It was really weird this morning! We had a leisurely breakfast in our very charming hotel and we did NOT have to walk 15 miles of the Camino. So what did we do instead? We took a walking tour (actually two) of Santiago. We started with Paula of Compostela Free Tours (“look for the red umbrella”) who led our group of approximately 15 random tourists on a historical walking tour of the old city. We learned about the rich history of both the cathedral and the city. The original church was built in the 9th century over the supposed remains of St. James, the Apostle, but it was destroyed by the Moors and the present cathedral was started in the 11th century. It is a melange of architectural styles ranging from Romanesque to Gothic to Baroque. The exterior is covered by scaffolding (since 2005) as the facade undergoes restoration which is supposed to be complete at the end of 2018 (but more realistically in 2021 for the next Holy Year).
(That’s us the day we arrived.)
We strolled around the city and our guide entertained us with interesting anecdotes and explained about the three main symbols of Santiago: the shell, the star, and the tree. They are omnipresent in the old city and designate which organization owns the building; the government, Catholic Church of the monastery (which ironically always tried to upstage the Church).
We ended in Alameda Park at the edge of the old city and learned the history of the two Marias – two sisters (Maruxa and Coralua Fanino Ricarr) from a family of 13 siblings, whose family played an active role in the struggle against the Franco regime. The family was consistently interrogated and tortured and it was rumored that these two sisters were raped. Although trained as seamstresses, they were unable to find work. The locals donated food and other items so they could survive. When their home was damaged by lightening, enough money was collected to build them a new house. They were infamous for going out every afternoon to Alameda Park, at the edge of the University, dressed in bright colors (not acceptable during the Franco regime) and with full make-up to flirt with the much younger university students. Some thought that these women were mentally unstable while others thought they were just trying to get enjoyment from their tortured existence. They died in the 1980s and a statue was erected in 1993 celebrating these women who many felt were symbols of the fight against oppression.
We then returned to our hotel for a second walking tour, focusing on the Cathedral. It was led by Margarina, a local guide, who gave us a lively and amusing insight into the history of the city as well as the Cathedral. She explained the various architectural styles, and she recounted a few instances when the botafumeiro ( large incense burner used to cover up the foul odor of the pilgrims) had some unfortunate “accidents” like when the rope broke and it flew out the door). She led us to the crypt that supposedly holds the remains of St. James and she explained how some “pilgrims” stole precious jewels from the cape of the statue of St. James on the altar when they were hugging the statue and the remaining jewels have been replaced with imitations. She also took us to the Cathedral museum and focused on several works of art that she felt were most significant. We saw tapestries of Goya ( that we learned of at the Prado). While at the museum, we saw an Irish couple who started their Camino in Sarria – small Camino world!
We finished our evening with a unique culinary experience – a prix fixe seafood tapas meal with unusual items- razor clams, oysters, sea bass ceviche, lightly seared tuna with guacamole, mussels, and some things that I could not recognize! We also had an intellectually stimulating conversation with a Scottish couple seated next to us. One of the joys of travel is meeting people from al over the world. It was a lovely end to the day.
And we still ended up with more than five miles walked!
Camino Musings 