But instead of walking the path we drove out there for the day and back. Actually Jose drove, Nisarga slept the whole time back and forth, Eva read and I watched out the window. The view was as if we were in Scotland, at least how i imagine Scotland since i’ve never been. The drive from Asturias through Galicia was not like anything i had expected from Spain. Until now i only knew from Catalunya to Andalucia, along the coast. And this was so different: rolling green hills, pine forests, lots of mist, sheep, rivers, tunnels through mountains. When we got to Santiago i realised i had expected typical Spanish hot weather and i was way off; it was breezy and crisp, sunny but far from
hot.Santiago de Compostela is a major pilgrimage site for catholics, second only to rome and the holy land. People come here from all over the world, some on bikes, some walking, some driving, some on horse, and i’m sure others by various combinations. I suppose since it’s a Catholic thing there is a whole lot of penance involved in the whole matter, therefore you can’t just drive up and be rewarded. You got to sacrifice, give up something, face obstacles, the journey becomes the destination kind of thing. And once you make it, you get some stamp (or were you joking with me jose?) on some paper or something, which shows you made it, and that’s recognised by the Vatican. “For what?” i asked. To get into heaven i was told... sarcastically. Ok, so who knows for what, but there it is, the end of the camino de Santiago, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
This route came about because Santiago, a feisty apostle also known as Saint James, walked this path, with sandals not barefoot i’m told. Legend has it that good ol’ James brought the message of jesus christ the saviour to the celts in the Iberian peninsula. However, in 44AD he was beheaded in Jerusalem, ouchy! His remains were brought back to Galicia but his tom
b was abandoned in the 3rd Century. Legend continues that his tomb was rediscovered in 814AD by Pelavo, a hermit, after witnessing strange lights in the sky. The then Asturian King was informed of this miracle and he ordered the construction of a chapel on the site; he subsequently became the first pilgrim to the shrine. A church was constructed, burned down, another was built, and so it went until the end of the 10th Century. Talk about taking a long time for his remains to rest in peace! So surely we could at least go and show some faith!We made it just in time to catch the end of mass. This was a highlight because the world’s
largest censer is in here and it was in full swing! A dome contains the pulley mechanism to swing this “botafumeiro” which is a “thurible”; you'll have to check the picture to get an understanding of what that means. It was created in 1851 and weighs 80kg (176 lbs) and measures 1.60 m in height. It is normally on exhibition in the library of the cathedral, but during important religious high holydays it is attached to the pulley mechanism, filled with 40kg (88lbs) of charcoal and incense, and swung above the heads of the visitors. Eight red-robed tiraboleiros pull the ropes and bring it into a swinging motion almost to the roof reaching speeds of 60km/hr and dispensing thick clouds of incense. Everyone tells us that the original reason for the botafumeiro was to mask the stench which filled the cathedral coming from the pilgrims who arrived and congregated there after weeks or months of trying to reach.oh, and for those who don't quite make it, for whatever reason, there is a stop at another cathedral, some 200k
m before santiago de compostela, where you can go and get your stamp. it's called "la puerta del perdon". i guess for those who sprain an ankle, run out of money or time or something like that.Santiago has one of the oldest universities of Spain, dating back to the 16th Century. We walked through the old town, which is also a UNESCO world heritage site. As we walked by shops we were repeatedly offered to sample the local pastries, made with almonds! Yum!!! Reminded me of Greek pastries from childhood my grandmother used to make. Behind glass, like expensive gems, were cheese, giant octopus, huge oysters, chunks of different animal parts, lobsters, crabs, etc. Something for everyone!!!
This was a lovely excursion. Thank you Jose and Eva.
http://picasaweb.google.com/nisargaanddeepa/SantiagoDeCompostela?authkey=2VxPs5wpGmg#
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