This is a continuing series of photographs from our Galicia Road Trip (with a few stops in Asturias), this past August.
Our trip to Galicia started with us landing in Madrid (from Miami) on August 2nd. We spent our first night in Spain’s capital city by (catching a smoldering flamenco show). Then, after missing our train to Santiago de Compostela, taking an unplanned 3+ hour drive to the city of León (you can read all about it HERE). Let’s just say we were off to a bit of a rocky start.
But our decision to stop in León proved to be a very pleasant (albeit unexpected) experience, and after spending a full day there, we kicked off another 3+ hour drive to where our Galician road trip would begin, Santiago de Compostela. The plan was to spend a few days with my family (and introduce them to Serena) before proceeding with my meticulously planned (and rather ingenious, if I do say so myself) itinerary.
My daughter Miranda and I have spent Christmas with family here during our December trips to Europe (2018 and again in 2022) and I traveled there to interview my mother’s remaining 8 brothers and sisters (out of 16!) back in 2017, but it was good for ‘mi familia Gallega’ to finally meet Serena (and, of course, they loved her and she them).
While in Santiago de Compostela, we stayed at the four-star Hotel Virxe da Cerca, right across the street from the historic Old Town and a short walk to the cathedral. The hotel includes parking (although it’s a rather steep walk uphill with your luggage to get to the front door) but it was a truly delightful place to lay our heads for a few nights – not to mention a lovely garden where breakfast was served. Here are a few photographs I took…
Then it was off to introduce Serena to Santiago de Compostela’s UNESCO World Heritage “Zona Vella” and its hallowed cathedral. I wrote an in-depth post about it back when Miranda and I visited the Old Town back in 2018 so if you’re interested in learning more about the history of the Old Town, check out this post. But don’t think I ain’t got a bunch of fresh photographs to share including some newly discovered locations using the GPSMyCity app.
Santiago de Compostela
Now, as some of you might have read in an earlier post, the good folks at GPSMyCity, an app that features self-guided walking tours in over 1,000 cities, had taken notice of my travel posts on this very photography site and offered me a free pass to the app for the next three years. There was no catch. They just wanted travel bloggers like myself to try the app while we were out there, you know, traveling.
And if we liked using it – say so.
Now, you would think that me having visited Santiago de Compostela numerous times that I would be able to confidently take Serena by the hand and lead her to all the notable sites the Old Town has to offer, right? Well, you would be wrong. I usually just wander around (or follow my cousins), hoping to catch a glimpse of the cathedral’s spires to figure out where I am (or ask a local vendor how to get to a certain place).
I mean, I’m familiar with the area around the main plaza in front of the cathedral but if you asked me how to get to the Plaza de Cervantes, Mercado de Abastos or the Fuente de los Caballos, you’ll suddenly see me scratching my head like Stan Laurel (sans hair, of course) and looking around while a confused look slowly comes over my face. Then you’d say something like, “How the hell do you not know how to get there?! Haven’t you been here many times before?” and I’d reply with something like, “Well I think it’s over this way” and I’d slowly start walking in a direction – not really knowing if it’s the right direction, merely hoping it is to stave off further embarrassment.
OR, I could make believe I just received a text message (“Hold on, I got a text!”) then secretly open the GPSMyCity app and search for Santiago de Compostela (“Let me just reply to this person – it’s work related and very important!”) then open up a walking tour that uses GPS to know my exact location (only while using the app, of course) and find the requested attraction and which direction I need to go in. Then put the phone back in my pocket and say, “You said the Mercado de Abastos, right? Yeah, it’s this way!” and begin walking confidently in that direction – checking my phone periodically to make sure we stay on the right path (“Just checking to see if that really important person messaged me back!”). All the while avoiding becoming the object of scorn and mockery.
That’s how GPSMyCity works.
Before leaving our hotel, I downloaded a walking tour that mapped out all the main attractions in the Old Town (we had just one full day in Santiago de Compostela and I wasn’t about to wander around aimlessly trying to figure out what things are where). We started with the Mercado de Abastos, a fresh food market that has been going along the eastern edge of the old walled city since 1873. You can read all about it (and see far more photographs) in a more in-depth post I wrote HERE.
Mercado de Abastos
I pretty much just followed the walking tour laid out by the app while Serena and I happily snapped up all the photos we wanted (she’s also a photographer). The following photographs are arranged in the order we arrived at them based on the app…
We were blessed with an absolutely gorgeous day. And happy to have it. However, having traveled to Europe the past few years during December (when days are cloudier/moodier – making street photography far easier), I did find myself fighting the bright sunshine and harsh shadows as we walked through the Old Town. Not complaining by any means, it’s actually a good challenge for a photographer to try to find the proper balance between shadows and highlights. You know, sharpen the saw…
Fonte dos Cabalos (Fountain of the Horses)
In the “Plaza de las Platerias” (Silversmith’s Square) you’ll find the Fonte dos Cabalos (Fountain of the Horses) sculpted by Juan Pernas in 1825. And although flamenco dancing isn’t something associated with Galicia, there was a flamenco outfit entertaining the folks gathered at the square…
Catedral Basílica de Santiago de Compostela
The Catedral de Santiago de Compostela is an integral component of the Santiago de Compostela UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the reputed burial place of Saint James the Great, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, traditionally considered the first apostle to be martyred. And if you want to get a good shot of the cathedral with your camera phone, you gotta go low…
In the Praza do Obradoiro, the main square of the Old Town, you’ll find the Pazo de Raxoi (Raxoi Palace), completed in 1766, right across from the cathedral…
The bagpipe (called “gaita” in Galicia) has been present in Galician iconography since the medieval ages and has accompanied Galician music ever since. Bagpipers (“gaiteros”) can be seen daily in and around the Plaza del Obradoiro just outside the Cathedral…
Bagpipers, however, aren’t the only musicians you’ll find around the Old Town…
Monasterio e Iglesia de San Martiño Pinario
The monastery of San Martiño Pinario is a Benedictine monastery which was originally built around the year 899(!) and later replaced by another monastery whose church was consecrated in 1102(!). It is the second largest monastery in Spain after San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Madrid.
Right across from the monastery is the Praza da Inmaculada or “da Acibecharía” (Galician name derived from the jet black gemstone used by craftsmen who set up their shops in the square and made and sold their crafts and jewelry there). The square serves as a significant landmark, marking the endpoint of the French, English, and North Ways of St. James.
The Porta Santa (Holy Door) of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, located on the Praza da Quintana, is a special entrance opened only during “Ano Xacobeo” (Jacobean Holy Years in which July 25, the Feast of Saint James, falls on a Sunday), allowing pilgrims to enter directly near the Apostle’s tomb and earn a plenary indulgence (a sort of plea deal with God to reduce the amount of punishment for one’s sins).
And in case you’re wondering why I’ve not provided any photographs inside the cathedral, let’s just say Serena and I weren’t all that eager to stand in line in the hot sun for what could have been hours to get a look inside. Apparently, inside the cathedral is the place to be during August. But no worries, you can view interior photographs from my December 2018 visit HERE (I’m pretty sure nothing’s changed since then).
Igrexa de Santa María do Camiño
The Igrexa de Santa María do Camiño was a site listed on my GPSMyCity walking tour that I had not ever set foot in. It is situated at the junction of Rúa Travesa and Oliveira. It was rebuilt beginning in 1747 to replace the original Romanesque church which is referenced going back to 1279. The construction work was completed around 1770 by Galician architect Miguel Ferro Caaveiro who designed and directed numerous works in the cities of Santiago, Lugo and A Coruña. Inside, there is a high altarpiece by Manuel de Leis and rococo images (light, airy, and highly ornate decorations featuring pastel colors, gold trim, and asymmetrical shell-like curves) by Bieito Silveira.
Igrexa de Santa María Salomé
Another site along my walking tour was the Church of Santa María Salomé, which I’ve passed many times but had not ever gone inside. To my surprise, it is known for being the only one in Spain dedicated to the mother of St. James the Apostle and St. John the Evangelist, one of the ‘Three Marys’ and one of the companions of Jesus during his Calvary and burial. According to historical records, it was founded around the year 1140(!) Later, during the Baroque period, the church was remodeled to include a chapel dedicated to Santa Teresa (1662) and a bell tower (1743).
Plaza de Cervantes
The Plaza de Cervantes is located in the northern part of the historic center and was one of the main meeting places of the inhabitants of Santiago de Compostela during the 12th century, when it was called Plaza del Foro (Forum Square). It wasn’t until 1876 that this bustling square was renamed after Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra – one of Spain’s greatest writers best known for his work “Don Quixote”.
Polbo á feira (Pulpo a la Gallega)
Fresh octopus cooked in salted water, cut into slices and garnished with a heavy drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, salt, and paprika. That’s it. So what makes “pulpo a la Gallega” (Galician-style octopus) internationally recognized as the gold standard when it comes to octopus? I’ll tell you what – the cold, oxygen-rich currents and rocky sea beds of the Galician Atlantic coast produce well-developed muscles and a superior taste.
That’s why Galicia, which features 1,500 kilometers of coastline, is the primary supplier of seafood to the rest of Spain and much of Europe, bringing in more fish, shellfish, and crustaceans than any other region in Spain (or Europe for that matter).
So there you have it, a few images from our one full day in Santiago de Compostela, what I believe to be (and with absolutely no bias whatsoever) the most beautiful Old Town I’ve ever visited (and I’ve been to more than a few). And Serena absolutely loved it. What she (or even I) didn’t know was how much the rest of Galicia would impact her (us!).
Remember those 1,500 kilometers of coastline I mentioned earlier? We were on a quest to explore as much of it as we could squeeze out of our 16 day Galicia road trip. So SUBSCRIBE HERE to not miss what’s coming – starting with my next post, our visit to the spectacular Castro de Baroña, an Iron Age fortified settlement located on the coast of Porto do Son.
