Is there anything better than waking up in a historic city like Lugo and the day giving you a beautiful sunrise while walking on top of the best preserved Roman wall in Europe?
Surely there is something better, but I fondly remember my last visit to the city of Lugo 3 weeks ago and my walk to the place where I had to work along the top of the Roman wall.
I was particularly pleased to find some great urban art murals. They are closely linked to the origin of the city.
The first of them is ‘La Castrexa’. Warrior of the traditional roman fort culture of the city dressed in some characteristic elements such as weapons and jewels. Painted in shades of gray and beige that harmonize with the color of the wall.
The second of the murals, which I already knew from other visits to the city, is the large mural of Julius Caesar, which impresses with its penetrating look at what was once the city wall.
After leaving work at midday, I decided to make my way to the old town and city center, in the walled area, but firstly I went to the cathedral through the Apostle James' Gate.
It was almost 3 p.m. and it was late for lunch. Many of the restaurants were already closed, but the name of one of the restaurants invited me to enter, as its name was ‘Ave Cesar’ and from outside I could see that the restaurant was decorated with a Roman spear and shield and several additional references to Roman times.
The menu of the day in this restaurant was simple but a real delicacy as is the black rice with squid and its respective ali-oli sauce.
And of course, the king of Galician dishes, octopus a feira. With its peppers and extra virgin olive oil that combined with a good product of the sea made me cry with the good taste that it had.
But the most striking and curious thing about the restaurant was the old tradition of leaving coins in the cracks between the stones of the wall.
This way of leaving small tips is very traditional in certain Galician villages and also in other cities like Santiago de Compostela.
Some say that it is a way of wishing luck to the owners of the place by the customers who are satisfied with the service.
Others say it's a way of saying that you will come back by leaving a coin with the intention of returning to the place and checking that it's still there after a while.
One way or another, I left my coin on the wall with the intention of returning and eating octopus again sooner rather than later.
After lunch, I took a light stroll through the city, up to the main square, where I found more references to the city's Roman past in the form of sculptures.
Photograph taken on a previous visit to Lugo
Until I left the walled area to pick up my car and return to my beloved Asturias.
Regards.
