El Camino de Santiago

With my classmates busy taking exams for four days, my host parents and I agreed it was the perfect time for me to take a trip to see more of Spain other than just Madrid. Which is how I found myself in a little village (pueblo) that's entire downtown consisted of, wait for it, one street.

The housekeeper of the house I was staying in and I hit it off and I have been invited back to stay with her and her family anytime I'd like. Her husband is the town baker so, definitely not a bad place to stay. Thankfully the village is just 15 minutes outside of the city of Santiago, the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, located in Northern Spain. And by far one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela where the apostle Saint James is buried and the ending place of the El Camino de Santiago (or The Way of St. James) a 1-2 month pilgrimage from France to Santiago  made on foot by tens of thousands of people each year.

The smallest street in Santiago. Standing in the middle, I can touch both walls with my elbows.

And it leads to a private little cafe.

A traditional desert in Santiago

A replica of the Cathedral

The weekend market

Where because it had just been Carnival the week before I got to eat "ears" a typical desert in Santiago during Carnival. Made to look like ears, but actually just flour, butter, liquor and sugar. In short, heaven. 

My host family for the weekend also took me to see different villages near the beach (my first time seeing the ocean in six months!)

 My favorite place though, was the small fishing village of Rueiro De Combarro built basically on the water

18 cumpleaños + Carnival = Fiesta

Forget Sweet 16, in Spain 18 is THE year. Driving, voting, legally becoming an adult, all that happens at 18 here, so they typically go all out. Well, my birthday happens to fall on Carnival, a week of masquerade parties and lots of great food.

So my week started with mexican food (my first in 6 months) and a birthday cake (pastel de yema) 

And a day of shopping for Carnival costumes and accessories with my friends Mallory and Jesus

Jesus got into it

A trip to the Corte Ingles for coffee and a great view of Madrid

And of course it being Madrid we found lots of little ways of entertaining ourselves

My birthday was followed by a costume contest at school for Carnival 

and yes, that is the head security officer of my school as Snow White

Abuelo Jesus y Abuela Angela

The rest either need no explanation or...just can't be explained

And Friday night my friends and I headed to Kapital discoteca to celebrate my being allowed in disco's now (you have to be 18 to get in). Kapi is famous for being the largest club in Madrid, with 7 different floors, each devoted to a different type of music. So we spent the next 5 hours dancing from floor to floor, definitely a fun way to spend my birthday. 

And sleeping was a great way to spend the rest of my birthday.