...I get up in the morning, replace the €2 beers from the minibar with their €0.50 equivalents from the downstairs supermarket and head for my rooftop tour of the cathedral - I almost arrive late but I make it - the views are exquisite...I say goodbye to Santiago with a nice cup of hot chocolate...I drive to A Coruña to visit the Tower of Hercules, a 2000 year old Roman lighthouse that is still in use as such!!! Best of all, Monday is free entry. Bea...

...I wonder how my hotel breakfasts get cheaper and cheaper as I move further west. This one even includes fresh orange juice...I visit the cathedral and trying to visit the roof I am told all tickets are sold out for today...I notice people lining up for something in a long line in the center of the cathedral. Turns out is to hug the statue of St. James in the center altar. A very famous ritual here....I see shells everywhere here - souvenirs, tshirts, walls, si...

...León greets me with a surprisingly chilly morning and delightfully empty streets...I stroll around and at the cathedral bump into a tourist group with a guide - eavesdropping, I find out the origin of the city's name: it's not from the animal (lion) but from a deformed Roman word "legio"...I get back to the parking lot and pay for parking - the yellow vest parking wardens are already there and I narrowly avoid a ticket...I notice parking fines are ver...

...I say bye to Salamanca and drive out to the mountains of Ponferrada to visit a world heritage site of Las Médulas - ancient Roman gold mines...I find the village by the site overrun with tourists - I can't even get lunch, no free tables...I trek to a nice viewpoint - my first walk ...I descend to Ponferrada and visit the town center - here too Easter processions are well underway. The town is quite pretty, the castle is very scenic and the setting against...

...I eat a proper Spanish breakfast with five kinds of chorizo, thick hot chocolate and manchego cheese...I head out to explore Salamanca and find it sun soaked and splendid. It's 28C in early April. Only in Spain!...I indulge myself in delicious €0.80 cappuccinos,,,I visit the cathedral, which is nothing short of massive...I find a bust of Franco in the main square of the city...I use ATMs, which speak very creative French indeed (sortir de l'argen...