Alright. It’s legitimately been a long time since we went to Santiago and I am lame for not having written about it sooner, so I think I might just write a few quick comments and then just post you some fun pictures to show you how adorable the city is, especially all dressed up for Christmas! The old part of the city has a pretty medieval feel to it, with lots of cobbled streets to get lost in, but the obvious draw is the cathedral, the ending point for all the pilgrims doing the Camino de Santiago.
Okay, so apparently the history of St James that I wrote about here before was a little misinformed, so the nice person who commented on this post very generously corrected it for me: “Your photos are great! Your history… well .. not so great! James (Iago) was Yaakov ben Zebedee, brother of John Zebedee, apostles of Christ. After the crucifixion he evangelized in Spain. In 44AD he returned to Jerusalem where he was beheaded by Herod Agrippa. His disciples took his body back to Spain where they buried him on a hillside in Libredon (now Galicia). The necropolis was forgotten for 800 years. It was rediscovered in 813 and pilgrims have been walking to the tomb of Sant Iago in Compostela ever since. (Compostela – compos = burial place stella – stars).” Thanks for the correction! I could have sworn there was something about a mysterious boat in it, but my memory’s notoriously lame, soo…who knows? Anyway, people walk, bike, ride horses, or somehow travel from the camino’s accepted beginning in France to Santiago to Compostela, hundreds of miles away. And the cathedral and the massive plaza that fronts it is pretty darn impressive to the unenlightened eye, so you can only imagine how it must feel to arrive there after weeks or months of strenous travel.
Okay, so back to Santiago. Galicia is also one of the rainiest communities in Spain, but we lucked out and had one really spectacular day to take pictures and explore the city. Plus, Galicia is well-known for its seafood, having a very long coast line and access to a lot of fruits of the sea on a daily basis. Unfortunately that is not my thing, but we certainly made friends with the large and very disgusting looking fish proudly displayed in every bar’s window, “enticing” us to come in and try the fare. Needless to say, the weekend was an adventure and worth the 8-hour-each-way bus rides! Enjoy the photos!
City Hall at Night
St James
The Cathedral
Cloisters in the Cathedral
Towards the University
Cathedral from the Distance
December 30, 2008 at 11:20 am
Your photos are great! Your history… well .. not so great!
James (Iago) was Yaakov ben Zebedee, brother of John Zebedee, apostles of Christ.
After the crucifixion he evangelized in Spain.
In 44AD he returned to Jerusalem where he was beheaded by Herod Agrippa.
His disciples took his body back to Spain where they buried him on a hillside in Libredon (now Galicia).
The necropolis was forgotten for 800 years.
It was rediscovered in 813 and pilgrims have been walking to the tomb of Sant Iago in Compostela ever since. (Compostela – compos = burial place stella – stars)
PS: I also shivered when I saw live octopus and other sea creatures squirming in their watery prisons waiting for someone to choose them for dinner!
December 30, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Hey Ama –
Thanks for the correction on the history – I should know this stuff, seeing as how I lived in Spain and studied history, but apparently we never got to the early Spanish history part!
I’ll be sure to add a little PS on my post so that people know the real story! Thanks for writing!
January 13, 2009 at 1:09 pm
There is a legend about Santiago or Santiago’s cadaver arriving to Compostela in a boat. I think the boat was supposed to be made of rock.
I loooove Santiago. I lived there for a year and miss it! Beautiful photos. Que nostalgia!