2015
It is hard to believe another year has ended. For the first time I am looking back over my travels, thinking about what was achieved, what I hoped to do and what I didn’t complete.
The Monastery of San Clodio
The clouds lifted and after walking around Ribadavia we visited the Monastery of San Clodio before returning to Tui. Some date the monastery to the 6C, others the 10C. Some say it was the Benedictine monks who established the monastery as a … Continued
Travel in Spain, Day 9, Ribadavia
A misty start to the second-last day in Spain as we headed for Ribadavia, an old town on the Avia and Minho Rivers with its roots in Celtic and Roman times.
Travel in Spain, Tui Cathedral
As with many religious building, the Cathedral in Tui was built on a site used for Christian worship since 5C. The current building was begun in 12C after waves of invasions by Normans and Saracens in previous centuries, and consecrated in 1225 … Continued
Travel in Spain, the town of Tui
Tui was originally a Roman settlement called Tude, perched on top of a hill beside the Minho River and looking to Portugal on the far bank. And it has all the characteristics you would expect to find in an old town – narrow … Continued
Travel in Spain, Day 8, Tui
Day 8 of Travel in Spain started with an easy drive down the motorway to Tui where we installed ourselves in the Parador for our last two nights in Spain.
The Cathedral of Santiago
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is the reputed burial place of St James the Great. In 9C a chapel was built over his grave, and then a church, which was destroyed by Al-Mansur in the 10C. Today’s building dates … Continued
The ‘old’ Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela has been a site of pilgrimage for nearly 1200 years, revered as the grave of St James, an apostle of Christ. There are many photographs on the internet, and a lot of information; all I can … Continued
Travel in Spain, Day 7, Fonseca Palace
It was pouring with rain as we opened the curtains on Day 7 of Travel in Spain, not gentle English rain, but bucketloads of water which ran in rivers down the streets. Even a dash across the square resulted in … Continued
Travel in Spain, Day 6, Santiago do Compostelo, The Monastery and Church of San Martin Pinario
I had of course heard of the Cathedral in Santiago, but didn’t know about this astonishing building. The original Benedictine Monastery of San Martín Pinario was begun in 6C and associated with the pines (pignario) in which the buildings stood. Today’s buildings … Continued