Galicia, Spain: Santiago de Compostela - Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide - Travel Bite

After over a month on the trail, spirits are high as well-worn pilgrims reach their final stop, the city of Santiago de Compostela. Santiago has long had a powerful and mysterious draw on travelers. This neat and sturdy city is built of granite. Its arcaded streets are a reminder that winters here are cold and wet. Strolling across its squares and under its grand churches, you can imagine a time when the city was a religious and cultural powerhouse. Santiago's heyday was the 12th century, when the notion of Europe was still in its infancy. It was a place where people from all corners came together, shared ideas, and then dispersed. In some ways, the very idea of Europe as a civilization gelled during this age, and Santiago played an important role. Apart from all the pilgrim action and its venerable architecture, Santiago is a workaday town. Its vibrant market offers a fine opportunity to sample the essentials of its hearty cuisine. Farmers sell their produce. The shapely cheeses are enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. And the seafood is fresh as can be. A Galician specialty is octopus, prepared local-style, or a la galega. After the tenderized octopus is boiled in a copper pot, it's snipped into bite-sized pieces. It's topped with a mix of sweet and spicy paprika, sea salt, and olive oil, then served on a wooden plate. Eat it with toothpicks, never a fork. People here have their own distinct language, Galego. It's a mix of Spanish and Portuguese. Galicia's ancient Celtic roots are particularly evident in its music. With wailing pipes and thundering drums, the Celtic heritage announces itself loud and clear. But nothing can distract the pilgrims as they take the final steps of their long journey. Around the last corner, they reach the destination of a thousand years of pilgrims, the cathedral that holds the tomb of St. James. As millions of weary yet exhilarated pilgrims have done before them, they stand before the cathedral and are filled with jubilation. But the religious climax for many lies within the cathedral. Imagine you're a medieval pilgrim. You've just walked 500 miles. Your journey is done. Worshipping before the altar, you give thanks to St. James for a safe passage, and you reflect on the lessons of your journey. And if you're here on a festival day, the mass culminates with an enormous swinging incense burner. Gazing at the spectacle of this 120-pound burner flying through the air, you're awestruck by the wonder of God. Finally, you climb the stony staircase behind the altar to the statue of St. James, studded with precious gems. Embracing him from behind, you take a moment to celebrate your spiritual or personal triumph.