27 Sep 2023: Logroño (rest day)

Ok, the problem with the streetlight was easily solved; the room has one of the standard European roll-down shutters. I’m very familiar with them, it’s just that the controls were hiding behind the curtain.

And Old Town is 2km away. I explored the Church first (not sure it’s the cathedral). Omg! The altar reredos! Four stories tall of life-sized carved wooden figures, and enough gold leaf to make Montezuma cry.

Beautiful Gothic fan vaulting, no stained glass except a few windows in the clerestory, gorgeous gilt life-sized Santiago, complete with pilgrim hat fastened with a scallop shell (one has to decode the accessories to decipher which saint in being portrayed).

I popped into the tourist office for my daily stamp — the one from the pension counted for yesterday and I need one every day. Asking for menu recommendations at the place across the street, the young woman gave me a booklet of all the pinchó bars! With map! And pictures of each one’s house specialty dish! Yum! And they are all right here in Old Town. It’s pub crawl time. Pinchós is the regional word for tapas, the glorified bar-snack-cum-appetizer that is ubiquitous in Spain.

Of course, the place I picked from the booklet as choice #1 was closed for vacation. I start wandering up and down the alley, looking at menus, trying to decipher dishes with my very limited Spanish, and getting hungrier by the minute. Finally I settle on a place. The server is absolutely delighted to have his first customer of the day. I ask for a menu (cart in Spanish); I can decipher about 5%. With the server’s help, I end up with the best meal I’ve had in Spain. A tomato salad (salads often come with tuna).

A flat white fish, smaller than a flounder, redolent of garlic and served whole. Pretty close to a Spanish version of Sole Meunière.

For dessert, a pistachio cream.

All so delicious!

And such a welcome change from the several-snack meals I’ve been making do with. The albergues generally do some sort of communal evening meal, which I do enjoy. It’s a trade off with the dorm sleeping arrangements. The nights with private room, I’m on my own. The problem is, Spanish meal hours. Lunch, the main meal of the day, is around 1-3pm. Everything closes until dinner at around 8; except for the bar/cafes with their pinchos/tapas snacks.

Lodging: Pension La Estación, Logroño