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Rebecca and all,
<p>I also had this experience at the Parador hotel. It was in April of
this year when I walked both directions of the Portuguese route. I was
in Santiago on Easter Sunday and a pilgrim from the list serv who was vacationing
there offered to take me to dinner at the Parador. So I had a delightful
meal as a pilgrim in a 5 star dining room.
<p>On my return trip from Muxia, I stayed in Santiago and enjoyed the free
meals for lunch, dinner and breakfast the next morning in the comedor at
the hotel. There were only three pilgrims there for each meal. Lunch and
dinner included a bottle of wine.
<p>Your description of the walk through the courtyard and the sun coming
through the window brought back many memories. Thanks for reminding me
of this experience.
<p>Sue
<p>Rebecca Belchamber wrote:
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To all out there,</span><span
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">I
had read it so many times - After you get your Compostela, make a photocopy
and then you are able to get 3 days of free breakfasts, lunches and dinners
at the 5 star hotel (Hostal dos Reyes Catolicos) in the same square as
the Cathedral. Imagining the huge demand there would be for such an experience,
and knowing just how down on funds many of the pilgrims were, I thought
we would make sure of our place in the queue. Dinner would be the best
time to go, as this would be the most generous meal. This was served at
6pm. So we took our places at 6pm, smirking to find ourselves the first
there. </span>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span><span
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Right
on 7pm a doorman came and gave us a signed chit, then directed us to the
main entrance. So we were allowed in through the same door as all the elegant
people milling around the square. We were escorted through a foyer, and
then crossed a garden to the back of the building, and into the kitchen.
Here we finally saw another person, who joined us in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>collecting
their meal on a tray , then vanished. There is a small <i>comedor</i> or
dining room set aside for pilgrims – we were the only two in there; the
sun was streaming through a small open window, and we sat down to a three
course meal. Basic, I’ll grant you, and the chips were probably heated
up from lunch, but there were potatoes as well, so we left the chips. A
glass of <i>vino tinto</i>, of course, and the whole place to ourselves.
Some bargains are worth chasing.</span><span
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"></span><span
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Hope
others can enjoy the same experience,</span><span
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"></span><span
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Rebecca
Belchamber</span></blockquote>
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