and debates held, and even parades regularly marched across the space.

The amphitheatre was built about 8BC and has a capacity for about 30,000 people. The shape of the arena is elliptical and within it fights between gladiators and gladiators and wild animals were held.

We had time to visit the Circus or Race Track and the Santa Eulalia crypt before things started to close. The race track is huge, and the track really wide in the straights. It could house 30,000 spectators which according to the tourist bumph makes it one of the biggest ones in the Roman world. The site is really atmospheric and you can really imagine the gladiators racing chariots around the track.

The archeology around The Basilica and Crypt of Santa Eulalia is complex and the explanation in Spanish, but as far as we could understand, the church was build over the crypt, which houses the remains of the bishops from the see from before that time. In turn they wished to be buried there as it is close to the remains of St Eulalia, a child martyr who had to undergo 14 tortures before eventually dying.

The Basilica itself is relatively small, dark, having few windows but unusual it looks like it was build to expose large parts of the crypt bringing it almost into the space of the church. The base of the pulpit can be seen disappearing into the crypt and the entire space behind the alter opens up into the crypt. Overall I think it gives a slightly eerie, spiritual feeling.

The Alcazaba was something of a surprise. Partly as we weren’t expecting anything Moorish but mainly because of its size. Built initially by the Romans, the Moors really developed this fortress, which could house 2000 troops. It is built at the end of the Roman bridge leading to the city and guards the entry to the gate. It has been used by most armies over the centuries including both sides in the Spanish civil war.

Merida itself is a very pleasant place just to meander around and walking between each attraction really allowed you see different parts of the city. Although more modern in its construction the Plaza Espania is a particularly beautiful square, full of life and atmosphere. We’re had a wander around on Friday night and it was packed with people sipping beers and wines outside the many surrounding bars and teenagers just hanging out around the square.

Merida is a lovely city with ‘world class’ Roman archeology. Selfishly it was a real pleasure walking round the Roman Theatre without the hoards of fellow tourists which normally accompany such an attraction. It must be the geographical isolation which keeps Merida off the tourist trail, but I think it is only a matter of time before it is ‘discovered’ and the hoards will come. A word of advice: get here quick before that happens.

The Silver Machine has been parked up in Camping Cáceres for the last 4 nights. It’s a large campsite, about 4 kms from the town centre, and probably the best equipped pitch we have ever been on. Who’s ever heard of having your own bathroom, water supply and waste disposal? Well you have now because that’s what we got, indeed every pitch on site has these facilities too. And because we were here for four nights we only paid for three as part of a deal and with our ACSI Card it means we are average 12.70€ per night. That’s what we call good value.

Although it was dry first thing, the weather forecast was rain for Cáceres on Monday, getting heavier as the day went on. We headed into town anyway, catching the bus at a stop less that 10 minutes walk from the site. We thought we would take the chance to orientate ourselves to the old town and perhaps focus attractions which were inside.

The walled city is something of a time capsule. The 11th century walls, were built by the Moors on original Roman foundations. The Arco del Christo, the oldest entrance way survives from the Roman occupation. The city flourished after Alfonso IX of Leon recaptured Cáceres in 1227 from the Moors and its development, in the following 400 years until economic decline in the 16th century, shaped the city we see today. Medieval cobbled streets, Renaissance and Gothic palaces, churches, fortified houses and 30 towers are all crammed tightly together within the encircling walls.

We entered the city though the impressive Arco del Estrella, leading from the Plaza Mayor. It’s fantastic just to wander around the narrow streets, most buildings had signs describing what you were looking at.

The 12th century cathedral is well worth the 3.50€ entrance fee, with its impressive 15th century ceder wood alter, library and panoramic views from the bell tower.

The museum was free to EU citizens, well that’s not going to last long, and again was well worth a visit. Housed in the in the Casa de las Veletas, this museum has contemporary art, archeology from the region and an Aljibe, basically a water cistern, built by the Moors.

While we were staying in Camping Cáceres, although the weather has been variable we did manage to get out on the bikes a couple of times. The road, initially at least is busy and the landscape flat and, other than some granite outcrops, olives trees and some small stretches of water, pretty uninteresting. The first day we headed for a large man made lake and on the second Arroyo De la Cruz. As it turned out both turned out to be the highlight of the journey. Arroyo in particular was bigger and much nicer that we anticipated.

Having decided to “investigate” there are so many Irish pubs in Salamanca, we decided we would have to stay another night so that we could visit these bars and interrogate the staff. It turned out to be a good move as the weather was beautiful on Saturday, 25 degrees and sunny, and we would have wasted it travelling. Today it’s been pretty cold so much better for moving on.

We spent the morning doing a bit of a spring clean in the van, both the habitation area and in the garage. In the afternoon we went out for a bike ride. I had a 29 mile circular route planned following the white roads on the map. Unfortunately it turns that white roads on a map in Span are not necessarily paved, so we had to develop a plan B which was basically to cycle where there was tar! All was going well, in fact we were almost home when the tar just stopped, no warning, just changed to bulldozed track. So we had to about turn and return through Salamanca itself. Fortunately, being a holiday weekend the road was quiet, unfortunately we added an extra 9 miles to our run.

We headed off to Salamanca to carry out this essential piece of research cunningly disguised as tourists. It was a warm evening and it was really pleasant sitting outside, sipping beers and watching the world go by.

We had read that there has been an Irish connection with Salamanca dating back to 1592 when Father Thomas White set up a College for Irish priests as a result of English persecution of Catholics in Ireland. (Apparently there were 34 centres for Irish Catholic clergy across Europe). This connection lasted until 1952.

Given this relationship with Salamanca, it had to be more than just coincidence that there were so many Irish bars. We set about our assignment with commitment and a real sense of anticipation. All the pubs were great and good value at 3€ a pint, but the Irish Theatre was a bit special. Although it looked like it had been an old theatre converted into a bar, it had actually been built as an Irish bar with a theatre theme. It was astonishing.

So, on our travels, we asked each member of staff in every bar, why so many Irish Pubs? And the answer each person gave? Because they are popular. How disappointing!

It was an easy drive 40 mile drive today, on the A66, to reach Salamanca. We stuck to the motorway because the landscape remains almost featureless, and the alternative N630 passed through so few towns, that we could see little benefit taking this route. The only thing of note was that we are beginning to pass though wine country, in particular the vineyards which produce the Toro and Rueda wines from the Tempranillo grape. We bought three bottles of Toro in Zamora last night to take home. Mmmmmmmm, wonder if it’ll make it?

The Silver Machine is parked up in Camping Ruta for two nights whilst we visit Salamanca about 2.5 mls away. Its quite a nice site, 60 pitches and the facilities are good. It’s an ACSI site so it’s good value at 17€ per night including electricity.

We caught the bus into Salamanca from a stop right outside the gate. Today is a national holiday in Spain which meant the bus was every 2 hours instead of 25 minutes. It wasn’t a problem through as the campsite owner has given us a bus timetable and map.

Salamanca is know as a great university town and according to our Eye Witness travel guide, is Spain finest showcase for Renaissance architecture. The university was founded in the 1218 and continues to add a vibrancy to the city with its international student population.

The historic centre is relatively small and easy to explore on foot in less than a day. We followed a route outlined in the tourist guide and we were surprised how quickly you covered the ground.

The bus dropped us off close to the Plaza Mayor, This magnificent square is something of a focal point in Salamanca. Apparently they used to hold bull fights here, but now it’s solely a place to meet, slowly stroll around and generally spend time socialising in the many of the cafes and bars. The Royal Pavillion, from where the royal family used to watch events and the town hall face are both located on the square.

From there we wandered down the Calle de San Pueblo, past the Paliceo de Fonseca, nice courtyard, never mind the gargoyles, and the Torre del Clavero to the Ingesia- Convento de San Estaban. This large church has a an impressive highly ornate facade which is apparently described as Plateresque.

We did a little detour to the Puenta Romano, a bridge build by the Romans in the 1st century, before heading for the Cathedral Vieja and Cathedral Nueva. These cathedrals are unusual in that when the 16th century Salamancans decided they needed a new cathedral, they built it adjoining the original 11th century cathedral rather than replace it.

As luck would have it, on approaching the cathedral the first entrance we came to seemed to allow access to the roof of the cathedral for 3.50€. I say “seemed”to” as it was as much as we could understand. In reality it turned out to be much more than that and well worth the cash. We did end up on the roof walkway of the original cathedral but not before being able to look down on the knave, all the way forward to the alter. From here. we were able to access the “new” cathedral at roof level and ended up on a walkway, high above the knave providing a magnificent view of the interior.

The only way from here continued to be up as we were next directed to climb the bell tower all the way to the bells. The stair case is so narrow at this point that they have introduced a traffic light system so that people are not coming down as people are going up. Luckily we were on our way down before the bells struck and luckily it was only one o clock.

We continued our tour after a pleasant lunch just down from the cathedral. After finding the Casa de las Conchas, or the House of Shells, we had seen most of what we wanted to see so we just wandered around. We found a pleasant little garden, close by the cathedral, with some fine views back over towards the Inglesia-Covenanto San Esteban.

Finally, what is it with Irish pubs in Salamanca? There are at least 10 in the city and we began to think we were in Dublin. Mmmmmmm…..we’ll have to investigate tomorrow, I think!

…….or I thought it was but apparently I’m confusing the football chants about Bobby Zamora with the Dean Martin classic. “When your sat in row z, and the ball hits your head, that’s Zamora”.

Anyway the Silver Machine is parked up in a very pleasant Aire in Zamora and the town is certainly very easy to fall in love with. We thought we would stop for a night on our way to Salamanca, but we’re so impressed we felt we had to stay another night.

The aire itself has space for about 25 motorhomes, each in their own dedicated space, two service points with full services, portable toilets which are cleaned daily, and all for free. The oldest part of the town is only minutes walk away and it is simply stunning.

The huge city walls, which remain largely intact, were built in the 9th century at the height of the clashes with Muslim forces and rise high above the Duero river. Inside there is a unique collection of Romanesque buildings mainly built in the 11th and 12th centuries, a ruined castle and a cathedral.

The most important building is the extraordinary 12th century Cathedral, its most eye catching feature, the striking scaly dome. Inside the knave is almost square, with the elaborately carved walnut 15th century choir stalls dominating the centre. The side chapels were unusual in that they were used solely to display religious figures. Iron grills forged in the 15th century also dominate the internal space.

Perhaps best of all though is to simply wander along the medieval streets or walk along the Duero, with the walls towering above you, or sit in the Plaza Major sipping beer and watch the word go by. Zamora has a lovely relaxed, friendly feel which just make you want to hang around. When we arrived we met an English couple who came for one night but stayed for four!

We did manage to get out on the bikes to test out our dodgy knees on the Meseta, the allegedly flat plateau of central Spain. The cycling was a success, but in sharp contrast to the beauty of Zamora, the surrounding landscape is almost featureless, the fields covered in grasses burned dry with the sun. Where the ground was ploughed, it revealed a very red, sandy solid. It was difficult to guess how farmers made a living from this land.

Finally we solved a mystery. Walking around Zamora we spotted these huge nests on the taller buildings, all made with large twigs, but with not a bird in sight and we couldn’t guess what they could be. Finally, last night, sitting in the Plaza Major sipping a beer, just as daylight started to disappear, these storks started to fly into the town like the B52s of the bird world and perch on the roof around the square. It was an impressive sight it has to be said. Apparently having storks in your town is something to be proud of.

We left Santiago on Sunday morning, heading for Ponferrada, in the Provence of Leon, 135 miles down the N547 to Lugo then onto the N VI for the rest of the route. We chose Pontferrada as it begins to take us south, has a pleasant historic centre, and more importantly has an impressive Templars Castle. We had originally planned to stay the night in Lugo but it turns out there is a fiesta there for the first two weeks of October and they put a carnival onto the aire during this period. Never mind there is always next year!

The drive itself was very pleasant winding through very green, tree lined valleys, pleasant towns and villages and the Picos de Europa as a backdrop off to the north. It turns out that we were following the French Way pilgrim route in reverse and the number of people walking to Santiago was incredible. Indeed, the road was so quiet we saw far more pilgrims than cars.

We parked the Silver Machine in a free aire on the outskirts of the town. There were another four motorhomes when we arrived but eventually there was only two of us when we shut up for the night. Imagine our surprise when we opened the blinds to discover eight motorhomes parked up. We have no idea when they arrived.

We arrived mid afternoon and we set off straight away to explore the town and make the best of the afternoon sunshine. It’s only 600 metres to the castle and the historic is quite compact so it doesn’t take us long to arrive at the impressive drawbridge and entrance gates. On the way there we visited the Basilica Nuestra Señora de las Encina, a renaissance church with a 17th century bell tower. For a relatively small church it is very ornate and has 2 small chapels as part of the larger nave. At the back of the church, there are life size statues, contained in glass cases, portraying the crucifixion and death of Christ prior to resurrection. I have to say it was a bit spooky.

The Castle is very impressive and well worth the 4€ reduced rates for seniors. I know and we look so young. The Castle was greatly expanded by the knights Templars in the 13th century after it was gifted to them by King Ferdinand the Second to guard the way to Santiago de Compostela.

In the evening we had a very pleasant walk around town, just before the sun disappeared. As ever in Spain, particularly on a Sunday night, the streets, especially the historic centre, were full of people of all ages sauntering about, chatting to friends and family. There are a lot of very inviting cafes and bars in Ponferrada and even at this time still had lots of people sitting outside watching the world go by. There is a low wall which runs up the side of the castle moat and there must have been at least thirty older people squeezed together sitting on it.

The Silver Machine is now parked up in Leon, in an aire only a mile from the centre and immediately across from a shopping centre. We were sitting chilling after our supper when a passing car stopped, started revving loudly and produced alarming amounts of exhaust fumes. The guy got out and and jumped about a bit gesturing that he engine was switched off and he couldn’t do anything about it. At one point We really though we might have to abandon ship. Eventually FOUR fire engines appeared.

Earlier in the day we explored the old town in Leon. It is an area which would have been encircled by a Roman wall, some of which still exists today. It is a lovely area to stroll through, with cobbled, narrow streets, small squares with bars and restaurants and some very impressive buildings.

Spain generally shuts down between 2 and 5 and the cafes and restaurants fill up with Spaniards having what for us would be a long and very late lunch. One thing we’ve noticed in our last few stops in that everyone is drinking alcohol either beer of glasses of wine. Nobody is drinking coffee. I just cant see me going back to work after lunch.

The photos above just some of the impressive buildings on show. On the left shows the alter of SAN Isidoro and top right the Romanesque style exterior. Middle right is a building by Antoni Gaudí in the late nineteenth century. Finally bottom left shows one of the better preserved sections of the massive Roman wall which would have protected the early town almost 2000 years ago.

Leaving the best till last, Leon’s gothic cathedral is truly stunning and with its 1800 square metres of medieval stained glass, high walls and vaulted ceilings, is one of the most impressive interior spaces we have ever been in. It was build in the mid 13th Century and completed in less than 100 years. The circular west rose window dates back to this time. The aim of the master builders was to try to create the representation of heaven on earth and they certainly achieved an ethereal beauty.

Santiago de Compostela is a really special place to visit. Believed to be the burial place of the Apostle St James, pilgrims have been walking the Camino De Santiago, from all over Europe, for over 1000 years. In 2017 over 300,000 people collected the Compostela, the official certificate awarded for those who have walked the route and collected the required number of stamps. Although the Camino is used as more of a challenge by many walkers, there is no doubt that for many there remains great spiritual meaning.

The city centre is an easy, if rather dull, 30 minute walk away from the campsite, which is why we were prepared to pay 30€ per night. As an alternative to walking there is a good bus service with the bus stop only 200 metres away.

Whilst we visited the cathedral there were 3 services being held concurrently in side chapels, and they were busy, and two confessional boxes were available throughout the day. As you wander round the cathedral, you get a real sense of the millions of pilgrims who arrived here through the Portico de la Gloria, their sacrifice, devotion, hopes and fears. Pilgrims who came here to pray before the overwhelmingly ornate alter, climb the stair behind the alter to touch the statue of St James, before visiting the crypt containing the silver cask with the bones of the Apostle.

We were left with a sense of unease that we had simply rocked up in a motorhome as tourists and getting good photos seems to be the purpose of our journey.

Outside the Cathedral, the majestic Praza do Obradoiro is the focal point for all pilgrims arriving in the city. People with rucksacks on their backs and weary legs are constantly arriving in the square, shaking hands, hugging, cheering and taking the obligatory photograph in front of the twin towers of the Cathedral. It is difficult not to get caught up in this happy, celebratory atmosphere.

Santiago de Compostela is more than just the Cathedral of course. The compact historic centre, with its narrow streets, small squares, numerous chapels, monasteries and palaces, is a joy to wander around. Most of these buildings have a story to tell, many are accessible to be public and free.

As ever there are many cafes, bars and restaurants where you can sit, eat, drink and generally watch the world go by.We were really struck how reasonable everything was priced. At one cafe asked for two cafe con leches, they arrived with some churros, sweet bread. We also asked for a croissant. When it arrived (the waiter had to go elsewhere to buy it) it was enormous! Three euro fifty the bill was. We certainly weren’t expecting that!