Saturday, 27 July 2013

Padron


Padron was a fascinating town to visit,rich in historical interest it was also the site of an amazing market the day we arrived.
The tents and stalls of the market spread out and through the city centre ,alongside the Rio Sar and surrounding the statue  of Rosalia de Castro(1837-1885), a famous poetess,also celebrated by a museum in the town.
Historic buildings catch your eye-the Convento do  Carmen standing sentry over the river  on a rocky outcrop and the church of St James attract  pilgrims' interest. The church known as Igrexa de Santiago houses the  famous rock, O'Pedron which is said to be the mooring stone for the  boat carrying the remains of St James on his return to Spain for burial-the story  of which is depicted on a mural on the Fonte do Carme just across the river. The church was closed during our visit but a number of treasures related to St James and his life are housed there. St James is well known for his life  here, preaching the gospel  to the gallicians and vanquishing the Moors during deadly encounters with the enemy in Spain before his death in Palestine at the hand of the Roman Emperor.
Padron was part of the early seat of the bishops of Gallicia known as  Iria Flavia before it was shifted to Santiago de Compestela so it is a place of great significance to peregrinos on the pilgrimage.
We were lucky to arrive in sunshine and we enjoyed exploring the market. We watched the cooking of octopus and paella  with interest but as yet we were not quite ready to sample the boiled octopus; red, with tentacles  still attached. They sliced the carcass into sections,laid them on a wooden platter,dunked them  in oil and covered the whole dish with spices with toothpicks to eat it with. Next time maybe!
We bought some strawberries and sat in the sun under magnificent plane trees bordering the river enjoying the freedom of sandals and nothing to carry. People watching is a pleasant experience in such places.
Later that evening we went to a bar recommended for the padron peppers dish famous in the region-Pemento de Padron. One in thirty peppers is said to be chilli hot but we did not strike one in our meal,delicious  as it was and served with a tortilla and a slice of Santiago Tart- we had a local taste treat to complete the day's adventures.

No comments:

Post a Comment