Paris-Dakar, outra cunca de vino!
160 METERS TO LEG
Participants: To your posts! The journey starts in Cafeteria Or Paris , located at Porta Faxeira and ends at the bar Dakar , in Rua do Franco. The distance between the two is 160 meters , although the journey is neither straight nor fast. And although the first bar looks more inviting to have a coffee with Amélie, this is only the beginning. Inside, no waiter is scared if they see you appear with some friends with the intention of starting this rally. As a useful fact, we can only add that the route will cost you about €20 maximum . Ready!
Or Paris, the starting gun
UNIVERSITY COMPETITION
The resemblance to a sport is not pure rhetoric, it has much more substance. Turns out the Paris-Dakar started about 20 years ago promoted by a group of students who made it official by forming an association called Friends of Carallada Enxebre . It is true that the custom was earlier, but then it was established as a competition. It was held every Thursday before Carnival and it was attended by groups of friends who could go interspersed (it was not a matter of getting a deadly embarrassment) until drinking in all the places. The teams had a maximum of 8 members, and one had to be a woman. Also, depending on which bar, They had to pass a test that could be anything from singing to telling a joke. and. To accredit their feat, every establishment put their seal or signed them on a piece of paper, their credential in the eyes of other competitors and judges. The award? For those who arrived more or less with speech, they were given a box of wine.
MODERN TIMES
Nowadays the thing has softened until it becomes another tourist activity . In part, the fault lies with the bars themselves, which have evolved from being traditional wineries to inns with daily menus and tourist menus, causing the number of 'required' stops to be fewer. This has also meant an increase in the cost of the feat. Before, the prices were fixed and similar in all the bars , now they vary depending on how cool the site is. Also, before it was done bareback , without any tapas or pintxo. However, today it seems like an act of total cruelty on the part of the waiters not to accompany the wine with anything to eat. And more considering the delicacies of this land. As it is a calmer and more leisurely walk, your thing is not to go crazy, enter a limited number of establishments and enjoy each one of your drink, no taking turns. What has not changed is the custom of going with a blank sheet of paper (or cardboard, or whatever) where to accumulate signatures. In the end you can make a diploma with it and everything.
If you make it to the Dakar, you deserve much more than a box of wines
RIBEIRO BASIN
Tradition mandated that each participant bring their own cunca (cup) which would have to be refilled at each tavern. Obviously, that has changed and each bar puts its container. But what is still mandatory is that the route be based on local wines, either Ribeiro, Albariño or Monterrei , which are normally served in these containers. For the weakest there will always be the option of culín of cider or beer.
HOW MANY BARS SHOULD YOU ENTER?
There is no fixed number of bars. Of course, the old requirement to be recognized as a true adventurer of the Rúa do Franco was to enter (as a group) in 28 taverns and drink 15 cuncas individually. That's when the participant was already a legend. With the new times and customs, the geographical area also extends to streets such as A Raíña or Do Vilar. In total, there are 37 restaurants and bars with a friendly bar. But, dear reader, as the intention here is not to provoke a hangover level 'go to Albacete for breakfast', it is best to select the top places.
Broadly speaking, the most visited are, of course, the Paris and the Dakar. In between, it is worth stopping at **Porto, Orella , Nova Galicia, Carpe Diem , Catedral, Submarino, O' 42, Trafalgar, A Barbola, San Jaime , Orense , El Cayado ** or even at the Or Black Cat , considered the oldest in all of Santiago.
An essential of the route
The 'refined' stop
OUT OF ROUTE
Since we are in this mythical street, it is worth mentioning a couple of highly recommended places. Like, for example, stopping at the store To Basket , where you can taste and buy all kinds of pomace, local wine and Galician cheese, always well advised and cared for. To eat more than well (here you eat well everywhere), we will always have the **Restaurant Pasaje**. And, when the weather and the authorities allow it, the terraceo is sublimated to the sun both in Casa Camilo and in the Plaza de Fonseca.
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A Rúa do Franco, the route of the wine valleys ends in the Dakar