Land and Sea 2014: On the Pilgramage Trail

La Coruna, Spain

Back in Spain again, Silver Whisper stopped at La Coruna (A Coruna in Galician) for a full day. La Coruna is a relatively large city in Galicia in the far northwest region of Spain. The Galician language is somewhere between Portuguese and Spanish.La Coruna is mostly an industrial center but has a charming “old town “dating from the eleventh century. It is the place from which the Spanish Armada sailed in 1588 to invade England. That didn’t work out well for the Spanish and Sir Francis Drake tried to occupy the city the following year. Maria Pita, a local heroine, is said to have taken a spear from her dead husband’s hand and rallied the defenders to repel the English. There is a monument to her in the town hall square. La Coruna is on the “English” route for pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela and a stopping place for cruise ships offering tours to this most famous pilgrimage site.

Michael and I had considered purchasing the ship sponsored all day bus tour to Santiago de Compostela but we were not interested in a two-hour ride each way, a two hour included lunch and perhaps an hour and a half at the actual cathedral. We had researched the train route, fare and schedule before beginning the cruise and were on the public bus from the port to La Coruna’s railway station soon after the ship was cleared to let passengers ashore.

The high-speed train from La Coruna to Santiago de Compostela took less than an hour. We were walking up hill to the old city, and the cathedral complex well before the ship’s tour bus arrived.

Street Scene Near the Cathedral of Santiago do Campostela

Plaza Das Praterias, Cathedral of Santiago de Campostela at Rear

The Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela is a mix of Romanseque, baroque and Gothic architectural styles. The first cathedral was built in the ninth century purportedly over the remains of St. James the Apostle. The site quickly became a major pilgrimage destination attracting believers from throughout Europe. Modern pilgrims typically wear a scallop shell; many of the pilgrimage routes are marked at intervals with scallop shells in the pavement or on posts indicating the way.

Cathedral Looking From the Nave to the Choir

Glitz and Glitter Abound

The current cathedral was constructed over several hundred years beginning in the eleventh century. The building has had features added continually over the centuries and is now a mix of styles of architecture and ornamentation.

Scallop Shell Marking the Pilgrim Route

Modern Day Pilgrim With Scallop Shell on his Backpack

Michael was most interested in the “botafumeiro.” This is a huge incense burner weighing more than 100 lbs that when swung can ascend almost to the transept vaults and reaches speeds in excess of 50 mph at the base of its swing. The censor’s purpose was to mask the odors of hundreds of pilgrims who bathed infrequently and camped and cooked in the cathedral. Today it is mostly a ceremonial object. We didn’t see the actual botafumiero as it is only used on special feast days or when a group of pilgrims donates 300 Euros to see it swing. We did get a good look at the ropes and wooden supports that are used. A small silver incense burner hung on a long rope stretching from a few meters above the floor to high in the nave. The real botafumeiro is housed in the cathedral museum when not in use.

On Feast Days and Special Occasions the Butafumiero Swings Here

Michael and I spent several hours exploring the cathedral and the buildings nearby then took the high-speed train back to La Coruna and had a late lunch aboard Silver Whisper. We had enough time to walk around the old town of La Coruna in the afternoon. We do manage to pack a lot into our brief shore visits.