Santiago de Compostela

The highlight of our final stop on this cruise was the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela. On our bus ride from the port we passed numerous pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago, or Way of St James, which terminates at the Cathedral. Pilgrims have reportedly made the trek to the from all over Europe since the ninth century to pay homage to Saint James the Great, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ.

The first church was built on the site in 829 AD with construction of the Cathedral beginning in 1060 and nominal completion in 1211. Various additions and enhancements continued until the 19th century and, as would be expected, maintenance and repairs continue today.

The main façade of the cathedral dominates a square bordered by the city hall opposite the Cathedral, the University on the south side and a five-star hotel converted from a 15th century hospital on the north side. Other entrances to the church include the Door of Forgiveness on the west side, which is only opened on jubilee years, when the Feast of St James (July 25) lands on a Sunday. The door is opened on December 31 and remains open for the entire Jubilee year with long lines of faithful waiting to cross the threshold. The north entrance, rebuilt in the Baroque style after the Romanesque façade was destroyed, is used on a daily basis while the south entrance is the only remaining Romanesque façade.

You could easily spend an entire day taking in all the detail of the interior of the cathedral and examining the prolific symbolism. As you would expect, most of it centers around Saint James and the various legends surrounding him. I found the dichotomy between the ornate altar pieces and austere columns to be quite striking. One moment you're mesmerized by the intricate details of an item and the next you're taken aback by the elegant simplicity of another. 

As imposing and overwhelming as the Cathedral is, the town immediately surrounding it is quaint, warm, and welcoming. There are shops of every description, providing opportunities to purchase everything from the most trivial knick-knack to fine jewelry. One of the most popular souvenirs are scallop shells painted with the Cross of St James. Pilgrims on the Camino will display them in some manner, often hanging on the flap of their backpack. 

Cafés and restaurants abound, if you're looking for anything from a light snack to a complete meal the options are plentiful. Not everyone speaks English, but most people speak it well enough that you ought to be able to navigate menus and order with minimal difficulty. If you have specific concerns, such as food allergies, you may want to avoid any potential miscommunication. Otherwise we prefer to do the best we can and chalk up anything "mis-ordered" as a learning experience and give it a try. We rarely hit a complete dud and have discovered dishes that we would have never considered sampling otherwise. If you're traveling to an area and don't speak the language it's probably a fair assumption that you're at least a little adventurous, so go for it!