We have planned to eat all meals in today to economize and to get some more nutritious, less fatty foods. Only problem is we did not get to a grocery store yesterday so we have nothing for breakfast. But, we ate so late last night that we are not really hungry.
Today is a spare day. Originally we had one day in Santiago after we hiked in and this one day to do our other tasks. But, we spent four days here upon our arrival so today really has no agenda.
We left the apartment and walked to a Día grocery store and bought rolls and yogurt for breakfast. Then down to the square and into the tourist district to look for gifts. We tried to get in to see St. James again, but mass was in session and there was no
admittance.
John had mentioned that the first bus in the morning was at 7:00am, a little too late for his 9:15am flight. They had scheduled a taxi. Our flight to Madrid and Barcelona tomorrow also leaves at 9:15am. We were hoping to avoid a taxi fare. I noticed a bus schedule at a bus stop and saw there was a 6:00am bus, but that it made limited stops. We searched out the TI office to ask. It took us a while to find it as all out mapping apps showed it to be somewhere else. The woman who helped us was very kind and knowledgeable. We found we could catch the bus about a block from our apartment at 6:10am. She gave us a map and sketched in the route of the bus and circled our stop. She also suggested we stop at a museum on our way back to see its distinctive circular staircase.
It has been two months since I trimmed my beard. In photos I bare a striking resemblance to Santa Clause, plus in this mid 80’s heat it is uncomfortably hot. I poked my head into a barber shop hoping he could give it a trim but he said he was booked with appointments all day. There are scissors in the apartment. I’ll have to do this job myself.
The museum was very good, an historical perspective on the people and culture of Spain. The staircase was mind blowing. Actually, it is three spiral staircases twisting up the inside of the tubular column st 120° apart at the base. The steps are solid stone and cantilevered ou er from the wall with no structural support at their ends. The weight of the stone wall holds them in place. Each staircase spirals up with exits to the various floors, but only one goes all the way to the top of the tower.
We stopped to load up on groceries at the Día, getting paella and shrimp for dinner and bread and cheese for lunches. We forgot to buy eggs for breakfast.
Back in the apartment we cemented our Barcelona day agendas, trimmed my beard, cooked dinner, napped and packed.
We had gotten tickets to hear a choral group from Minnesota sing in one of the chapels at 8:30pm. We headed out about 6:30pm to find the bus stop for the morning, visit the square one last time and attend our concert.
The bus stop became a problem. Our wonderful TI lady had circled a spot that was totally under construction making it impossible for a bus to stop there. We walked up and down the road looking for any kind of sign that a bus could stop anywhere along the route. Nada. We asked a local pushing his baby in a stroller. He pointed us further down the route to the next stop. We walked that way, but saw nothing. However there were two elderly women and a man sitting on a bench. They were able to point us at the location of the bus stop another couple hundred feet up the road. Yep! It stops here. A temporary sign was posted on a light post marking the spot. Just then the 6A bus coming from the airport came the other way and stopped across the street. I ran over and asked the driver. He confirmed that the bus did indeed stop there at 6:10am tomorrow morning.
We headed back through town, following the Camino route we had walked a week ago. We sat in the square for half an hour watching people, then moved to the church where the concert was taking place. It was an hour of choral/churchy music. They were very good with some good soloists. Since they were from Minneapolis, Minnesota it made me think of a Garrison Keillor. While waiting for the concert to start I looked him up on the web. I’m glad I did because it put me in the right frame of mind to watch these Minnesotans who must have practiced all year for their big European tour.
We returned to the apartment, made last minute adjustments to our stuff and called it a night. Alarm set for 4:45am so we can shower, eat and get to the bus stop with time to spare. Another amazing day in Spain.
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