Living out in the countryside near Santiago de Compostela has its perks. It’s quiet, the views are unreal, and best of all—it’s a short drive into one of Spain’s most fascinating cities.
So yesterday, we decided to make the most of it.
The Hotel That’s Older Than Most Countries
We started the day wandering around the Hostal dos Reis Católicos, which—fun fact—was originally built as a hospital for pilgrims in the 1400s.
Nowadays, it’s a luxury parador, but it hasn’t lost an ounce of its old-world grandeur. The minute you step inside, it just feels heavy with history—like you can almost hear the shuffling footsteps of exhausted pilgrims from centuries past.
We strolled through the courtyards, traced our hands along stone walls carved with stories, and tried to imagine what it must have been like when this place was packed with people who’d walked for months just to get here.
Patricia was in her element. Me? I was mostly just trying to find a good spot for a coffee.
La Tita: The Tortilla That Breaks All the Rules
Of course, no trip into Santiago is complete without tapas.
And for us, that means La Tita.
This isn’t just a bar, it’s an institution.
Here’s how it works: you order a drink, they give you free tortilla. Not just any tortilla—their famous, slightly undercooked, ridiculously creamy tortilla española.
I’ll admit, the first time I heard about it, I was skeptical. Runny eggs? In a tortilla? Sounds like something you’d get yelled at for in most Spanish households.
Then I took a bite.
Game over.
Fluffy, rich, just the right amount of gooeyness. The kind of food that makes you rethink your life choices.
Clearly, I’m not the only one who thinks so—there’s always a queue out the door. Always.
Did we eat too much? Yes. Did we regret it? Absolutely not.
A Cathedral That Still Stops Me in My Tracks
Stuffed and slightly in need of a nap, we wandered back toward the cathedral.
I don’t care how many times I’ve seen it—it never stops being breathtaking.
The spires, the carvings, the sheer sense of age and importance. At night, when it’s all lit up and the crowds thin out, it’s even better.
That’s when we ran into an old family friend.
The Treasure Hunt We Didn’t See Coming
Totally random, but there he was. We hadn’t seen him in years, and apparently, he’s got one of the most bizarrely brilliant jobs I’ve ever heard of.
Corporate team building in Madrid.
And we’re not talking about those awkward trust falls and icebreaker games. Nope. Graffiti workshops, MasterChef-style cook-offs, treasure hunts.
Where did I go wrong?!
Turns out, one of his clients was in Spain and wanted to squeeze in a quick visit to Santiago.
So he set up a treasure hunt.
But instead of gold and jewels, the clues led them to hidden details of the city.
Tiny scallop shell carvings tucked into old stone walls. A centuries-old olive tree in a hidden courtyard, supposedly marking the halfway point of an ancient Camino route.
They even stumbled across a forgotten little chapel behind a row of shops—one of those blink-and-you-miss-it places you’d never know was there unless someone pointed it out.
Then there were the architectural quirks.
Like a gargoyle shaped like a pilgrim clutching a scallop shell (marketing genius from medieval times, I suppose) and secret symbols in the cathedral’s rose window.
Santiago is full of this stuff. You just have to look a little closer.
The Smallest Big City in Spain
Funny how you can be in a city full of tourists and still bump into someone you know.
Then again, Santiago’s that kind of place. Big enough to get lost in, small enough that it always pulls you back in.
Wouldn’t have it any other way.
