A Day in Santiago
Your first stop should be a visit to the excellent Pilgrimage Museum (Museo das Peregrinacións), where you can learn about the history of pilgrimage. This will give you a sense of perspective and will pave the way for a visit to the cathedral, next on the list. As you go in, place your hand on the worn stones of the entrance pillar, the first gesture of arriving pilgrims. Spend time admiring the architecture and artistic treasures, then join the line and mount the steps behind the altar to embrace the effigy of St. James, as pilgrims have done for more than 1,000 years. You could time your visit to coincide with the daily noontime Pilgrims' Mass. A Secular Afternoon
Head up Rúa do Franco or Rúa do Vilar, the main streets, and choose one of the many restaurants for lunch - shellfish or octopus are both traditional Galician specialties. After lunch, you could head back toward the cathedral and visit the Cathedral Museum and Treasury (Museo y Tesoro de la Catedral) before walking back across town to the Museum of the Galician People (Museo do Pobo Galego). At about 6 p.m. the streets begin to fill with shoppers and university students, and the bars become busy. A Peaceful Evening
There's no problem finding an excellent restaurant for dinner; try some fish or one of the flavorful Galician meat dishes, often pork-based, with potatoes and turnip tops. Be sure to order some of the local dome-shaped cheese, and finish with a slice of tarta de Santiago, a special almond pastry made only here. As you wander through the ancient streets after dinner, you'll probably hear the strains of bagpipes echoing through some hidden courtyard. For the walking route, see the city map on page 418.
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