by 23 people |
Discover a Part of Spain That Many Tourists Miss
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of Galicia, the region in the northwest part of Spain that borders the Atlantic Ocean on the west and Portugal on the south. The gorgeous scenery, interesting sites, and fabulous food are just some of the reasons to visit. I myself hadn't considered traveling there until I met and became friends with a journalist, Luis Bello, who hails from a town in Galicia called Noia. I became so enthralled when hearing his descriptions and seeing photos of this place that I spent a week there in April 2005, and I loved it.
So if you're thinking about heading to Spain for your next vacation, here are some things you may find worth visiting, exploring, and experiencing in and around Santiago de Compostela.
Table of Contents
From the City to the Web
- The Old Town of Santiago de Compostela
- The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
- Museums and Art Galleries in Old Santiago de Compostela
- Shopping in Old Santiago de Compostela
- Playing, Eating, and Sleeping in the Old Town
- Exploring the Areas Around Santiago de Compostela (Intro)
- Ancient Sites from B.C. Eras
- Lighthouses
- Noia
- Eating the Galician Way
- Photos of Santiago de Compostela and Its Environs
- There You Have It
- News Tidbits About Galicia and Santiago de Compostela
- A Bit of Santiago de Compostela Trivia
- Thanks for Reading My Lens!
Santiago de Compostela, Spain
The Old Town of Santiago de Compostela
History in the Midst of a Modern City
Within the modern city of Santiago de Compostela is its old town, which was named a World Heritage Cultural Site by UNESCO in 1985. This pilgrimage site, built and rebuilt through the centuries due to religious conflicts, is noted as the third most holy city in the Christian world after Rome and Jerusalem, being home to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (see below).Filled with narrow alleys that are used as cut-through thoroughfares and centuries-old buildings (in and out of these alleys) that house hotels, cafes, tourists shops, museums and more, Santiago de Compostela's old town is a wonderful home-base for travels in the Galician region.
Thanks to Luis, I was blessed to have received a personal guided tour of the old town from one of his former co-workers, Anu, of the Santiago de Compostela Tourism Office. And it is because of her that I am able to share with you the following tidbits about it.
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
Resting Place of St. James the Apostle
According to legend (as it was told to me), after St. James the Apostle was beheaded in Palestine, his disciples brought his remains to Galicia and buried them. Then at some time between 820 and 830 A.D., a hermit named Paio saw lights over a wooded area for several nights, which he interpreted to be a sign from Heaven, and told Teodemiro, the Bishop of Iria, about them. In finding an old stone temple and three sarcophagi where Paio had seen the lights, Bishop Teodemiro determined that the remains were those of St. James and two of his disciples, and informed the Galician King, Alfonso II, of his discovery. The king then ordered a church to be built next to the temple.And so began the legendary history of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Millions of Christian pilgrims from all over the world have made their way to the cathedral through the centuries, many along el Camino de Santiago -- the Way of St. James -- to express their faith and piety, to revere the apostle's remains and other relics, and to receive benedictions and obtain the compostela, the certificate confirming one's completion of the pilgrimage.
There is so much one could write about the cathedral and el Camino de Santiago, and since many people have, I will leave it to these good souls to give you the full scope of the descriptions, histories, photos, and everything else you could want to know about them. Check out the lenses in my lensroll and the official websites of the church and pilgrimage in the links section below.
(One really cool web page is at the UCLA Institute for Digital Research and Education site, where their restoration project of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela shows the building as it appeared when dedicated by Bishop Pedro Muñoz on April 3, 1211 A.D. In addition to restoring the architecture of the cathedral and placing it within an urban simulation of the town, the project also offers a reconstruction of the songs and sounds typically heard in the building in the 13th century.)
What I will say is that my experience of the cathedral was a powerful one. Tears came to my eyes several times as I made my way down the aisles and down to the crypt where, in seeing the remains of St. James, I was moved beyond words. Whether they are authentic or not, I nonetheless felt the presence of the Divine.
Museums and Art Galleries in Old Santiago de Compostela
Art and History Through the Ages
There are several museums and galleries in the Old Town that should appeal to art and history lovers alike.One is the museum of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, which is comprised of three areas that are located in different parts of the cathedral. Exhibited within them are sculptures, liturgical elements, tapestries, and much more related to the cathedral and its history. Likewise, the Museo das Peregrinacións e de Santiago (Pilgrimage Museum of Santiago de Compostela) is filled with art and artifacts that shed more light on the phenomenon of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
For enthusiasts of surrealism, the Eugenio Granell Museum-Foundation is for you. It houses oil paintings, drawings, collages and other works of Granell, one of Spain's most famous Galician artists, as well as those of other surrealist artists, including Miro, Copley and Duchamp. In addition to the art, the Foundation also offers concerts, workshops, guided tours, and other activities.
If contemporary art is more your style, head over to the c5 coleccion. This gallery describes itself as "nace como un espacio de diálogo y debate sobre las diferentes formas del arte contemporáneo, un lugar abierto a todas las opciones de sentir la creación, más allá de géneros y soportes prefijados..." -- "born as a space for dialogue and debate about different forms of contemporary art, a place open to all options to feel the creation, beyond genres and prefixed media..." In addition to enjoying the art I saw, I love that some of Luis' dad's art was exhibited here, too!
Lastly, Santiago Turismo has a new publication called Latexos, a catalog featuring 45 artist studios and 9 art galleries in Santiago de Compostela, plus a directory of 17 galleries, written in Galician, Spanish and English. (FYI, Santiago Turismo's Walking Tours included guided tours of artists' studios for the first time this summer.) To find out how to get a copy, send an email to info@santiagoturismo.com.
Shopping in Old Santiago de Compostela
Cool Things to Spend Your Euros On
Stores selling t-shirts, mugs, magnets, and other souvenirs are found throughout the old town of Santiago de Compostela. Yet while the selling of tourist trinkets may be an economic imperative of these shops, they and other stores also cater to the locals, given that many Galicians call the old town home. Thus there are also fashion, footwear and jewelry boutiques as well as pharmacies, bookstores, and other shops that carry items for everyday wants and needs.For one-of-a-kind handcrafted items, head to my favorite store, Amboa, on Rua Nova. They have a wide variety of ceramic, glass, and other types of decorative items (and practical ones, too) as well as jewelry, much of which is made with jet, a local, organic black gem. I found many of their things beautiful and reasonably priced (even at today's exchange rate), and bought several as gifts for family, friends, and myself.
For more information about shopping here, check out the Santiago de Compostela Shopping Guide, an extensive directory of 802 shops divided into 42 product categories. The guide is published in Galician, Spanish and English, and contains a fold-out map showing buildings of interest and a wide range of shops. To find out how to get a copy, contact Santiago Turismo at info@santiagoturismo.com.
Playing, Eating, and Sleeping in the Old Town
Grab a Bite and a Beverage, Enjoy the People and the Sights, and Chillax
The old town is both small enough physically where getting around on foot is quite doable and large enough culturally where you can see and do a lot and without getting bored after just a day.And there is plenty to do. Aside from the cathedral, museums, and stores, there is usually some kind of event going on somewhere in the old town, whether it's a photography exhibit, concert, or food tasting. And if you're in the mood for a movie, there are cinemas; just know that most are shown in Spanish or the Galician language (Gallego), although occasionally they're shown in V.O. (version original). The events page of Santiago Turismo's website has an up-to-date listing of all the goings-on about town.
When you want or need to take a load off after all of your activities, there are plenty of cafes and restaurants where you can do just that. Most are along the larger streets while others are tucked away in the nooks and crannies of backstreets and side streets. (See the photo below.) During my time here, I frequented plenty of them, whether it was for a coffee, tapas or a full-blown meal, and met and chatted with some of the loveliest people. Unfortunately, I don't know the names of these places but, hey, go try them out for yourself! :-D
I didn't stay at a hotel as Luis' parents in Noia were my oh-so-lovely hosts, so I don't have any personal recommendations for you. However, you can check the accommodations page of the Santiago Turismo website for information about hotels, hostels, short-term apartments, and more. You can also see what fellow travelers have written about their favorite places to stay (and eat) at tripadvisor.
The Narrowest Street in the World?
Exploring the Areas Around Santiago de Compostela (Intro)
What You Find May Surprise You
I spent a good part of my trip exploring areas west of Santiago de Compostela. One of my favorite things to do was to travel off the beaten track and experience the beauty of the countryside, where walking into a small, remote town was like stepping into the era of Cervantes and Don Quixote.Some of the cool things I saw included the following:
Ancient Sites from B.C. Eras
Discovering Ancestral Grounds
Archaeological remains... The photo on the right is that of a dolmen, which, according to Wikipedia, is a tomb dating back to the Neolithic period. Dolmens are scattered throughout Spain and elsewhere in Europe, especially Celtic areas.Scroll down to the photo section and the pic entitled "Galicia_Sea_3." The mass of land off the coast is an ancient settlement, which you can walk to and explore up close and personal. I imagined what it would have been like to live there and it made me appreciate all the more the modern-day conveniences at my disposal.
Lighthouses
Being at the Top on the Edge of Spain
Since Galicia borders the Atlantic Ocean, lighthouses abound along its western coast. And while they vary in size and stature, each provides an incredible view from the shore and up above it.I was fortunate in that, because of Luis's dad (also named Luis), I had permission to enter and climb to the top of the three lighthouses I visited -- the ones at Corrubedo, Finisterre, and Villano. Let me tell you, it's absolutely breathtaking up there, and I mean that almost literally. When I stepped onto the landing at the Villano lighthouse, the wind was enough to suck the breath right out of me and make me grateful that I was just visiting and not the guy who works there.
(The photo above is of Luis [left] and Francisco, the technician at the Finesterre lighthouse. Pics of the other lighthouses I visited are in the photo section below. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has additional pictures and information about lighthouses in Galicia.)
The Lighthouse at Villano
Noia
The Town That I Called Home
As noted earlier, my friend, Luis, hails from the small town of Noia, which is about 45 minutes west of Santiago de Compostela. Most guidebooks don't usually mention Noia so tourists are a rarity here. It's too bad. I found it to be very charming, and the people here are as warm and welcoming as they are in Santiago de Compostela and other areas of Galicia.If you can spend even a portion of a day here, I think it's worth it. Not only can you chill out and just hang with the locals at any of the cafes (like the outdoor one in the photo), you can also see a few things that most tourists don't (or can't) see anywhere else.
One very interesting place in Noia is the Museo das Laudas, a museum that houses ancient tombstones. Most of them are large (around 6' or taller) and consist of pictographs engraved in stone that represent the deceased person's occupation or station in life, or a combination of pictographs and written inscriptions. To see what I mean, visit the museum's website. You can also see some of my photos of the tombs below.
Eating the Galician Way
Mariscos and Empanadas and Caldo Gallego - Oh My!
I ate very well during my trip, thanks to all the great cafes and restaurants but especially to Luis' dad, whose extraordinary cooking skills made my mouth water just thinking about lunch, the main meal of the day.With the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, it's only natural that the seafood in Galicia is fresh and plentiful in varieties of salt water fish and shellfish. (Check out the crab below!) And believe it or not, canned seafood is really good, too. I brought home about a couple dozen tins of scallops and mussels, which I put in salads or ate on crackers. (They were pretty heavy to carry but very yummy to eat!)
Meat and poultry are big here, too. Beef, pork, veal, chicken, you name it. When you're taking a break from seeing the sites and want to stay outside, go to one of the local markets and make yourself a picnic lunch with bread, cheese and chorizo, a smoked sausage that is akin to salami and very tasty (unless you're a vegan or vegetarian or kosher).
Visit my lens Recipes from Galicia, Spain, where you'll find recipes for several traditional Galician dishes, courtesy of Luis the Elder.
Check Out This Crab I Had for Lunch!
Photos of Santiago de Compostela and Its Environs
A Visual Tour of My Travels
These are just some of the photos I took on my trip. If you would like to use any of them on your lens, website, blog, etc., please send me an email to let me know how and where you're using them. Be considerate and attribute credit to the photographer (me!) -- how about linking back to this lens for starters? :-)
There You Have It
My Take on Santiago de Compostela... So Far
Until then, check out the latest news, bits of trivia, travel resources, and gift ideas below for additional information about this part of Spain.
News Tidbits About Galicia and Santiago de Compostela
Items Included as I Hear About Them So Visit This Lens Again Soon for Updates!
Travel DiscountsThe low season for travel to Europe has officially begun, so the "Santiago, You´ll Want More" tourism campaign, which runs from November 2008-March 2009, is designed to entice you to travel to Santiago with its great deals during the cooler months, including special hotel discounts, gift packages, and a gastronomy program.
Gastronomy activities include food samplings, wine tastings, workshops for children, cooking and tapas routes, and the "I buy and cook with..." program, which features the participation of renowned chefs such as Marcelo Tejedor, Pepe Solla and Iago Castrillón. As Galician wine is being promoted as one of the city's attractions, there are monthly wine-tasting events that feature Galicia´s Monterrey, Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro and Valdeorras wines. For the cooking and tapas Routes, city restaurants are offering theme-based menus or tapas: autumn cuisine (game, mushrooms, chestnuts...) in November and December, and stew and soup cuisine from January through March.
Participating tour operators include Transhotel, Soltour, Viagal, Hotelbeds, Atrápalo and Costas Galicia, the largest Galician tour operator, as well as Santiago Tourism´s own tour operator, Compostur, along with 31 participating hotels. Visitors can book complete packages at the Santiago Reservas website.
On Television
If you missed the two episodes of Spain... On the Road Again, in which chef, restauranteur, author and Food Network star Mario Batali
, Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow, food writer Mark Bittman, and Spanish television actress Claudia Bassols travel through Galicia, then head over to the show's website to watch video snippets, get recipes, and link to iTunes to purchase each episode. Over at Amazon, you can order the book, Spain... A Culinary Road Trip and the DVD of Spain... On The Road Again
for a lower price than on the website.) A Bit of Santiago de Compostela Trivia
I Had No Idea. Did You?
* On his first trip to Santiago de Compostela (to receive the first Fonseca Prize), world-renown physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking traveled part of the pilgrimage route, el Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James), on 22 Sept 2008. At the cathedral he asked the apostle for "hope, justice and love."
* Paolo Coehlo, author of the bestseller, The Alchemist
, walked el Camino de Santiago in 1986 and wrote of his achieving self-awareness and spiritual awakening in the book, The Pilgrimage.* I haven't found any corroborating documentation for this but Luis tells me that Sigourney Weaver also walked el Camino de Santiago.
* Loreena McKennitt loved her visit to Santiago de Compostela so much that she wrote a song about the city, aptly titled "Santiago," which appears on The Mask and Mirror
(studio recording) and Nights from the Alhambra (live concert) CDs. Links for Santiago de Compostela and More
Cuz Knowledge is Power!
- Santiago de Compostela Tourism Office
- Official website.
- Santiago de Compostela
- More information about the city.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Santiago de Compostela (Old Town)
- Information about UNESCO's selection of the old town as a World Heritage Cultural Site.
- CIUDADES PATRIMONIO DE LA HUMANIDAD
- For information about the UNESCO World Heritage cities in Spain (Avila, Caceres, Cordoba, Cuenca, Salamanca, Santiago de Compostela, Segovia, and Toledo).
- Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
- The official website includes virtual tours, information about the cathedrals's history and museum, and more.
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- The V&A collections include a vast 19th-century plaster copy of the Portico de la Gloria from the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela as well as a painted glass panel of St. James from 1618.
- XACOBEO
- For information about The Way of Saint James from the Xunta de Galicia.
- Museo Das Peregrinacions
- Official website for the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrimage Museum.
- Fundacion Eugenio Granell
- For information about the Eugenio Granell Museum and Foundation.
- Amboa
- For information about my favorite shop in Santiago de Compostela.
- Lighthouses of Galicia
- For information about lighthouses in Galicia from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- GALICIA GUIDE | Galicia Spain main index
- A tourist guide about Galicia and its cities and towns, including Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, A Coruna, Vigo, Pontevedra, Ourense, Noia, Muros, and Padron.
- Compostela Vision
- For sightseeing tours of Santiago de Compostela.
- Spain Tourism (Official Website)
- Includes information on how to travel to Spain, directions, what to visit, recreation guide, maps, street directory, street map, hotels, public transports, what to see, where to eat, history, art, festivals and relevant dates and events.
- Santiago de Compostela Organizacion Congresos - Convention Bureau
- If you're interested in doing business in Santiago de Compostela, check out the official Convention Bureau website.
Great Books on Santiago de Compostela and Galicia
Perfect for Armchair Travelers Part 1
Northern Spain (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)
Amazon Price: $15.64 (as of 07/06/2009) 
List Price: $23.00
Used Price: $7.88
Usually ships in 24 hours
Northern Spain: The Collected Traveler (An Inspired Anthology and Travel Resource)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/06/2009)
List Price: $17.00
Used Price: $18.51
The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 07/06/2009)
List Price: $24.95
Used Price: $6.43
Usually ships in 24 hours
Off the Road: A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim's Route into Spain
Amazon Price: $11.70 (as of 07/06/2009)
List Price: $13.00
Used Price: $2.00
Usually ships in 24 hours
The Food of Northern Spain: Recipes from the Gastronomic Heartland of Spain
Amazon Price: (as of 07/06/2009)
List Price: $35.00
Used Price: $9.90
If You Can't Make It to Galicia, Let Galicia Come to You
Perfect for Armchair Travelers Part 2
Perhaps they will inspire you to travel to a new and exotic place, capture your thoughts and feelings on paper, or just doodle away the hours...
Just in case the links below don't work, you can find these and other items at my CafePress store... Take a gander, pick up a gift, and spread the love. Thanks.
Galician Sunset Note Cards (Pk of 10)
Price: 13.29
Outdoor Cafe in Noia, Spain Journal
Price: 12.59
Galician Waterfall Postcards (Package of 8)
Price: 7.99
Lighthouse Staircase Greeting Card
Price: 3.99
More Cool Stuff for Santiago de Compostela and Galicia
Perfect for Armchair Travelers Part 3
There are some really cool things related to Santiago de Compostela, el Camino de Santiago, and the Galician region on eBay. Heck, I may get a few of them myself!
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Getting to Santiago de Compostela
Get Out of That Armchair! :-D
You can walk, bike, drive, or even travel on horseback along one of the eight pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela, known collectively as The Way of Santiago, whether you're a pilgrim or not. From what Luis told me, it is a trip that allows for much soul searching.
Or you may prefer to get there another way (no pun intended). If you're in the U.S., you can fly to Madrid (airport code MAD) or Barcelona (BCN) and then hop on a connecting flight to Santiago de Compostela. There are also trains that go there from various cities in Spain.
Since I was headed there from Paris (France, not Texas), I opted for a flight into Vigo (VGO) instead, which is in the southwest part of Galicia, about an hour north of the Portugal border. The Vigo airport is small, clean and efficient, without all the hustle and bustle of its larger brethren. (And airline personnel speak English, French and presumably other languages, which, given my elementary Spanish, made my trip that much easier.) From Vigo, the drive to Santiago de Compostela takes a couple of hours and is filled with some of the most beautiful coastal and inland scenery anywhere.
Thanks for Reading My Lens!
The More Lens Friends, the Better!
If this lens has inspired you to visit Santiago de Compostela and/or the Galician region of Spain on one of your upcoming trips, or if you simply like what you've seen here, let me know!
And if you'd like to share it, please do! :-D
Thanks!
a_willow wrote...
Hi! Just to let you know: You are one of Graduates from September 2008 Class! :)
Posted November 06, 2008
a_willow wrote...
This lens entered Fresh Squid Contest for October as one of the lenses that has been featured on Fresh Squid group during September!
Posted October 04, 2008
Angelina_Howard wrote...
I want to go! Amazing pictures. Amazing trip. What an adventure. Good for you!! 5*****
Posted September 28, 2008
What a great job! This is the best travel lens I've visited so far. I've always wanted to go to Spain and this information is very enticing. Great work.
Posted September 28, 2008
jessicashalyn wrote...
Nice Lens about Santiago de Compostela. This lens inspired me to visit Spain. Great work. 5 *
Posted September 25, 2008
KimGiancaterino wrote...
Beautiful lens... Welcome to All Things Travel. I'm also giving you a Squid Angel Blessing!
Posted September 24, 2008
TopStyleTravel wrote...
Great lens! Congrats on the Top 100! Great information for anyone looking for a destination off the beaten track. Love your photos and especially the crab dish. Definitely will recommend to my clients looking to travel to Spain.
Posted September 23, 2008
anthropos wrote...
Thanks for joining "Anything and Everything Travel" Group. We look forward to seeing your other travel related lenses in our group. Keep up the good work. For a categorized list of my travel lenses and other lenses see my Lensography..
Posted September 20, 2008
Bunta wrote...
Great Lens! Spain is on my list of places to visit someday and this really makes me want to make sure I don't overlook this town!
Posted September 20, 2008
stoetzels wrote...
This place is going in my list of vacation spots...Thanks for sharing the pics....
Posted September 20, 2008
Luis Bello wrote
Thank you Linda!!! GREAT JOB.
Posted September 18, 2008
Rajays wrote...
What a beautiful lens! makes me want to pack my bags and leave right away. Putting this place to my list of places to visit before I die.
Posted September 18, 2008
Portable_eBay wrote...
I've always wanted to go to Spain. It could be that this pictures will be the closest I can get. *sigh
eBay at its Finest!!!
Posted September 18, 2008
aj2008 wrote...
What a beautiful place. I have friends who visit Spain a lot, who are always looking for places to go. I shall certainly tell them about this lens. Reading the module on Eating the Galician way has made me feel very rumbly in my tumbly!
Posted September 18, 2008
marketmasteryblog wrote...
Looks beautiful. Been around the world, but never to Spain.
Posted September 18, 2008
WhippetTalk wrote...
Great job! Wish I was there. 5*s! And a wee little blessing
Posted September 17, 2008
a_willow wrote...
Welcome to Fresh Squid Group! Wish you more of great lenses!
Posted September 17, 2008
Crystal_Booth wrote...
Wow! Simply amazing job on this lens! Blessings for you :)
Posted September 16, 2008
imlj wrote...
Many thanks to each of you for your gracious comments and inspiration. I am thrilled you enjoyed this lens and look forward to sharing more of them with you.
Hugs,
LJ
Posted September 16, 2008
EverythingMouse wrote...
What an amazing lens. I hope that I see a lot more of your work on Squidoo!
You have been Blessed by a Squid Angel
Posted September 16, 2008
0ctavias0fferings wrote...
Wow, fantastic lens, really makes me want to visit. 5*
Posted September 16, 2008
Jimmie wrote...
Gorgeous! And informative. I'm ready to go.
Blessed by an angel today.
Posted September 16, 2008
Mayling wrote...
Great lens. It's a good read and it made me want to tour the place given a chance. 5 stars for you.
Posted September 16, 2008
a_willow wrote...
Love Spain! I visited couple years ago and had really great time! You did great job promoting it!
Posted September 16, 2008
