Santiago de Compostela

We met our guide Angeles at 8:30 in the morning, and drove down from the port of A Coruña to Santiago de Compostela. It is the second Sunday of Easter so there was a procession, parade, and laymen set up a very realistic, life-sized crucifix in the square before the church. Interestingly, no priests were present for this ritual, which appeared to be an extremely emotional folk observance of the Crucifixion. We toured the little town around the church. One place that especially caught my attention was a street named "El Preguntario." This was the final place of examination for those who had been accused of heresy during the Spanish Inquisition. It was only a few steps away from the site where the stake was setup to burn heretics. Then Glenda and I went into the church for Sunday morning mass. We had to leave the worship service before it finished in order to meet our guide for lunch. We missed, therefore, the swinging of a huge censer, holding 200 kg. of incense and charcoal, swinging from the ceiling. Next we had lunch at a five-star hotel on the compound. We return to the ship around 4 o'clock. I photographed some of the sites in the town of A Coruna. I was interested that the language here is not strictly Castillian Spanish. It is, rather, a mixture of Spanish, Portuguese and Basque. Frank Justice and I did our walk together on the sundeck. Glenda and I had dinner alone at Manfredi's. I had they Osso Buco and she had the chicken Parmesan. Exiting the harbor at A Coruña, I photographed the ancient lighthouse built by the Romans. It is still in use, though now fitted with an electric light.Lue lisää