Yesterday, we went to Santiago de Compostela. It took about an hour to get there from the port of La Coruna. We went through a brief shower on the way, but it was nice though cool when we arrived. Our guide, who was actually Italian, was very good and we did a very thorough walking tour of the old town. We spent a lot of time at the center of the city at the Plaza del Obradoiro. There is a huge Romanesque cathedral there that we spent considerable time investigating.

The other buildings around the plaza were also impressive. We actually had lunch at the Hostal de Los Reyes Catolicos, a former hospital that is now a luxury hotel. We ate in a chapel of the old building, which was different. Lunch was okay--fish soup, followed by a spinach and pork terrine, then chicken and potatoes, and ice cream for dessert. They poured a tasty rose to accompany the meal.

Gail also found a very nice shop that had great ceramics and nice jewelry. Of course we did some "damage" there, but I've learned that if we see something I better not say we'll see it elsewhere at a better price. Actually, I thought prices were fairly reasonable given the weak dollar and the fact that we were in such a tourist area.

In the cathedral, there is a silver urn with the ashes of St. James, the Apostle of Santiago. St. James could be seen everywhere. Despite a chancy forecast, it turned it out be a beautiful day, and we had thought that this was one of the better excursions we've been on.

We returned to the ship just in time for trivia, but took advantage of a lull to do laundry. We met the Simpsons for dinner, which was good. They had done a walking tour of La Coruna, the port, which included a stop at a couple of places for tapas. They said that they really enjoyed that excursion and their guide also.

Seas became very rough at dinner time with huge swells. While we were eating, not 15 feet away, a section of ther ceiling fell in the dining room. It was at least 4 x 2 feet and luckily it was over one of the main walkways and no one was walking there at the time. It could have done some serious damage. It was a bit humorous watching the staff cope with the event as they shoved wires back up and tried to fasten the ceiling piece with tape. Hopefully, a more permanent solution will be found. We are going to watch ourselves when walking in there--if we remember.

After dinner, Gail and I went up to the Observation lounge to watch the seas. They were pretty impressive, and walking was not easy. In fact several elevators were turned off because of the rough seas. Eventually, we went back to the cabin to call it a night. We turned back the clocks as Portugal is an hour behind Spain and France.

Today, we're off to the Minho Province of Portugal and the city of Braga. The weather forecast is good.

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Eugene