Santiago de Compostela -- A Fantastic City!

Santiago de Compostela – what a fantastic city. We love it …we recommend it! Come and visit! Yes, lots of exclamation marks – because we really do love it! It’s our third time here, the first being in 1999

(the photo at right is from our 2nd trip, in 2007), which says a lot because we only come back to a place if we really like it.







NOW and THEN

There are parks all around the old city providing beautiful green spaces. And the modern city – with many apartment blocks – isn’t too dense.

Santiago references St. James, the disciple of Jesus. Compostela references the Latin for field and star – the legend having it that in the year 814 a star shone in the sky illuminating the field where the bones of St. James were located.

The most famous landmark is the cathedral and the great square in front of it. Hundreds gather there every day. In that square we met a man from Australia who had walked the 500 miles from St. Jean-Pied-de-Port to Compostela in about six weeks and was now going to walk the final 80 miles to Finisterre. He took our photo (see above); we took his (on his camera or we would share it with you). And we wished him well.

It is the capital of Galicia, with 100,000+ citizens, along with many thousands of
students attending the University of Santiago de Compostela founded in 1495.

Dale, at left, posing with Galileo, both in Great Thought.

USC – not to be confused with USC (University of Southern California, our archenemy in Los Angeles -- thus making this the only USC acronym that faithful UCLA fans such as we can permit ourselves.)



It is also populated with thousands of pilgrims and families, so that – between students and pilgrims – there is constant activity in the old city day and night.

Buildings originate from around the 15th century and later. Streets and buildings are of granite, yet the place doesn't feel cold, despite all the stone. And the uniformity of color and material and lends the old town a feeling of integrity, richness, and great dignity. The vibe of the city is not that of cold stone, but rather the exuberance of the successful pilgrim and the young student.

Monastery St. Martin

A lovely plaza near the University

Walking streets lined with tiendas (shops)

It is very easy to get lost on the winding, narrow calles (streets).
A city plaza

The medieval center is a pedestrian-free zone during the day, except for taxis,
delivery trucks, and various repair vehicles coming in over the walking
streets. The streets themselves are narrow; there are arch-covered walkways similar to those around the Piazza San Marcos in Venice, presumably to provide shelter from the average 60” of rain each year.

Our room at the small Hotel Rúa Villar was just across the narrow street from the
Pilgrim’s Office so the street was crowded day and night with peregrinos waiting for their compostelas.

It was also only steps from the west side of the Cathedral – a great location which we loved, although it was a bit noisy some nights as students celebrated the beginning of the university term with singing into the early hours of the morning.

The streets are lined with shops,

bars, and restaurants.

Seafood is the main attraction with scallops -- the symbol of St. James as seen on so many waymarks on the camino – on the menu many places.

We found a wonderful tapas bar where we enjoyed a tortilla (Spanish egg and potato dish), paella with seafood, and a pork skewer, along with beer and a glass of Albariño – the lovely white wine from the Rías Bajas (lower rivers) of the Galician coast.

Ensalada Marisco con Gambas

Seafood salad with shrimp

Paella con Mariscos (seafood)

The Tapas Bar

A cerdo

(pork) skewer with

a cream sauce.

There was a street fair going on for several days. We ate ribs grilled on a large wood fire and watched a parade going by.



(Once again, from all these comments, you can see how important food is to our
travels and tummies, although hopefully not our waistlines.)

After lunching, we found a display of desserts, including Tarta de Santiago,

pictured above. Irresistible! Delicious!

The bus system is efficient and quick.


Who could want more? Great public transportation. Great food. Art and Culture. Awesome architecture. Terrific, inexpensive white wine. Beer on tap and available in small glasses. And, for those of us tree/green space people, this is the greenest part of Spain, so we'd be happy. For the beach and heat folks, this might be a little too wet. We're not moving, but we could be the Tourist Bureau for Santiago de Compostela – a wonderful place to visit, even if you are not a pilgrim. We’ll come back again. We highly recommend it!