Casa Grande do Bachao Santiago de Compostela

... have been gathering for centuries to visit the tomb of St James. The Cathedral itself was magnificent, and the surrounding buildings where also very impressive. Shopping in the narrow flag stoned streets was a delight. We stayed at were given refreshments in a former hospital dating from around 1513 which is a listed building and is now a first class hotel. It was all very grand.

... of young people around. The cathedral is surrounded by the old city with its small streets and medieval feel about it. It is supposed to rain all day today so we've got a late start.....but no rush. Enjoy the photos. Today's goal is portraits......



October 22, 2009

Made it to Barcelona late last night (well after
midnight). We had a slightly
delayed flight out of Santiago--raining ...

We travelled through thick fog over and through the mountains on typically heroic Spanish roads. They cut through mountains and build viaducts over the valleys. We drove through and around weary looking Pilgrims to our campsite which was on the Camino de Santiago. It was closed. After some interesting encounters with some locals, one old man practically ran away when asked for directions, we found this camp site.

The centre ...

... our own bathroom and a room to ourselves. Also had awonderful meal served by a grandpa who reminded Shawn and I of Oscar. He went out of his way to solve our language barrier and also pured soup over sara´s arm and went to get a wet cloth to wipe it up - he was so cute. Mary here--I seem to be the only one the bed bugs are drawn to ,no one else has been bitten,except for the fact ...

... Brazilian mafia-affiliated club, where he notices our hesitance and tries to convince us to just come in and have a drink at his table. At that exact moment, the other girls call, and I sprint up to the plaza and drag them down to the club, where Maureen and the guy are still standing. The presence of 6 other girls makes us feel much more safe, and now the guy has no choice but to take all of us in (In Spain, it is expected that the person who does the ...

... were actually wearing the shell. It was traditional for pilgrims to put the shell either around their neck or on their pack to identify themselves as a religious pilgrim, so I was intrigued by how few people seemed to have done the pilgrimage for purely religious reasons. Our guide told us that now, the pilgrimage is just at common among outdoor enthusiasts as it is among religious Catholics.

Since the cathedral was filling up for mass, we left to walk to the Parque ...

... une 2e chambre de libre. Positif, il y avait une chambre pour moi. Je coucherai donc ici 2 soirs. Je partirai lundi car le bureau de poste n'est pas ouvert le weekend et je dois recupperer le colis que je m'etais envoye. En soiree, je suis alle souper avec Pascal, le francais provenant d'Aix-en-Provence. On a fete ca! La, je commencais plus a realiser que j'etais enfin arrive a Santiago! En plus, j'ai mange de la poulpe de la Galice, miam! un vrai delice

... The second tradition is banging your head against a statue (I didn't catch the meaning of this). The third is hugging St. James from behind, and the fourth is visiting his tomb. We did the last two, and also saw a side chapel with intricate carvings and an elaborate chandelier. Marguerina then took us outside to see the building where 38 nuns live and who have never left the building; she showed us part of the building that used to be a monastery and is ...

... French border along the "French route" to Santiago. One of the other celebrants said it was unusual to have a priest celebrating the mass in his hiking boots. Even though this was definitely liturgical, it had a very down-to-earth feel about it. By the end of the mass, it was time for lunch, so I wandered a little bit before finding a restaurant that looked good. I got their "menú del día" - don't confuse a "menu" in Spanish or German for a menu in English ...

... as DP still gets the front seats, but there is a problem with payment, as the driver won't take the money, but assures us that "este autobus" is going to la Coruna. It turns out that most of the passengers are going to Santiago, and must change at Baio. Has to change the ticket machine so we can pay our money. Costs E10.25 each to get to Fisterra, E10.65 to la Coruna. For some reason, possibly weather, the route we retraced via Cee looked better than on the way ...