Day 38 – Santiago de Compostela – 3rd day.

At about 1:30am this morning I woke to loud voices outside my hotel window.  The window opens to a narrow alleyway that leads to a small street.  The voices were both men and women and were not in anger.  More like a small riot or religious parade with singing involved as well.  It was probably just some late night revelers as the Spanish are known for their long social evenings.  

This morning I spent several hours in the Museo de Catedral Santiago. The history of the Catedral dates back to the 11th century.  There are a lot of displays depicting the ongoing preservation and restoration work.  Some of it correcting problems introduced with previous maintenance work.

The threats to the integrity of the buildings include microorganisms, corrosion of later metals used, and salt in the granite.   Interestingly,  the most stable materials are the earliest granite and lead which was purer than that used in later additions.

I wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside but I toured a library, art from the 13th-18th century’s, tapestries, burial tombs of various important church officials and myriad sacred relics.

The impression that I came away with is that I and everyone I know combined have not accomplished anything of historical significance.  Nada. Zilch.  There are sculptures and artworks here that must have consumed entire professional careers.  

Next week I will be visiting the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao.  It will be interesting to compare the modern art with what I’ve seen today.

Today’s art pic.

For a couple of euro donation, I got a photo op with St. James and the (replica) Botafumeiro.

Tomorrow I take a bus out to Muxia & Fisterra to wade in the Atlantic ocean for a couple of days. 
Buen Camino,

-jgp