Odds and Ends

For my final Spanish Camino blog post, I have few, random observations about Spain from my Camino experience.

The Spanish economy is a mystery to me. Unemployment has been over 25% since 2008 yet at any given hour in any given bar/cafe/restaurant you will find people, often lots of them. Real estate prices have dropped over 50% since 2008, yet there are 'For Sale' signs on the most dilapidated, run-down, decrepit properties I have ever seen. Is everybody sharing a common illusion of economic wealth or do they just subscribe to the 'make the most of a bad situation' philosophy?

Accommodations were generally quite good and some were exceptional but one thing that seemed to be consistent was the inconsistency of the Spanish rating system. Two of the worst hotels I stayed in were rated 3* while a few of the best had no *s. Feedback from TripAdvisor or booking.com was much more reliable. Once in Galicia a new type of accommodation became available: Casa Rurals. These were similar to B&Bs without the breakfast. I stayed in one that could have been a former castle and another that likely began its life as a barn (pictured).

Regions in Spain had many more differences than I expected including different languages (Basque, Catalan, Castellano), different customs and different food. I loved the different Spanish wines, pinchos (kind of like mini tapas), seafood paella, grilled trout and sardines, thick Galician caldo soup, Santiago torte and so much more.  Alas, my love of eating surpassed my calorie burning walking and I have actually gained weight on this trip!