Path of the Pilgrims. Part 3
Day 6
In the morning we went to the large Galician city of La Coruñ a. On the way, we stopped at a very beautiful place "Beach of the Cathedrals". This is such a natural phenomenon, under the influence of the sea, coastal rocks form caves in shape reminiscent of the architecture of Gothic cathedrals.
Then the tide came up and I had to leave the beach.
La Coruñ a is a port city stretching along the peninsula. It is famous for its beaches, which are very fond of surfers. But since the temperature did not indulge, no one swam.
A tram with pretty red lights runs along the sea (there is no connection with Amsterdam)
In the city itself, there are also many glazed balconies, the reason, as in Bilbao, is a piercing wind.
The central square of Maria Pita with the town hall is quite beautiful. Maria Pita is the heroine of the war between Spain and England (her monument with a spear stands outside the square), by the way, the "Invincible Armada" set off to conquer the British from A Coruñ a.
Nice and seaside park
Here comes John Lennon
But the main attraction of the city is the Tower of Hercules - this is the oldest lighthouse in the world (it still operates). This is a Roman building from the beginning of the 2nd century, 55 m high. You can climb up the spiral staircase (quite a dash) for 3 euros.
The city itself is famous for the fact that the richest Spaniard lives here - Amancio Ortega, the founder of the well-known Zara chain of stores.
Then we were taken to a hill where there is an observatory and a fort with cannons. But in my opinion, we wasted our time, because. ahead of us was Santiago de Compostella.
View of A Coruñ a from the mountain, lighthouse on the left. Pay attention to the winding coast, the Spaniards call this coast the Costa del Morte (Coast of Death), because. many ships found their demise along these shores. A few years ago, a large oil tanker was wrecked.
Here is the cannon
One way or another, we arrived in Santiago de Compostella in the evening. The city is the ultimate goal of pilgrims who have passed the Way of Jacob, recently the city is experiencing just a boom in popularity, it is the third city of Catholicism in importance after Jerusalem and Rome.
The cathedral is huge, has several entrances and facades.
The cathedral was founded in the 11th century, in the 12th it was consecrated. The relics of the Apostle James are kept in the crypt.
There is a queue to the statue of the apostle at the main altar. People come up from the inside of the figure and hug St. James through the openings
The cathedral is also famous for the largest censer in the world - botafumeiro, weighing 80 kg. Eight attendants are swinging this censer.
The old town itself is quite small, but interesting.
We spent quite a bit of time on the city, we had to go to a hotel, which was about 8 kilometers from the city.
It's a pity, a symphony orchestra of popular melodies gave a concert on the square.
After settling in, some drove on their own back to Santiago, and some (my wife and I) went to the big El Corte mall. I was surprised that when we made some purchases, they gave us a visitor's card and recalculated the price already at a discount. This card was then valid in different cities of Spain.
