Vigo is in the very north west part of Spain and looks and feels much different that the other parts we have seen. As our tour guide, Margarita, informed us: Galicia (the area of Spain...the "state" so to speak) is much different than the rest of Spain. This is the area of rain, cool weather, hard working people and bagpipes...as it was originally settled by Celtic people from the north. It was raining when we arrived and we had opted for a tour to Santiago de Compostela, which was about an hour's drive away. The landscape is beautiful with stone houses set far apart on small plots of land. There is a lot of farming and fishing here, it looked like parts of Ireland or Norway. Santiago de Compostela is a UNESCO world heritage site and the main church is the focus of the town (along with the University). It is a main stop of the pilgrimage route as it has been named a holy town by the Catholic Church and the pope in the 12th century. It is the final resting place (supposedly) of St. James who's remnants are in the cathedral. It is said that if pilgrims visit the site on St. James feast day (25th of July) on a year when that day falls on a Sunday, then all your sins are absolved. Unfortunately that did not happen to us. However, the church and the town itself are beautiful examples architecture of the 12-13th centuries. The weather cleared up and we had a good time. Lunch was provided but was nothing to write home about.
We also visited a garden in a manor house prior to Santiago, which was also lovely. We knew all the plants and trees and it looked like northern California. We watched the German and Norweigan tourists take pictures of the hanging grapes and the pear trees.
A great day and capped off a lovely cruise.
Webcam
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