Enjoying a day off in Lugo
5/20/2019

After a nice relaxing breakfast in the hotel, and with directions in hand for the closest ATM location, I made my way to the Roman Wall and historic center of Lugo. No sooner had I entered Porta de San Pedro and walked a few steps when I heard men yelling my name from somewhere above. I cannot believe that the Italians - Massimo, Pietro and Enzo - were yelling my name from the 2nd story of the albergue they  were staying in just as I walked below. And, I must admit that I love how these European men pronounce my name with all three of its syllables, with the accent on the first one. Sounds so much better than just Barb.

When I went back into the walled town again for a late lunch at Las Cinco Vigas, those three wandered in and sat at the table next to me! BTW, the baby sea scallops I had were truly amazing! The only problem was that there weren't enough of them. And the omnipresent sourdough bread was perfect for mopping up the melted butter in each shell. I would eat there again if I had another day in Lugo!

After the ATM I headed directly to the Cathedral e Museo Diocesano - stunning inside and out. It took me a while, but I finally got the credential (now only one cathedral left for the trifecta). The challenge was in finding the stamp, but finally a priest saw me enter an area that was somewhat restricted. When he saw that a just wanted a stamp for the Camino he was relieved; started chatting with me in rapid-fire Spanish (I don't know how they do that without taking a breath); then he handed me a holy card, then another holy card and when he was just reaching for a third, I said very sincerely no thank you as nicely as I could. He seemed genuinely hurt, but I'm not even interested in organized religion so I'd really have no use for holy cards.

Some interesting factoids about the Cathedral...

• the building of the Romanic temple began in 1129
• in the 14th century the original chancel was replaced by the circular nave and Gothic apse chapels
• later renaissance and baroque additions were made with 18th century facade

I took a photo of the town hall, Casa do Concello, before strolling around the full circuit of he Roman wall, taking interesting photos.

Praza Maior

Some interesting factoids about the Roman Wall...

• constructed in the 3rd century and still largely intact
• has a length of 1.24 miles around the historic center of Lugo
• contains 13 portas (entry passages)
• it is the only roman wall in the world that is complete
• declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000

Ronda Da Muralla

Eventually back to the hotel room to relax and pack for another walking adventure tomorrow.