Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Alright, I admit it. I cheated. I went to Santiago de Compostela to watch the pilgrims make their way into the city, but I did not walk a single step of the Camino de Santiago. It was cheap and easy to get to and hey, I’m a mostly unpaid street photographer. I chose to skip the potentially 780 kilometer walk and hang out for a few days. What I discovered for the second time is that my capabilities in Spanish bounce back faster than I expect, and that Latins are the happiest Europeans. Or at least they smile the most. Above all, my most precious discovery is the magical and amazing taste of green Padron peppers that are pan-seared in olive oil and sprinkled with coarse salt. I could basically live off of them. Be aware that if you’re standing at the wine stand in the middle of the market and ask about some cheese or meats, there is a kind wine seller who will escort you to a deli stand, where you will ask for a little plate of various things to try. They will proceed to give you a massive plate of mixed cuts and you will be snacking on it every evening in your hotel for the next 3 days, but you will not be sad about it.

In the deli meat area, a vendor noticed me taking a picture of him and seemed to give me a dirty look so I quickly snuck away. Later I came back for a second pass and took pictures of the vendors across from him, when he came over and tapped my shoulder. I turned around and saw him with a serious expression, and thought “Oh no, it’s finally the day I get told off by someone.” Then he smiled and started to tell me something, my brain goes blank when I’m nervous, so I asked if he speaks English, he shook his head “no” and repeated what he was saying while pointing at the camera and then pointing at himself. Realizing he wanted a portrait, I followed him back to his stall, took some shots and showed him the results, then he approved and wished me a nice rest of the day.

Another anecdote is what I believe were thespians loading furniture into a moving van, it was interesting to watch them play group mind Tetris. Unfortunately, it was perhaps a foreshadowing of my big apartment move in Prague that I wasn’t yet aware of, but that’s a story for another day.