Iberia and SW France

That evening, we checked in at a nice, modern hotel, just ten minutes away from the Santiago de Compostela Shrine, but with a completely different atmosphere. It sits across a park and a small lake. The view from my room was beautiful and relaxing, but quite generic and devoid of any of the character that defines the city of Santiago. The walls were immaculately white with a chocolate brown and apple green motif on the room’s minimalistic furniture and décor. This unexpected

After covering the four corners of the Santiago de Compostela Shrine, my travel amigas and I decided it was time to have dinner. Galicia is known for its fine seafood dishes, most notably, the local octopus delicacy, Pulpo a la Feira . We walked a few blocks away from the cathedral, where there was a myriad of restaurants, bars, and cafes catering to the tourist crowd. We assigned one of our travel amigas to pick a place. I was excited to try the pulpo , so I asked her to ch

Although the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is impressive by itself, it is also surrounded by magnificent squares filled with distinguished monuments within the city's Old Town. The church, its grounds, and the outlying Santa Maria de Conxo Monastery, constitutes an extraordinary ensemble of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassicist buildings. This Old Town is not only a harmonious and very well-preserved historical city, but also a place deeply imbued

The most remarkable sight I witnessed while inside the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela was the arrival of a group of pilgrims who had come to join us while we were in line to hug the statue of Saint James. They looked exhausted, sweaty, dusty, and dirty, but their faces exuded that special kind of ecstatic glow, their smiles were genuinely resplendent, and there were tears of joy in their eyes. They were simply beaming. I couldn’t describe the ethereal radiance that seeme

We knew we were getting closer to Santiago de Compostela as we saw more and more of the scallop symbols – on cardboard posters glued to sidewalks, or wooden signs nailed on tree trunks - and as we encountered more and more pilgrims by the roadsides. In a little over two hours, we arrived at the square facing the Cathedral of Saint James. It was bustling with activity. There was a huge group of bikers having a picnic party beside the pile of mountain bikes and equipment in one

Our first destination in Spain is Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia in the country's northwest region. This city is known as the culmination of the Camino de Santiago (Way of Saint James). The Camino de Santiago is the collective name for the numerous Christian pilgrimage routes leading to The Cathedral of Saint James, the shrine dedicated to the apostle, Saint James the Great. This is the place where the remains of the saint are said to be buried. Since the Mid

We left Portugal and headed for Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. We crossed the Minho River, which sets Portugal’s border with Galicia, Spain for about 80 kilometers. It flows from its source north of Lugo in Galicia towards the southwest until it reaches the Portuguese border, then empties into the Atlantic Ocean. During our drive, we passed by the coastal Spanish cities of Vigo and Pontevedra, overlooking the same ocean. Vigo is the largest city in Galicia and

Our bus descended down the hill and made its way to downtown Braga. We were to go there for lunch and a bit of sightseeing. As we approached the city centre, our Tour Director mentioned that Braga was founded by a Celtic tribe and later became a Roman stronghold. It was made the administrative centre of Gallaecia (now encompassing Portuguese Minho and Spanish Galicia) and the country’s religious capital, as well as the headquarters of the Portuguese bishopric in the 11th cen

We journeyed north from Fatima to go to Braga, one of the oldest Christian cities in the world, the oldest in Portugal, and nicknamed the “Portuguese Rome.” Our main stop is the Santuário Bom Jesus do Monte (Good Jesus of the Mount Sanctuary) located on the hillside of Tenoes, outside the main city of Braga. We drove straight to the church perched on the slopes of Mount Espinho more than 300 feet above the ground and surrounded by lush forests. Our Tour Director said that asi

Our little excursion from Fatima took us to Tomar, also in the Santarem district. This city was the centre of Portuguese overseas expansion in the 15th century under Henry the Navigator, Grand Master of the Order of Christ, the successor organization in Portugal of the very controversial and powerful Order of the Knights Templar. Who would have thought? Prior to this trip, I had never associated Portugal with knights as much as I did with England and France, and much less the

After our late lunch, we freshened up then walked to the Shrine of Fatima to attend Mass at the Basilica of our Lady of the Rosary. The Mass was in Portuguese, but because of its similarities with Spanish, I could understand it a little bit, including the priest’s homily. For some reason, towards the middle part of the Mass, I got a little bit emotional and I started crying. I tried to restrain myself and though my soft whimpers turned into quiet sobs, my eyes kept welling up

The next morning, right after breakfast, we drove to the small city of Tomar for a short excursion. On the way back to Fatima, we made a stopover at the small village of Aljustrel, where the visionary children from the famous apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary were born and where they lived. We parked on one of the side streets and took a walking tour, passing by the houses of Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco. Lucia's house has been restored and contains furniture and artefac

We headed to Fatima in the late afternoon and arrived there in the early evening. I felt that this was the real start of our pilgrimage. Fatima is one of the major Marian shrines visited by Catholics worldwide. For those who are not familiar with it, this unassuming place is where Mary, the Mother of Christ, appeared to children tending sheep and brought messages of faith, hope, and peace. Our Tour Director did not need to announce our arrival. From a distance, we saw the tow

By the time we started the monastery tour, all luncheon lamentations had been forgotten, for we were completely mesmerized by the grandeur of the Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça. From the outside, the structure certainly looks somber and austere, but inside is a treasure throve of architectural surprises. The church was founded by the first Portuguese king, Alfonso Henriques in 1153. This, and the adjacent monastery, were the first Gothic structures in Portugal. The churc

It was past two o’clock in the afternoon when we arrived in Alcobaça, a city in central Portugal that sprouted along the banks of the Alcoa and Baca Rivers, from which it derives its name. We were there to visit its famous church and monastery. By that time, all of us were famished and could think of nothing but food. Our Tour Director walked with us to the square facing the monastery. The short trek from the parking lot took us through winding cobbled alleys, where we were g

We made a short stop in Porto, the second largest city in Portugal next to Lisbon. Since this was not part of our official itinerary, we did not see much, except for the riverside quarter of Ribeira as we crossed Ponte Luis I. This area lies along the banks of the Douro River. Traditional boats floated at the quayside overlooked by colourful ancient houses and medieval streets, and lined by smoky bars and seafood restaurants. Across the river is Vila Nova de Gaia, where accor

Belém has so much to offer. Aside from being a key historical and monumental area, it is also known for its myriads of museums, contemporary art exhibitions, spacious parks, tree-lined plazas, scenic riverside walks, chic restaurants, and cafés. It is where downtown folks usually escape for a little bit of peace and quiet to commune with nature and engage in more laid-back leisure activities. For some reason, it reminded me of Ottawa, my current home city. We circled its aris

Our next stop in Belém is the undisputed star of the district, the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (Jeronimos Monastery). I had never seen a monastery like this before, in terms of size, architecture, and ornamentation. Built in the 16th century to commemorate Vasco da Gama's voyage (Vasco and his crew spent their last night in Portugal praying in Belém before sailing for India) and to give thanks to the Virgin Mary for its success, this grand complex is the most impressive symbol of

Belém, a historic riverside district of Lisbon, is a “must-visit” place and definitely worth the 20 to 30-minute drive from the city centre. Located at the mouth of the Tagus River, at the point where it meets the Atlantic Ocean, Belém used to be a humble fishing village. It rose in importance in the late 15th-century, when Portugal launched its sea explorations to East Africa, Brazil, and India. It was from there where caravels sailed on their voyage of discovery, and to whe

After an early buffet breakfast and check-out, we packed into the official tour bus to drive around Lisbon for a sightseeing tour with a local guide. I had no preconceived expectations of Lisbon. Apart from the fact that it is the capital of Portugal, I knew very little about this city. But as our bus cruised around tree-lined streets and navigated the narrow, winding alleys through its different neighborhoods, I found it oozing with old European charm without the pretension