I've hit up yet another
UNESCO World Heritage Site, the
Santiago de Compostela old town in the far northwest corner of Spain. This ancient town is special; with it's lush green gardens, magnificent
Cathedral, narrow cobblestone walkways, and mountains surrounding the town, it is the
ritualistic ending point for pilgrims who have walked as far as France (over 700 miles) to complete the
Camino de Santiago (or way of St. James). On Friday morning, while
enjoying fresh squeezed orange juice and a chocolate croissant on the steps of the Cathedral, we watche
d weary pilgrims with a scallop seashell (the symbol for this particular pilgrimage) and a gourd (for drinking from the wells) hanging from there backpacks, make their way to the Cathedral, the reputed burial site of St. James the Great (one of the disciples of Jesus). Over 100,000 people make this pilgrimage every year by foot, walking stick, donkey, or bike. It was quite inspirational, as all ages were represented and some had walked more than two months. However, out of nowhere the spiritual morning was demonized by REALITY TV! Big movie camera's, people carrying signs
and cheering moved in on the scene; we weren't quite sure what all of the hype was about and thought maybe it was a real heart-wrenching pilgrimage to ask St. James to assist in recovering from an illness. Instead it was the tale of modern world meets sacred ways: REALITY
TV! The Spanish edition of the reality TV show, "Big Brother," was on location, as three finalists were just finishing up the pilgrimage (see photo!)
Other than touring around the beautiful and sunny town, we ate wonderful meals (salmon, paella, spanish omelette's) and stumbled on a live performance by the university male singing chorus under the spires of the Cathedral.
enjoying fresh squeezed orange juice and a chocolate croissant on the steps of the Cathedral, we watche
d weary pilgrims with a scallop seashell (the symbol for this particular pilgrimage) and a gourd (for drinking from the wells) hanging from there backpacks, make their way to the Cathedral, the reputed burial site of St. James the Great (one of the disciples of Jesus). Over 100,000 people make this pilgrimage every year by foot, walking stick, donkey, or bike. It was quite inspirational, as all ages were represented and some had walked more than two months. However, out of nowhere the spiritual morning was demonized by REALITY TV! Big movie camera's, people carrying signs 
and cheering moved in on the scene; we weren't quite sure what all of the hype was about and thought maybe it was a real heart-wrenching pilgrimage to ask St. James to assist in recovering from an illness. Instead it was the tale of modern world meets sacred ways: REALITY TV! The Spanish edition of the reality TV show, "Big Brother," was on location, as three finalists were just finishing up the pilgrimage (see photo!) 
Other than touring around the beautiful and sunny town, we ate wonderful meals (salmon, paella, spanish omelette's) and stumbled on a live performance by the university male singing chorus under the spires of the Cathedral.
1 comment:
I've always wanted to go there. This is Kim from I Lead back in the day, by the way.
Post a Comment