kja

@ lreynold1 -- thank you so much for this VERY helpful information!

ribeirasacra

Actually I have been told tonight by guest, who live in the city, the towers may not be "freed" of the scaffolding for another 2 years. It has taken far longer than originally thought to clean and repair the Porta da Gloria. It is expected of the same for the main building.

kja

@ ribeirasacra - thanks for the update! I doubt that the presence or absence of the scaffolding will dictate my decision, but it is definitely helpful to plan with an eye to information about likely timing. I've visited several places that were spectacular despite scaffolding. And I decided to visit Noto even though its cathedral was covered in scaffolding -- only to get there, quite literally, hours after they took it down.

ribeirasacra

scaffolding should not deter anyone visiting a location. It is a shame not to see the building as intended but is how it goes some time.

yorkshire

I only scratched the surface in Basque country a few years back, but if you only do one Camino walk, I highly recommend the path between Zumaia and Deba, as the geology is stunning. Re public transportation: The coastal towns were a snap to travel between by bus and train, inland was a different story.
I would be jealous, as I long to return to Basque country one day, but I am headed back to Italy this May!
I found the Basque coastal towns pretty quiet in May--we were the ONLY guests in a hotel in Elantxobe that I was sure was going to be haunted, so that ended up a one-night stay. What a gobsmacking beautiful stretch of coast it is from San Sebastian west to Bermeo though.

kja

@ ribeirasacra -- I wholeheartedly agree!

@ yorkshire -- thanks for your enthusiasm and for recommending the path between Zumala and Deba. Can you give me a sense of how easy or strenuous (or flat vs. steep) that stretch is?

kja

@ joannyc -- I finally had time to look at your photo journal -- OMG, I want to go NOW!!! You obviously had a memorable trip and you captured some wonderful moments with your camera. Thanks so much for sharing! Toward the end of your trip, you captured what look, to my eyes, to be some magnificent Moorish-influenced ceilings -- can you tell me where they were?

mikelg

Kja...as a local, I´ve been in that part of the Camino several times...a nice walk in many parts of it, although it may become steep in some areas. You have a stunning geopark right beneath it, on the cliffs, that can be visited...100million years of history of Earth reflected on the beautiful shapes of the rocks...http://www.geoparkea.com/?lang_code=en

You may start the route at the Ermitage of San Telmo (St Elm, I guess), wonderful views from there and very easy access.

yorkshire

I guess I would call that walk "moderate"--but if you have a car, there are probably plenty of places to access it without doing the entire stretch. I remember we stopped at a picnic area with parking.
http://www.caminosantiagogipuzkoa.co...=0&sesion=1347

rialtogrl

-This year, the merchants/hoteliers of Santiago have paid for it to be swung every Friday night at the 7 pm mass, but I haven't heard whether it will be continued into 2015.-

Every time I have seen the Butafumiero it has been at the noon mass. They usually swing it around 12:50.

I have seen it quite a few times but I ALWAYS get teary-eyed.

kja

@ mikelg & yorkshire - Thanks to both of you for the links and additional information! I try to include a few hikes in my trips, but have begun to think I should stick to reasonably easy ones -- I've had too many close calls over the years, and as a solo traveler, that can be a bit troubling. ;-) If either of you cares to suggest other options, I'm all ears.

@ rialtogrl -- you are so lucky to have seen the Butafumiero, and several times at that! I won't count on seeing it, but will try to time my visit(s) so I can take advantage of any opportunities.

joannyc

Kja, yes, it was a wonderful trip! I loved it!

I spent 5 nights in Santiago de Compostela and went to mass 3 of those days... Did not get to see the Butafumiero being used, unfortunately. Got a photo of it up in the Library before being told that no photos were allowed! Oops, I really did not see any signs prohibiting photos!

The ceilings are in side chapels in Cuenca's cathedral. I did a day trip there from Madrid before flying home.

kja

@ joannyc - hmm... maybe I will make a note to myself to "forget" to look for signs about whether photography is / is not allowed when I get to that cathedral. ;-) (Not really -- it sounds like we both really do try to respect those signs.)

Oh no, that ceiling was in Cuenca? I've wanted to see Cuenca for years -- it was the LAST place I cut from my itinerary back in 2004, but I don't think I can fit it into this plan. Maybe I can get to Aragon, with its UNESCO World Heritage designated Mudejar architecture....

Your pictures hint at just how wonderful your trip was! Thanks again for sharing them.

joannyc

Kja, thanks very much! I'm glad you enjoyed my photos.

I, too, have had to cancel Cuenca during previous trips, just not enough time too see everything you want! This last trip I added a night to Madrid before flying home so I could get there.... even if it was raining that day!

You are going to have a wonderful trip!

I look forward to my next trip to Spain to explore the northeastern part of the country.

kja

@ joannyc -- it is always SO hard to limit one's choices, isn't it? I know I'll have an amazing time no matter how I cut it, but it is still difficult! So let me ask: In your trip ton NW Spain, were there any things you would do differently? Place you would spend more or less time, etc.?

yorkshire

Yes, that stretch of the Camino could be somewhat isolated for a solo hiker. A good alternate is the walk along the coast from San Sebastian to Pasaia. You can take a bus back, and there is supposed to be good seafood in Pasaia (maybe Pasaia Donibane). We did this walk in late May and it was gorgeous--we even saw orchids!

mikelg

Botafumeiro, in Galician it means "smoke spreader", used to disseminate incense in the cathedral, as the smell of the pilgrims was not very nice...

kja

@ yorkshire -- Oooh, that trail looks like it might work for me, and orchids would be quite a lovely bonus -- thanks for suggesting it!

@ Mikelg -- Have I been misspelling the name of this noted thurible? Sorry! I'm sure the pilgrims didn't smell very good, but then, my understanding (which could easily be wrong) was that one of the historic reasons for extensive use of incense in Catholic churches throughout much of Europe was the pervasive belief that frequent bathing was bad for one's health -- hence incense and widespread use of aromatics (like lavender), etc. Of course, even if that's true, the reason for the <u>size</u> of the Botafumeiro could easily be the pilgrims. ;-)

mikelg

Well, it´s a Galician word, its spelling may sound strange to you. I understand that the size is due to the importance and size of the cathedral of Santiago (St James). There were so many pilgrims that it needed a lot of incense to cover the body odours...take into account that sleeping in churches was also something very common in those times.

Access to water was not easy...hence the "beliefs" that those keeping the property of the sources spread. Like muslims not eating pig (an animal that uses water intensively), cows in India, etc...

kja

@ mikelg - how fascinating! I knew a bit about the link between incense and body odors, but I've never heard that explanation for prohibitions against pigs, and it certainly makes sense. Yet another example of why I love Fodor's! Thanks so much!