Guggenheim, a video slide show in HD

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Best coffee in the north of Spain!

By the time I got back to Santiago, it was evening, or perhaps not. If it'd been evening I would probably not have wanted coffee, but I did...

Walked past a few and chose San Jacobus on Rúa do Preguntoiro. My instinct was good. I'd been terribly disappointed with all the coffee I'd had during the whole of this trip, but the one here was perfect! The right temperature, the perfect strength, the ideal (for me) balance of coffee and milk... Even the churros were good! The hot chocolate was very good, too. Thick but not so thick you'd need a spoon to drink it with.

If you're looking for a good cup of coffee, this is definitely the one I'll recommend!

In spite of it being about half past eight or so, there was still a fair amount of light and the sun wasn't setting yet. This was the only day that it hadn't rained since we arrived, so I decided to see what I can shoot around the streets of Santiago. I may just have to open the aperture all the way and/or crank up the ISO, I thought.

Just me, my camera and I...

Sans commentaire... Well, maybe just some captions. ;-)

An ice cream man without ice cream?

Well, well, well, the ice cream man has found himself an audience!

On the Highway to Hell...

When we were walking towards O Curro da Parra, we heard a band belting out 

Sweet Home Alabama

Where the skies are blue

Sweet Home Alabama

Lord, I'm coming home to you!

and they sounded quite good. I said let's see if they're still playing when we finish.

I must admit that while I was enjoying the meal, I had all but forgotten about the band, but when we stepped out of the restaurant, we heard faint strains of some guitar music from somewhere. Hey, they're still playing!

We walked as quickly as our digestive system would allow us, following the sounds of music. We didn't have far to go. There was a healthy crowd and it was a free open-air concert. I wasn't sure if they were contracted by a bar or not, but most of the people were just standing around the band and I couldn't see beyond them as it was quite packed.

The axeman

They were a really good cover band, playing music from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. A bit of The Beatles, The Stones, AC/DC... There were two drummers, but not playing at the same time. I hadn't noticed it that night, but looking at the photos, I saw that one of the drummers - probably the original one, from his age and style - had what looked like remnants of a plaster on his right arm. I don't know how he could still hit it so hard... I used to play the drums, too, so I know how it is.

Introducing... a surprise guest!

He introduced a surprise guest, a lady friend. She introduced herself as an Irish living in the Canary Islands! I wonder where!

Belting it out...

Axeman could sing, too

Livin' easy, lovin' free...

We're on the highway to hell!!!! Highway to hell!!!

Well, she was a prime example of why one shouldn't judge a book by its cover. She sure packed some lungs, this Irish lass. Highway to hell, no less. Boy, could she sing. She had the crowds (of all ages, by the way) going like crazy. Unfortunately, she only sang just that one song. "More! More! More!" from the crowds couldn't bring her back. I guess she had the chance to rehearse only one song with the band.

The Look

Encore! Encore! Encore!

They played a few more songs without Janis Joplin (haha, my nickname for her), the crowd lapped it all up and wouldn't let them go. I don't remember how many encores they did, but they had to stop some time. I suppose there must be a local law prohibiting loud noises after a certain hour. It was, after all, a residential zone (I think).

What a fun evening!

Restaurante Abella Romero Noya Jesus, a review

I was really knackered. All that driving the day before, the walking in the rain the wrong way, the subsequent late dinner, etc... I didn't have my shower until around 3am! My exhaustion and the comfortable apartment was a combination powerful enough to keep me asleep until 11 in the morning.

I went out, looking for something to have for breakfast in the apartment, but couldn't find any supermarkets that were open. I think I wasn't fully recovered from my exhaustion, and it was cumulative exhaustion. I'm not used to driving so much...

So, skipping breakfast altogether, we had lunch at Abella Romero Noya Jesús. After the previous night's dinner, we were looking for somewhere significantly cheaper, and this looked economical enough.

For the cost, it was a fairly decent joint. It was the sort of restaurant where you would walk out of smelling like fried fish & chips though...

No photos again. The mussels were large and juicy, the sort Galicia is famous for, the seafood soup wasn't salty as it tends to be in most places in Spain, and the pulpo was good... Service was fine, but nothing to shout about. Apparently, it's famous for their steak and chips, which is nicknamed "Crocodile" - not sure if it is because of the portion or the toughness of the meat...

Recommended if you want something basic and economical, but the competition is stiff around here. So, take your pick.

It kept drizzling on and off the whole day, and the sky was overcast and grey, to match my state of mind and body. Today was to be a car-free day and we stayed in town, taking it fairly easy. It being so overcast, it was hard to get enough light to do any architectural or landscape photography, and most of the time, the camera stayed in the bag because of the rain.

Having said that, I did manage to get some shots of people instead of places. With people shots, I can open the aperture all the way and get enough speed to avoid handshake issues, although, it may not be quick enough if the people are moving. With the aperture at maximum, one step and the subject is no longer in focus.

Hold it steady now...

Drizzling in Plaza Quintana

Smiling in the rain

That's it over there

Observing

Galician Wailing Wall?