Blessed Braga to Sacred Santiago

Today, we drove so far into the north of Portugal, we arrived in Spain. Tchau (goodbye) Portugal. We will see you in a few days. Hola Espana, we are glad to be back within your borders.

We spent our morning in Braga, a centre of Portuguese religion, and ended our day in one of Europe's most revered spots, Santiago de Compostela, the end point of the famous Camino. In between the two, we visited the medieval town of Viena do Castelo.

Praca de Republica in Braga

Braga is quite lovely. Its old quarter was a short walk from our hotel, so we were able to see most of the sights in less than two hours. As we strolled through the city, we saw several churches and chapels, a sign of the importance Catholicism plays here. At the Capela des Coimbras, there was a Mass taking place at 10:30 on a Tuesday morning. It did not appear to be a funeral, and yet the church was packed. I wondered what the occasion was. The cathedral was quite large and very atmospheric. Unfortunately, photos were forbidden.

Jose took our picture in the Camera Municipal

Like Porto, Braga is a haven for shoe shopping. It may even be better! There are stores everywhere and the prices are a steal, so of course, I had to buy another pair of sandals. Other highlights of our stroll through the town included a friendly chat with a fellow named Jose, a security guard at the Camera Municipal, who wants to come to Canada; and the lovely Jardim Santa Barbara that stands in front of the remains of the medieval arcade of the Archbishop's Palace.

Jardim Santa Barbara

By noon, we were on the road again where we headed northwest to Viena do Castelo. This medieval town was similar to Guimaraes, although, to my mind, not as beautiful. Still, we enjoyed our lunchtime visit to this peaceful place.

Church in Viena do Castelo

Praca da Republica, Viena do Castelo

By four, we were headed north out of Portugal. We hurried to our destination, Santiago de Compostela, in order to photograph the face of the Cathedral in the evening light. It is a spectacular sight. We decided to eat dinner at the Parador Cafeteria next door to the shrine. Soon after we were seated, two American woman came in and sat at the table next to ours. We discovered that they had just finished the Camino de Santiago (a famous pilgrimage) yesterday - 37 days of walking 13 to 20 miles daily. They said it was very hard (I imagine). We were in awe of what they had accomplished, although we have no desire to attempt anything like that.

The shrine of Santiago de Compostela

Their company was interesting but the service at the cafeteria was so poor that we left and found a small place on the way to our hotel that put the Parador Cafeteria to shame. At Botafumreiro, we were served promptly, and the food was quite tasty - all for 10 Euros each.

Our hotel, the Costa Vella, is lovely, and is situated just inside the old city area. Just outside our room is a library, where guests can consult various guide books to Northern Spain. What good fortune for us, since we did not bring along our best resources for our five days here.

Our little restaurant