Scala 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.

... 8220;perros y gatos&#8221;, a full flight, seats<br>that crunched up against one&#8217;s knees, waves of claustrophobia coming and going<br>AND a nice bumpy flight on the climb up. <br>By the time we got to Barcelona, all was clear and the weather was about<br>10 degrees warmer!<br><br>The highlight yesterday, though, had to be 1) mass at the cathedral and 2) a tour of the<br>cathedral palace and a walk on the roof of the cathedral ...

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.<br><br>The centre ...

... We literally see no one and hear nothing, and everything looks to be closed. We finally find one club that has someone in the door, and they tell us they don't open until 4am. DON'T OPEN UNTIL 4AM?! WHAT KIND OF PLACE IS THIS?! We run into 2 British kids on the street and go to some random dance place with them, were the DJ plays music from Grease, obviously causing a spontaneous dance party. Around 4:30, it is still empty, so we decide to just leave and go to bed. <br>

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

... into a hostel and walked around town for the afternoon. Also stopped by the cathedral, but it was so crowded it was not enjoyable. Figured we´d visit on Wednesday morning before the crowds take over.<br> <br>Day 33 - Wednesday, July 22 Santiago<br> <br>Taking a day off by not walking. . . but only 1. Visited the cathedral at 9:15 and were able to embrance the statue of St James, visit his tomb (where the priests were saying morning ...

... from a doctorate at Penn to the buzzard group in Spain in less than two months. My how things can change! We may be beginners, but we try hard and have a good time. There are six of us in the class with a great teacher. Juan, our instructor, just completed his Masters in Spanish Literature at Kansas University. Apparently they have the #1 graduate program for that degree in the country. Who would have thought? He ...

... but myself . It actually boils down to experience.I even had to go to a shoemakers shop a day ago to sow up my haversack that was falling apart. My fault ,as I crammed in too many things into my bag ,and eventually it gave up and split open in objection. Try to give you some pictures now.

Ah, arrival at last! Well, I'm officially homeless right now. We are staying in the nicest hostel I've ever seen though. It's more like a hotel! We even have a bedet? beday? I haven't used it, but I'll keep you up dated. I lost one of my bags... I'll give all you ski teamers one guess which one that was... But it was located and will show up here tomorrow morning. That was a great "welcome to Spain, hope ...

... t find any other bars in the city, but both nights were fun just the same. Saturday morning we rented a car and headed off to Cabo Finisterre (Cabo = cape). The owner of a restaurant we ate at in Santiago recommended it as a 'must-see'. The drive along the Costa de Morte (morte = dead) was worth it - amazing views of the ocean and we saw a crew cleaning the beaches as a result of the oil spill - but the actual cape was nothing special. Although, I can ...