Date and time of visit: May 16, 2012, around 6:00 p.m., one night
Before I knew it, this “Pilgrimage Road Trip Edition” had become No.16. It’s finally the last issue.
Departing from Paras do Reis, Santiago de Compostela seemed to be just a stone’s throw away by car, but it took longer than expected due to the unexpectedly crowded public roads and confusing signs.
And what was a little disappointing was that it was so sunny, but as we approached Santiago de Compostela, we started to see glimpses of clouds.
It takes a little over an hour to get there, though. First of all, we go to the hotel which we reserved. The hotel itself is located in the old town, but the parking lot is outside the old town. I was able to find it about 1 minute walk away.
It’s a historic city, but the hotel is kind of modern.
After a long drive, we went to the cathedral.
The old town is not so big, but it’s more complicated than I expected and it’s hard to get close to the cathedral.
Still, we arrived at Piazza Quintana on the backside.
Finally, we arrived at Obradoiro Square where that cathedral is located.
This is the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the resting place of St. James, that Christians all over the world aspire to!
Gorgeous decoration. And the moss that is clinging in places seems to speak of the weight of its history.
The inside of the cathedral is like this. I thought it was a standard cathedral inside in contrast to the outside.
Maybe there are more people in the morning.
We also saw the coffin of St. James in the crypt.
Now, another feature of Santiago de Compostela is that it’s a “university town,” and this town has so many young people for a historical tourist destination! Maybe it’s because of that, but it’s kind of modern and lively.
Students are chatting in cafes and bars on various street corners, or reading on the stairs of town squares. There are also students who give performances like this.
It was kind of a very nice sight.
After that, I went back to the hotel and came to Obradoiro Square again to photograph the cathedral at night.
The cathedral is so beautiful at night!
By the way, this is one of the most westerly cities in Spain, so the sunset is just before 23:00.
We only had a light beer at the bar in the evening because we had a very late lunch that day. I thought I’d order something to eat, but I got some free snacks.
I think it was 1.5 euros. I was surprised that it was so cheap. The beer and snacks were very tasty.
So that’s the end of this 16-part series.
It was supposed to be a four-day trip, but I wanted to visit as many places as possible as soon as possible, so I found myself reaching my final destination in three days.
Therefore, it was a little bit of a hurried process, but I think we could still enjoy the atmosphere of this historic pilgrimage route.
And if I have the chance again, I would like to conquer the pilgrimage route on foot this time.
巡礼路ドライブの旅 完
