Spain: Santiago
March 17 - 24, 2008

Wave after wave of pilgrims have entered the Holy City of Santiago every year since the 10th Century. From early on the pilgrimages to Santiago became the most outstanding and profound religious experience and cultural phenomenon of the Middle Ages. Pilgrims followed different routes: the French Way, the Portuguese Way, the English Way, the Southeast Way (Via de la Plata), and Fistrerra-Muxia Way-- all leading to the shrine of St. James the Apostle at the magnificent cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

Our Easter experience of Santiago will be preceded by hikes of sections selected from some of these ancient pilgrimage routes. The hikes range from 3-8 miles and take us along trails weaving beside old stone fenced fields or rocky paths beside the Atlantic. This is Celtic Spain with rolling mists, green hills and its own language--Gallego. It is more akin to Celtic cousins in Ireland and Wales, than to its Spanish neighbors. Our week will end with the colorful religious processions, pageantry and music of the Holy Week as it can only be experienced in Santiago-- an event made richer because of our own “pilgrimage” experience.

Santiago, our base for the week and a UNESCO World Heritage City, is a maze of narrow cobbled streets in the city center.  Definitely a city to be explored on foot, it is one of the most beautiful in Europe.  In the province of Galicia, Santiago is a city of numerous churches, monasteries, beautiful squares and Europe’s oldest hotel—the Hostal Tres Reyes Catolicos, originally a pilgrims’ hospital, but is now one of the most exclusive of the Spanish Paradors.  Located in northwest Spain only 30 km from the Atlantic the area has a mild temperature year round and an abundance of fresh seafood.

“Europe was built by pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela.”
– Goethe