What remains of the Paris-Dakar in Santiago de Compostela
In Santiago de Compostela there was a rally of 160 meters in length. It was three decades ago. it was called Paris-Dakar , like that of the pilots in the middle of the dunes with the off-road vehicle broken down and sweating under a helmet with 40 degrees in the shade.
But in Santiago it's cold and it rains most of the year, so a group of university students decided to change the rules and warm up with bowls of white wine and make stops with tapas.
Pracina do Franco
Today there are hardly any memories of those insane drunken adventures, but they are well worth an excuse to see what things can be tried beyond the usual tourist tour of a cathedral that has been enduring our sorrows for more than eight centuries.
The route began in the cafeteria Or Paris _(rúa dos Bautizados, 11) _ and ended up at the Dakar brewery _(rúa do Franco, 13) _. That journey of just 160 meters through the Rua do Franco is today a swarm that agglutinates equally to masses of tourists -Santiago runs the risk of being a new Venice if nobody fixes it- and University students who try to go buy bread in an area where there is hardly any trace of local life.
It was back in the 90's when a group of university students of Cangas do Morrazo gathered a few pesetas to develop a well-known tour of the bars in the area as an excuse to have a good time and drink a few wines in each tavern.
At that time it was common the clubs as a form of cultural and social organization. rocks like the Friends of the Enxebre Carallada -friends of the rustic party, as a quick and inexact translation- or the Friends of the Elephant Route , to give some examples.
Broth from the café bar Paris
In a short time there were already several supporters clubs that signed up for the trip. There were even rules. Only one group in each bar; nothing was sealed The owner of the bar wrote it down in a note; there was a checkpoint in the Plaza de Ourense to rule out those who were too affected; necessarily one of the group could not drink during the entire journey and the limit of visits to bars was 15. Of course, the myth was exaggerated so much that there are those who claim that he met the one who could stop at the almost 40 bars to drink and continue vertically as if nothing had happened.
And after fulfilling the pilgrimage and win the box of wine bottles as a prize, the road continued along the rúa da Raíña to continue drinking.
Today, far from recommending such insane madness, we can take a look at those places to relax with friends and escape from the madding crowd and the franchises for tourists that contrast so much with the stones of the alleys that support them.
PARIS-DAKAR TODAY
The beginning remains the same, although carried by different hands. Maybe the inside of Or Paris I'm not going to be published in a Taschen editorial guide, but yes is faithful to a spirit, that of the 90s, that reminds us that we also wanted to have a modernity after so many cave times and that from time to time it is good to renew. So, if only for that, it is well worth a visit for have a coffee or a well-drawn beer.
In Rua do Franco, others who continue in the middle of Comanche territory are O' 46 _(at number 46) _, O' 42 (in its number that is very easy to guess), or the House of Xantar O Barril _(at 34) _, who continue to serve the octopus and cockles rations like the first day.
And, of course, the end of the journey, the brewery Dakar _(at number 13) _. Just behind the small block formed by these buildings is the Rúa da Raíña.
Here you can enjoy the local wealth with three other mythical: the Ourense _(rúa da Raíña, 25) _, the Orella _(in number 21) _ and the oldest of all, the tavern Or Black Cat , founded in 1920 -in a short time they will celebrate a century of life, which is said soon- and many lives have passed on the stone floor of this old stable.
Atmosphere in the Rúa da Ra
Pilar Costoya is the fourth generation. Great-granddaughter of the founder, Marcelino Garcia , she is the one who holds the reins of this century-old house together with her husband, putting tubs of young wine and serving the same pork liver with onions that her grandmother cooked. Don't worry, there will be a fifth generation.
THE NEW GOLDEN MILE
Santiago has a lot to offer far from the affordable offers that are always worthy and honorable for the pilgrim. From the new food market _(rúa das Ameas) _ to the gastronomic galleries of The Galician _(Rúa de Gómez Ulla, 11) _; from the impeccable omelette that he introduced me to Javier Peña and his unfortunates at the bar the aunt _(rúa Nova, 46) _ even the tables and the salads washed down with good wine from Pepe Paya _(Rúa do Cardeal Payá, 8) _.
But if there is a street that brings together many of the efforts to renew proposals, it is that of Saint Peter. Although the whole street is full of references, here are a few to whet your appetite.
Or Dezaseis _(rúa San Pedro, 16) _ is perhaps the most international since he dazzled the journalist Mark Bittmann in 2007 who included his octopus á grella -grilled- in a travel article in the New York Times. And true to the truth, it does not disappoint. Local and seasonal product, in their social networks they show the menu of the day in which you can find a Galician broth, meat or caldeiro, a beef stew or some meatballs with rice.
The Lacon Street Burger
A little secret that this street hides -because it is behind it, at rue das Fontiñas 4- is the ** bar Pampín .** Led by the skill of Alén Tarrío, chef award winner 2019 of the Gastronomic Forum, it is the perfect place to Try traditional cuisine taken to the maximum expression.
In I love _(rúa San Pedro, 32) _ you can have a wine in a spectacular interior garden or d enjoy tapas or the menu of the day in a bar with lareira (chimney) that is always overflowing. Traditional cuisine with local product that changes every week (there was in October a cream of lentils with curry and coconut and some pork ribs with chimichurri and puree that I'm still crying about).
potted _(rúa San Pedro, 120) _ offers local products made with care and with a turn in the hands of Jorge Gago , revelation chef in 2017 and winner of the city's tapas contest. so you can try a horse mackerel sashimi or a 'picantón' of Celtic rooster, In addition to having a super nice interior garden where you can have a beer and enjoy the silence.
Bonus ball. As I see that some picky eater won't want to leave the gravitational field of the Cathedral (it happens sometimes, it's normal), you can always be stunned by the latest creation by **Marcelo Tejedor, the Michelin star of Casa Marcelo ** _(rúa das Hortas 1, at the foot of the Cathedral) _ which, a few steps from it, has set up a top-secret gastronomic project called Mr Chu _(rua das Hortas, 25) _. the background story, the plot line of its flavors is the Asian continent. And the bathroom is full of maneki nekos, the golden cats that give you luck on the arm.
Or you can return to the maelstrom and survive. You already know that Santiago offers everything. Even a bar rally.
Rua do Franco