Santiago De Compostela and more

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As Eliza Doolittle would sing “The rain in Spain stays mainly on the” Inghams. The rain started while we were in Ribadeo (see our last blog) and lasted about a week. But we soldiered on; it was our first bout of extended rain in the nine months we have been traveling so we are not complaining.

We spent two days driving a roundabout path that hugs the northwest tip of Spain. The most amazing site was Garita Herbeira Mirador which is at the top of a 600 meter (1800 foot) cliff which drops directly to the ocean below.

We continued our drive and arrived at Betanzos. We could find only one hotel in town but getting a room was not a problem--we were the only guests at this 22 room hotel. Betanzos is a medieval town built on a hilltop. It has very narrow, steep streets and the mostly intact city wall. We led ourselves on a tour of the town and saw three churches which were all closed but nicely lit. There is something very romantic about standing in an ancient town looking at 700 year old churches and walking up streets filled with ghosts of generations past.

The next day we intended to bypass the large city of A Coruña but getting around the city proved a challenge and we ended up lost in the heart of the city. It seems that has happened to us a few times, where the road system near cities in Spain suck us in like a black hole and it’s difficult to find our way back out. I eventually figured out where we were and to get where we wanted to go took us by the Tower of Hercules so we stopped for a tour. And as an added benefit, it was free for the day.

The Tower of Hercules was originally built as a lighthouse by the Romans right about year 0. Throughout the years it was used as a lighthouse, a watch tower and a source of building materials. In the 18th century it was renovated back to a lighthouse and remains one today. They left in place much of the Roman construction and it demonstrates the engineering skills of the Romans. The views were great but the climb to the top was 231 steps of “up”. (I am supposed to tell you that John ran to the top; he does not want to sound wimpy.)

Our next stop was the western most point of Spain called Fisterra also known as “the end of the earth.” It is a craggy, windswept point of land jutting into the Atlantic. During our visit we got separated as we took different paths out to the point. This led John to say he had looked for me to then ends of the earth.

After all that driving we finally reached our goal of Santiago de Compostela. The Cathedral is the final resting place of St James, the first of Jesus’ disciples to be martyred, and it is to these relics that pilgrims have traveled for over 1000 years using the Camino de Santiago or the Road of St James.

The day we toured Santiago was another rainy day but we made the best of it. Our first stop was the Santiago Cathedral. It is an immense, highly decorated church just like many churches in Europe. The high alter is spectacularly gilded. Because it is a pilgrimage site, there are church services regularly (at least 10 per day) and there are always at least two priests waiting to hear confession. It feels much more active as a church than most that I have visited in Europe. We arrived about 11:00am so waited around to participate in the 12 noon mass. It was a Tuesday in low season but the cathedral was almost full by the start of mass. Mass lasted about 30 minutes and the only thing in English was twice they said a prayer for the Tsunami victims in Japan. Then, to our delight, they lit and swung the Botafumeiro. It is a four foot tall incense burner that, on special occasions, is hung from a rope, lit, and swung in a massive pendulum almost to the 80 foot high ceiling trailing gray aromatic smoke. It took six men to swing it. First they lowered and lit it then one man gave a push while the others held on to the rope. Then, using the same principle as a child’s swing, they would pull on the rope to get it going higher and higher. It was pretty impressive seeing this tall, silver, smoking incense burner swinging high over our heads. Since it only swings about 25 times per year we were pleasantly surprised to witness it.

Next up was the Cathedral Museum. It has artwork and archeological artifacts dating back to the 9th century. The cloister was particularly beautiful and the collection of saint’s relics impressive. Inside the cloister there are many people buried in the floor so they can be close to the saints during the Second Coming. Some of the tombstones are so worn as to be unreadable. Others are in marble or even metal so still very legible. The earliest I saw was 1699 and the latest was 1942.

Finally we went to the crypt below the church to see an exhibit on the Portico of Glory. It is a very ornate portico or doorway just inside the front doors of the church. It is currently under renovation so is covered by scaffolding. To make up for that, the church has created a multi-media 3-d view of the portico. It was a well done exhibit giving the history and explanation of the portico as well as allowing us to view it virtually. After the portico we returned to the cathedral for one last visit.

Our next stop is in the Galician wine country (are you surprised?) Stay tuned.

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Photos

Tower of Hercules
John comparing the picture to the original.

Botafumeiro
The swinging incense burner.

Garita Herbeira Mirador
1800 feet down to the Atlantic Ocean.

Hercules Defeating the Giant
Detail from the Tower of Hercules

Comments

[Chris]

Wine Country?
Beth and John visiting wine? Definitely not shocked!! I am curious about one thing. How many countries has John tried the pizza? Have there been any countries without a wine country for you to visit? Continued safe travel!! Chris

[travelingfeet]

Pizza
Chris, I think I've had pizza in just about every country except Egypt and Jordan, where I reveled in the gustatory delights of the Shawarma!