Santiago de Compostela

we have arrived into Santiago along with the rain.  The Atlantic Northwest of Spain is like the Pacific Northwest with hilly, lush terrain that receives a lot of moisture.  Glad we brought our rain jackets. The town seems to hum with happy tourists as most of them have finished their goal of completing the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James).  The part of Santiago that tourists come to visit is quite contained and filled with medieval buildings, hotels, souvenir shops, restaurants and cafes.

Santiago is Spanish for "St. James".  James and his brother John were well-off fisherman on the Sea of Galilee who became apostles for Jesus.  After Jesus' death, the apostles spread out and brought his message to other lands.  St. James spent a decade as a missionary in northwest Spain. Legend has it that when he returned to the Holy Land, in 44 AD, he was beheaded by the Roman Emperor.  Before his body and head could be thrown to the lions-as was the custom back then, they were rescued by two of his disciples.  They brought his body back to northern Spain and entombed it in the hills.  It remained hidden for almost 8 centuries until 813, when a monk discovered the tomb.  The local bishop proudly exclaimed that St. James was in Spain and built the Cathedral on the spot where his remains were found.  The new settlement of Santiago was established in 865 and by the 10th century it was called Santiago de Compostela (Buried Ground of St. James).  Legend also has it that in the 15th century, St. James re-appeared as a knight on a white horse, sword in hand to lead the Christians to victory over the Muslims.

Many of the buildings have archways to allow pedestrians to keep dry in the rainy season and keep cool in the heat of the summer.

 A typical looking street outside the city walls.  

 A beautiful night with a full moon rising over the back of the Cathedral.  The original building was a simple chapel but has been expanded over the last 12 centuries.  Most of what we see today began in 1075 and took 150 years to complete.  There was also a lot of fancy Baroque work added in the 18th century, much of which is currently covered in scaffolding due to a massive restoration project.

 Inside the Cathedral is the huge gold alter honoring St. James.  In the center is a 13th century statue of St. James, gilded and covered in precious gems.  Pilgrims (and the public) can go through a side entrance and kiss the back of St. James head.

Octopus is an obsession in Santiago de Compostela and is on virtually every restaurant menu.  It's extremely fresh as the Atlantic ocean is only 20 miles away.  After the octopus is beaten to tenderize it, then boiled in a copper pot, its tentacles are snipped into bite sized pieces with scissors.  It's topped with Spanish virgin olive oil, coarse sea salt and a mixture of sweet and spicy paprika, then served on a round, wooden plate.  It is accompanied with large pieces of country bread to sop up the olive oil. It was very tender and delicious
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A troupe called Cantigas e Agarimos sings Galician folk music in traditional costume for donations in locations with excellent acoustics several times a week.  The group has been doing this since 1921. We were fortunate to run into one of there sessions on the way home from dinner.