Santiago Compostella - trip report
 

Santiago Compostella - Oct. 21 - 23

LONG but pretty bus ride from Bilbao to Santiago Compostella. Santiago was one of the highlights of our trip. Absolutely perfect little town with magnificent architecture and some great restaurants.

*Hotel - Costa Vella. 181 E for 2 nights inclusive. Double with balcony. Absolutely beautiful little hotel with a wonderful garden are for breakfast or afternoon tea. We absolutely loved this place and on a 1 to 10 scale it was a 10. Terrific staff and perfect location in the old part of town close to the Cathedral. We have seen Cathedrals all over Europe and this had to be one of the most magnificient. The Botafumeira at the altar was unbelievable. Cardinal Mahoney from Los Angeles was the acting Priest for Mass on the 22, along with many priests from the LA Diocese. The Botafumeira was swung and it was a magnificient sight to behold. Several of the priests were clicking away with their cameras. The Botafumeira is not swung on a regular basis, so we were so happy to be in attendance that morning. Many pilgrims were there also. It was a very moving experience for my husband and myself.

*Favorites:
Cathedral
Botafumeira
Costa Vella
Walking round the old town
Caldo soup
Galacian almond cake
Galacian wine (?)

We were so glad we had returned to Spain to see Barcelona and some of Northern Spain. Many wonderful memories created for us both.

Next stop = Porto, Portugal
(I will move to the Portugal board)

We found our experience in Santiago De Compostela to be magical. Glad you enjoyed it too. The Museum of Galicia was interesitng as well.

Glad you like SdC but having only stayed in the city you will miss so much of what there is on offer here in Galicia.

Can I ask why the question mark behind the “Galician wine”?
The Galacian almond cake you write about could be called Tarta de Santiago. There are other cakes also made with almonds but this is the most popular with the tourists.

I bet you will like Oporto too.

I believe it's Compostela (no 'll') and Botafumeiro ('o,' not 'a').
Some of my favorite wines of Spain (i.e., Ribeiro, Albariño y Rosal) come from Pontevedra & Ourense (Galicia).
BTW
The Botafumeiro used to serve a more practical purpose: to override the Body odors of Pilgrims who had hiked the Camino.

I hope your tour atopped at Monte Santa Tecla (La Guardia) to visit the restored Celtic Village there.

to ribeirasacra:


I agree that there was much more for us to see in Galicia. We had originally planned our entire trip for Portugal. Hopefully we can return one day to see more of that area. It was a truly beautiful area of Spain.
As for the ?, I could not remember the name of the wine. I think it was Albarino.

NEDSIRELAND ;

Sorry I misspelled but sometimes my fingers move faster than my brain.

As for La Guardia, we were not on a tour. We prefer to see Europe on our own. We had travelled to Galicia on a bus and were without a car until we arrived in Portugal. Galicia is definitely an area to revisit. Probably in 2010.

Hi Grandma,

Thank you so much for your report. Santiago is my favorite city in Spain. We are headed back there in late March and will also stay at the Costa Vella. Glad to hear you concur with so many others that it is a good place to stay.

Was the Portico de la Gloria scaffolded? You were so lucky to see the Botafumeiro in action! I have been several times at Mass there and has never seen it.

Any restaurants you would like to recommend?

cruiseluv:

No scaffolding that we noticed. And yes, seeing the Botafumeiro swing was an awesome sight. We were told not to expect it but no doubt in honor of Cardinal Mahoney (or perhaps at his request)we saw it "in action". Those in the Cathedral for Mass were as much in awe as we were.
Did not write down the restaurants but received some suggestions from the staff at Costa Vella. I recall some fabulous octopus as well as shrimp and husband loved the Caldo. Be sure to take time for tea or wine in the gardens of the CV. Truly a gorgeous setting.

Thanks Grandma, I can't wait!!

Forgot to comment that I am in awe of you and your husband doing that looooong bus trip from Bilbao. Three years ago I did the bus trip from Oviedo to Santiago, which is much closer, and by the time I got there I was dizzy! In any of the interim stops, did the bus stop long enough for you to get out and stretch your legs?

cruiseluv:

It WAS a long day but the scenery was lovely and the bus was very new and very comfortable. We had expected a bathroom on the bus, but were surprised to discover that there wasn't one. Hmmmmm. That was a bit of a drawback but we survived with stops every 3 or 4 hours. Entire trip was about 10 hours. Train would have taken 12 so we figured this would be our best bet. Husband usually drives when we are in Europe but decided it might be nice to sit back and relax. We would do it again but avoid drinking water !!!

OMG Grandma, I am surprised the bus didn't have a bathroom. Fortunately, mine did as there were no stops between Oviedo and Santiago.
You are right, the scenery is beautiful!

Some toilets on buses are not very nice…besides if the bus is full and you have to sit alongside one it could make for an unpleasant journey.
Note for those of you who are planning long trips in Spain using public transport the bus is the way to go as some trains do not run regularly and they can prove to be more expensive.

RE the Pórtico de la Gloria; I understood the restoration work would be on going for several years. The scaffolding was there on my last visit so it is good news that it has been removed now. These newspaper reports seem to say other wise.
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/cultura...5103762866.htm
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/cultura...03_7348109.htm

But if you want to see other examples of Maestro Mateo there other works of his located in other parts of Galicia