Santiago de Compostela, Spain
We started our day with a Zodiac ride to the small lovely town of Muros, where we boarded a bus for our short trip to Santiago de Compostela ( Saint James of the Starry Field). In the Middle Ages Santiago was Christendom's third most important place of pilgrimage, after Jerusalem and Rome. Built almost entirely with granite, the local rock, the center of the city is formed by the Governor's palace together with the major's office, the Hostal of the Catholic Kings (Ferdinand and Isabella), the University building, and the great cathedral built in honor of St. James. The cathedral’s structure dates back to the 11th-12th centuries and stands on the site of the original basilica built by Alfonso II. It is entered through the carved Portica da Gloria, a great wonder of Christian art that leads to the lofty interior that has welcomed visitors and pilgrims for many centuries, since medieval times. The church is active, and is built in the form of the Italian cross. At the end is the high altar, where visitors can pass behind the ornate structure to hug or kiss the silver mantle of the 13th-century statue of St. James. Under this is the crypt, where the relics of St. James and two disciples are said to lie in a tomb, among the original 9th-century foundations.
During midday mass today, we saw the enormous (60 kilos) censer being swung high above the altar by eight men, sending the fragrance of incense all over the church.
After this we returned to the Catholic King's Hostel for lunch and a performance by a local "tuna" of musicians singing happy and lively songs. Then we spent some free time visiting numerous handicraft shops and then returned back to the bus for a ride north to the city of La Coruna, where we visited Europe’s oldest working lighthouse of Hercules, built by the Romans. It was rebuilt in the 18th-century and is an important landmark for the city. Soon thereafter we headed for the port, and boarded our ship again, sailing almost immediately after, to the east, along the northern coast of Spain in the Golfo de Vizcaya.
We started our day with a Zodiac ride to the small lovely town of Muros, where we boarded a bus for our short trip to Santiago de Compostela ( Saint James of the Starry Field). In the Middle Ages Santiago was Christendom's third most important place of pilgrimage, after Jerusalem and Rome. Built almost entirely with granite, the local rock, the center of the city is formed by the Governor's palace together with the major's office, the Hostal of the Catholic Kings (Ferdinand and Isabella), the University building, and the great cathedral built in honor of St. James. The cathedral’s structure dates back to the 11th-12th centuries and stands on the site of the original basilica built by Alfonso II. It is entered through the carved Portica da Gloria, a great wonder of Christian art that leads to the lofty interior that has welcomed visitors and pilgrims for many centuries, since medieval times. The church is active, and is built in the form of the Italian cross. At the end is the high altar, where visitors can pass behind the ornate structure to hug or kiss the silver mantle of the 13th-century statue of St. James. Under this is the crypt, where the relics of St. James and two disciples are said to lie in a tomb, among the original 9th-century foundations.
During midday mass today, we saw the enormous (60 kilos) censer being swung high above the altar by eight men, sending the fragrance of incense all over the church.
After this we returned to the Catholic King's Hostel for lunch and a performance by a local "tuna" of musicians singing happy and lively songs. Then we spent some free time visiting numerous handicraft shops and then returned back to the bus for a ride north to the city of La Coruna, where we visited Europe’s oldest working lighthouse of Hercules, built by the Romans. It was rebuilt in the 18th-century and is an important landmark for the city. Soon thereafter we headed for the port, and boarded our ship again, sailing almost immediately after, to the east, along the northern coast of Spain in the Golfo de Vizcaya.
