The
pilgrims were streaming past our hotel window when we awoke.
Before we set off for the day we walked over to the cathedral to have a stickybeak inside. It was completely full (something I have not witnessed before) of pilgrims and other onlookers, awaiting the midday ceremony. We headed back to the hotel, passing a traditional folk band complete with dancers and bagpipes. Next it was off to the shipbuilding town of Ferrol, where we had arranged to meet one of Patsy and Philip’s friends’ sons, Alex, for a tapas lunch. Alex trained in Adelaide as an aeronautical engineer and gained employment at the ASC (Australian Submarine Corp) and is currently in Ferrol to oversee shipbuilding which had been contracted to the Spanish company, Navantia. After this brief catch up, we continued on a short distance to Mari-Neive’s (or Mary-Snow) house, another friend, where we would stay for four nights. Mary-Snow lives in a lovely little cottage in the countryside. We were greeted very enthusiastically and soon settled down for another, even later lunch. It was all very tasty of course, the highlight being the local speciality, empanadas. Soon we set off to another local house to celebrate the 89th birthday of Mary-Snow’s auntie, Tia Lucita. In all there were twelve guests, all sisters or cousins of Mary-Snow, and it was quite a party! More food was placed on the table and by this stage we could only manage to nibble at it. After the dinner was over the musical instruments came out! Firstly José on his Galacian Bagpipes and then Vitugo on his guitar, with all the Spaniards singing along.
Wild dancing broke out with people being thrown and spun in every which way (including me and more alarmingly Tia Luthita) across the dance floor. A most enjoyable evening was had and by 11:30 we were well and truly ready to hit the sack.
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