Introduction

Last year I organized a charity trek on the way to Santiago de Compostela. The warmth of Spain, delicious tapas, good wine and a challenging walk through the Spanish country side made this a fantastic cultural adventure.

The way to Santiago has been a pilgrimage route since pagan times in search for spiritual meaning. It became the most outstanding and most profoundly experienced religious phenomenon of the Middle Ages, a fact that was recently recognized by the European Parliament as the First European Cultural Itinerary, and was declared by UNESCO a World Heritage route.

A long time ago when Moors conquered a good part of Spain, St James appeared in a dream of the Spanish king and promised to help him defeat the Moors in battle. The king won the battle and therefore he decided to build a cathedral in the name of St James. The legend says that in that night the stars gathered above the grave of the Saint indicated the place where he was buried. From here the name of Compostela meaning “campo de estrellas”, in English field of stars. Santiago comes from the Spanish Santo Jacob, the English Saint Jacob.

What to do:

Santiago de Compostela is a magical place, a medieval city dominated by an impressive cathedral and its University. A labyrinth of narrow streets between stone buildings, tiny squares, passages and stairs. This is part of the charm but you can easily get lost ... it is nothing to worry about though as you can always revert back to the Cathedral. The “right way”to explore takes you to the cathedral; just follow the little shells on the floor and in no time you will find yourself in front of the famous cathedral.

The cathedral shouldn’t be missed. From outside it is an impressive piece of art, a gothic monument stretching out to rich the sky. Don’t miss the beautiful carved entrance. Then go inside and next to the Cathedral you will find the Monasterio Hotel, the oldest hotel in the world. It is today a 5* hotel, and if like me you can’t afford the extravagance, it is worthwhile to have a look inside and enjoy a coffee.

This year is special for the city of Santiago, because St James' Day (25 July) falls on a Sunday, making 2010 a Holy Year, or Xacobeo. The celebration of Saint James will last for one whole week; he is after all the patron saint of Spain and Galicia. Do not miss the Fuegos del Apóstol - fireworks in honour of Saint James, a fantastic display of lights will cover the sky.

Food and Drink:

Speaking about food there are many choices of cosy little restaurants and tapas places with fresh seafood that you can even choose from the display at the entrance. If you want to get away from the crowd I can recommend the restaurant Ana. It is situated outside of the old city, run by a lady and the menu is delicious, a fabulous gourmet modern cuisine.

For desert I recommend Tarta de Santiago, a typical tart, absolutely scrumptious. Please notice that it contains almonds. You can easily transport the tart and it would make a good souvenir. The best place to buy the tart is a small place, just a few minutes away from the cathedral. Walk away from the cathedral leaving the Monasterio hotel on your left hand side and you will find the Santiago tart shop on your right hand side.

Where to stay:

We spent 4 nights in Hotel Costa Vella www.costavella.com a beautiful hotel not far from the centre. Part of the wall of the old medieval city can be seen from the garden. The rooms are comfortable, but not spacious; a double room was 75EUR/ night. Ask for a room with view, the silhouettes of the buildings at sunset are absolutely stunning.

A few hidden gems:

 After the busy streets of the old town, a walk would be so refreshing. Just a few minute walk from the cathedral there is the Alamela Park. Built by the local counts’ family the park has three walks, one for every social class and if you take the alley that surrounds the park on its right, you will reach a panoramic view point. A good tip for budding photographers.

In Santiago you will find many specialist shops, local designers and artists, but most of all jewellers selling beautiful jet stone jewellery. Ask any vendor and they will tell you the difference between this black volcanic stone, Onyx and black coral.

How to get there:

Santiago de Compostela has an airport and there are daily flights from Madrid with Iberia. You may also find low cost airlines flying into Santiago. That said, the typical way to arrive in Santiago is on foot. Since the discovering of the Apostle’s grave the city became one of the most important pilgrim’s centres in the world. Although there are several ways to the Spanish border and from here into Santiago de Compostela, there is only one main route: the Camino Frances. It starts in Roncevalles or in St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the region of Navara (France) crossing through the regions of La Rioja, Castile, Leon and Galicia to reach Santiago. It stretches over 800km (500miles), but if you at least walk the last 100km (it takes 5 days to walk), ride or cycle the last 200km on the pilgrimage route and you stamp your pilgrim passport at least twice a day, when reaching the city you will receive a Compostela, a certificate that would attest that you have done the pilgrimage. Collecting stamps is quite fun, every one of them if different, colourful symbols of the place (a church, a cross, a shell etc). The scenery is typical Spanish country side with little villages where you can find tempting tapas bars. In the evenings, you could easily find nice hotels with clean rooms, hot showers and delicious food. Pilgrimage accommodation means that you will share the room with minimum 4 other travellers. Because many people are doing this trek, you will have a great time meeting new people and never feel alone. Although famous, the route is not crowded with local artisans, but you will find the little coffee shops very welcoming. If you decide to walk, you must take with you the trekking gear. Good walking shoes, layers, waterproof trousers, jacket and hat (for the hot sun) are essential.

In Galicia, the climate tends to be cooler than most other regions of Spain meaning that the summer months will still be comfortable. Whether you plan a short trip to this wonderful city or like me, combine it with part of the pilgrimage walk, both the summer months and the relatively mild winter months will be equally suitable.

As in any touristic destination you have to be aware of your surroundings either on the route to Santiago or inside of the city. Generally you have nothing to worry about as it is a popular place and many people wander around, locals or pilgrims with good intentions. On the way to Santiago you will go through many villages and little towns, where you can find a surgery. Doctors are very competent and used to all sorts of injuries or serious problems. Although most of the Spanish population doesn’t speak English, many doctors do.

Overall is a great place for a weekend city break or longer to explore the country side.