August 11, 2026

August 11, 2026

From Gijon, Spain we sailed around the northwestern corner of Spain almost to the border of Portugal. During breakfast our ship navigated into the harbor of Vigo, the largest city in the province of Galicia.

Since we pretended to be pilgrims walking part of the Camino de Santiago yesterday, we thought we should complete the journey. So we signed up for a tour to the finish line. Our group left around 10:30 am after the port authorities cleared us for disembarkation. We traveled north crossing two of the long drowned-river estuaries that line the west coast. In these sheltered bays we see lots of seafood farms. From these Bateas, or floating wooden platforms, hang hundreds of ropes holding mussels. Galicia supplies the rest of Europe with its insatiable hunger for these mollusks.

Ninety minutes north of Vigo, we reach the World Heritage town of Santiago de Compostela. As we approach we see dozens of pilgrims on their final steps. They are following the seashell signage on the path. Plus many have a seashell hanging from their packs. In medieval times the seashell proved you had walked near the ocean. We follow these pilgrims to the Cathedral of Santiago. In the square, facing the Cathedral is the final seashell of the Camino. They are happy to have arrived.

There is a Mass going on inside the Cathedral so we cannot enter. Instead our guide shows us other parts of the small old city culminating with a nice view of the cathedral from a nearby park. On the return we pass a statue of King Alfonso II of Asturias who is considered the first pilgrim. Next to the Cathedral is a centuries old hostel and hospital for pilgrims that is now a luxury hotel. It also may be the oldest hotel in the world. Aimee and I find a nice little outdoor restaurant to have a bit of lunch until Mass ends.

After lunch we join a long line to enter the medieval Cathedral. Luckily it moves quickly. The only part of the interior that is noteworthy is the altar and it is stunning. It contains the tomb of Santiago (St James the Apostle). His body was supposedly found here around 820 AD. The Christian pilgrims who journeyed (and often stayed) here were a major factor in the successful Reconquista or retaking of Spanish lands from the Muslim invaders.

There are long lines to enter the crypt and museum and we are time constrained. We have to be back at our ship by 6:30 pm or the ship sails without us. Instead we circle the Cathedral to check out the front facade. Unfortunately I learn the famed Romanesque "Portico of Glory" entrance was covered up centuries ago by a Baroque exterior. It now requires a time ticket to see. I am happy we saw a replica up close at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

We get back to the ship at 4:30 pm. I convince Aimee to do a quick tour of the nearby harbor area. Vigo looks beautiful. While it may not have many tourist attractions, it looks like a nice place to live.

On our little walking tour we find a monument to Jules Verne. He has a statue (atop a dreaded sea monster) because Vigo was mentioned in one chapter of his book 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. In that chapter Captain Nemo recovers some treasure lost in a Spanish galleon sunk during the 1702 Battle of Vigo Bay. We also see a large art installation of a boy swimming in the concrete. We finish walking through the hilly old town and back to the ship through a small shopping mall.