A place of pilgrimage in Galicia

Moving to Santiago de Compostela

It was a late start today with the bus ride to Santiago de Compostela, in the Galicia region, at 1000.  The ride took us through the coastal area with some inlets before turning inland.  There was a ridge with wind farms on the roadside and I could feel the bus wobble a little in the wind.  We stopped in Aviles after departure and Coruna before arriving a little late in to Santiago about 1430.

In my famished state, I found a student bar on my walk to Residencial F&F.  It did awesome set meals for EUR10.  I chose the bacalao with rice and salad, accompanied with a beer, followed by profiteroles and coffee.

I did a shop-up at the supermarket which was just as well as they were all closed on Sunday (tomorrow).  I hurriedly went to the Cathedral around 1630 in case it had set times that I may miss, especially with Saturday evening and Sunday morning workship.

Visiting the Cathedral

I got to the cathedral with the afternoon sun washing its façade.  Very well-timed.

Visitors enter through the south entrance to the right of the altar.  The canopy over the altar was absolutely stunning in gold.  Underneath the altar was the crypt with relics of Santiago (St James) and his disciples St Theodorus and St Athanasius.

I walked around a couple of times and sat down to fully absorb the atmosphere.  The side chapels and the ambulatory were also quite beautiful and ornate.

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There is the possibility of visiting the museum and the rooftop but it requires advance booking and had already been booked out when I checked.

Outside the cathedral, in the square, spent pilgrims (and hikers) sit in the shade to admire the cathedral and rest up.  The Camino de Santiago (Way of St James) is a walk that they undertake for weeks or just days to reach the shrine.  There are various routes with the most well-known starting across the border in France.

Spent pilgrims in the square in front of the cathedral.

Back in my room around 1800, I ate my supermarket dinner and rested.  As the sun sets at 2210 here now, I went for a walk again around 2200 to explore the old town area around the cathedral.

I found the hill facing the cathedral and old town area which gave me the perfect vantage point for some evening photos.  A children’s fun fair had been set up perhaps for Galicia’s National Day in two days time.

Lovely view of the cathedral from the hill.

The old town was busy with people.  Street performers create the truly Spanish atmosphere with their singing, guitars and other instruments. From my room later, there was still music, perhaps a rock concert, playing at midnight.  The late start today, combined with the late sunset has caused me to stay up late.  Good for adjusting to Colombia in a couple of days but not so good for my early wake-up required for the flight.

treet performers create the truly Spanish atmosphere with their singing, guitars and other instruments.