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Cuba - More than old cars
Kms: 40 kms; Total 885 kms
Weather: Partially overcast with intermittent showers =15º C
Very nice breakfast and good selection at the hotel so will be having it here each morning.
Set off for the Santiago Cathedral, the end point for the pilgrims of the Camino de Santiago. First we had to find a car park. As it turned out the city is flush with them and the charges are not that bad. The one we found was about 1km walk from the cathedral and we paid €5.66 for about 5 hours. As we headed toward the cathedral we passed an area that was obviously tenanted by “street people”. A number of them had mattresses and one had built a cardboard enclosure. None of the occupants were to be seen though.
Every day at 12 noon, mass is held in the Cathedral for the pilgrims who have just arrived. We wanted to see the pilgrims arriving in the Cathedral but did not care to attend the mass. Unfortunately we did not manage to get out of the Cathedral before the doors we came in were closed off and the mass began. It went on for some time and in a number of languages most of which we did not understand of course. There was probably an exit somewhere but it was too crowded and disrespectful to move around in search for one. Never seen a cathedral so crowded.
When we finally escaped we wandered through the old part of the city listening to the buskers, avoiding the beggars and checking out the Tapas Bars for lunch. Selected one and were pleased to be able to sit for a while.
More wandering through the town and then back to the Cathedral to see the inside without the many hundreds of people who were there earlier (possibly as many as 2,000).
The padores (hotel) next to the cathedral is one of the most expensive in Spain. Room prices range from €242 to €364
Now it was time to see something new, in this case the Cidade da Cultura (City of Culture). Taking 10 years in the building it and was supposed to be open this year. The facade of the buildings is Striated Stone. The completed buildings are operational however work appears to have been halted on one of the buildings as one might expect in Spain’s current economic crisis. Quite a complex for a city of 100,000 people!
Some of the things we learned today:
1. The symbols of Galicia (province) include the cruceiro- an elaborately carved stone cross on a tall column, and the horreo – sheds made of stone or wood with narrow slits, raised on stilts, for storing grain.
2. Some eight major monasteries and convents and innumerable churches contribute to the fame of Santiago de Compostela which is ranked right behind Rome and Jerusalem as a place of Christian pilgrimage in medieval times.
3. Due to story of St. James helping the Spanish drive the Muslims out of Spain, the cathedral is considered a high profile target of Islamic fundamentalists. This is presumably the reason for the large number of security personnel around the square in front of the cathedral.
Being out in the provinces we have noticed there is less English spoken than in Madrid. Having said that, the people are very friendly and make every effort, as do we with our spattering of Spanish, to understand one another
Weather: Partially overcast with intermittent showers =15º C
Very nice breakfast and good selection at the hotel so will be having it here each morning.
Set off for the Santiago Cathedral, the end point for the pilgrims of the Camino de Santiago. First we had to find a car park. As it turned out the city is flush with them and the charges are not that bad. The one we found was about 1km walk from the cathedral and we paid €5.66 for about 5 hours. As we headed toward the cathedral we passed an area that was obviously tenanted by “street people”. A number of them had mattresses and one had built a cardboard enclosure. None of the occupants were to be seen though.
Every day at 12 noon, mass is held in the Cathedral for the pilgrims who have just arrived. We wanted to see the pilgrims arriving in the Cathedral but did not care to attend the mass. Unfortunately we did not manage to get out of the Cathedral before the doors we came in were closed off and the mass began. It went on for some time and in a number of languages most of which we did not understand of course. There was probably an exit somewhere but it was too crowded and disrespectful to move around in search for one. Never seen a cathedral so crowded.
When we finally escaped we wandered through the old part of the city listening to the buskers, avoiding the beggars and checking out the Tapas Bars for lunch. Selected one and were pleased to be able to sit for a while.
More wandering through the town and then back to the Cathedral to see the inside without the many hundreds of people who were there earlier (possibly as many as 2,000).
The padores (hotel) next to the cathedral is one of the most expensive in Spain. Room prices range from €242 to €364
Now it was time to see something new, in this case the Cidade da Cultura (City of Culture). Taking 10 years in the building it and was supposed to be open this year. The facade of the buildings is Striated Stone. The completed buildings are operational however work appears to have been halted on one of the buildings as one might expect in Spain’s current economic crisis. Quite a complex for a city of 100,000 people!
Some of the things we learned today:
1. The symbols of Galicia (province) include the cruceiro- an elaborately carved stone cross on a tall column, and the horreo – sheds made of stone or wood with narrow slits, raised on stilts, for storing grain.
2. Some eight major monasteries and convents and innumerable churches contribute to the fame of Santiago de Compostela which is ranked right behind Rome and Jerusalem as a place of Christian pilgrimage in medieval times.
3. Due to story of St. James helping the Spanish drive the Muslims out of Spain, the cathedral is considered a high profile target of Islamic fundamentalists. This is presumably the reason for the large number of security personnel around the square in front of the cathedral.
Being out in the provinces we have noticed there is less English spoken than in Madrid. Having said that, the people are very friendly and make every effort, as do we with our spattering of Spanish, to understand one another
- comments
Gael Loving your photos. Rich and diverse! Take care. xx