Galicia Galicia is located in the green northwestern part of Spain.

If it was n ot for Santiago de Compestela, Galicia may not have been known as well as it is. As it is some os Galicia's provinces are not even known to tourists, and proba bly will never be. Unlike the rest of Spain, Galicia looks much like Ireland. Which attracted the Celts during their exploration. The landscape is lush and f illed with pine and eucalyptus. Galicia also has some of the best beaches in al l of Spain. Gallegos (Galicia's people) are very different from other Spanish people and seem to almost be a different race. They have a whiter pailer complextion, and have blond hair. They are also different in the things that they do for en tertainment. They don't have any of the high-tech theatures, or the night life of Madrid. They are more interested in music, poetry, land, family, witchcraft, death, and superstition. They spend a lot of time thinking about things and wh y they are the way that they are. They usually are not prejudice to any outside rs, and willing listen to their ideas. People believe that many of these traits came from the Celts who came in 1000 B.C. and ruled until A.D. 137. They seem to have many things in common with the Irish and the Scots because of this. In cluding a bagpipe-like instrument called a Gaita. The language of Galicia is different from the rest of Spain also, they s peak a variation of Castillian which has some French tones as well as Portugues e. They have their own favorite foods also, which consist mainly of seafood. S ome of their specialty dishes are: merluza (hake), cigalas (prawns), camarones ( small shrimp). chipirones (little squid), langostines (crayfish), vieiras (scall ops), percebes (goose baracles), and trout and other local fish. Most of their dishes are served either in casseroles or broiled, or steamed, or rolled into cr epes called empanadas. In the winter months, the dishes are served with meat in stead of seafood. Usually the meat is rabbit, or game. Although ham, pork, and sausages are also served. Cheese is also another specialty of Galicia, a entir e meal can be made up of just cheese, and not be boring! Many Gallegos have che ese and peasant bread for their lunchtime meal every day. For desserts, the Gal legos make excellant pastrys and sponge cakes, which are not found in any other part of Spain. Wine is probably the greatest thing that Galicia has to offer to the wor ld, often said to be one of the best wine makers of the world. Albarino is prob ably the best wine from Galicia, it is said to be Spains long awaited white-wine . It is one of the most interesting wines in Spain, and rapidly becoming one of the most expensive. The growing area for Albarino is around the town of cambad os, on the Atlantic coast in the Pontevedra province. To be called Albarino, th e wine must be made from 100% Albarino grapes. Albarino is a dry, elegant, acid y wine, and has a very flowery smell. It is usually produced in small lot by Ga llego artisans, which causes it to be so expensive. Not long ago it was limited to Galicia, but now a few businesses have begun to distribute it to other parts of Spain. Galicia is also known for its religious festivals and every parish has a festival for its patron saint once evey year. Since their are almost 4,000 par ishes in Galicia you are very likely to be able to visit one when visiting. Dur ing these festivals, you can purchase crafts, talk to neighbors, and listen to l ive bands. Some of the more popular festivals are: Los Maios, celebrated in May , and Magosto, celebrated in November. The cathedral of Santiago is one of the major sites in Galicia, which is located in the plaza de Obradoiro. It is a huge 17th century baroque cathedral with two huge towers that seem to reach to heaven inself. In the afternoon sun , the cathedral seems to glow a bright gold color whcih is caused by a buildup o f a lichen over the years. The churches centerpiece is a statue of Saint Janes on top of the main altar at the front of the central nave. At the back of the s tatue, there is a staircase that leads up to the statue. Many pilgrims walk up

the staircase to touch the statue. Beneath the retable is a narrow passageway t hat leads to the crypt which is built into the foundation of the 9th century chu rch that used to be there. The remains of the saint and his disciples are in si lver caskets there, and people go down to pay respect to him often. Back in the main part of the the church, the high vaulted inside creates a sensational feel ing that is undescribable is felt. A gigantic censer hangs in front of the alta r, and on holidays it scents the entire church with incense. The censer was bui lt on such a large scale to try to cover up the horrible smell of all the pilgri ms after traveling to the cathedral. It is so heavy that eight full grown men a re required to swing it. The chapels lining the walls of the church are filled with rich altars, tombs, and various works of art. The reliquary chapel, locate d off the right name just inside the cathedral contains valuable urns, and statu es. The treasury contains silver, gold, and brinze crucufixes from various cent eries, statues of Saint James, and jewelery. Upstairs, ther are Flemish tapestr ies from the 17th century and a dozen from the 19th century based on the cartoon s of Goya. Finally after exiting the cathedral, you'll find many beautiful door s, and archways. Be sure to see the Puerta de las Platerias, a romanesque doorw ay, with carvings of king David and the creation of Adam and Eve. The Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos is a finely hotel furnished that would make excellant accomidations if funds allow. It is located right on the Paza d e Obradoiro, double rooms are currently around 32,000 pesetas a night during hig h season, and 25,000 pesetas off season, which isn't too bad considering how exp ensive rooms in Paris and London are. The lobby is filled with antiques as well as some of the bedrooms. Paintings decerate the hallways and rooms, which have all been recently refurbished. Many of the rooms have casement windows that op en onto a courtyard. The courtyards of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John are a beaut iful place to take a early morning walk. There are two restaurants in the hotel , one casual, one more expensive and more formal. The formal one has a mideivel look to it and has high vaulted ceilings. The living room provides a wonderful place to wait for a seat in one of the tow restaurants or a nice place to have an after dinner drink. While there be sure to have the breakfast buffet. It in cludes dishes from all over as well as local favorites. A good place to end the day is on the stone bench that is in front of the Hotel, it provides a lovely v iew. Shopping in the old town is also a good idea for spending a day. There is no need to worry about getting lost and many international and local crafts c an be found all over the area. There is a large bookstore that carries Englishlanguage books and newspapers which is a good place to start off the shopping da y. If you would like to spend a day at the beach, the Isla De Arousa is an excellant island to spend it at. It is serviced by frequent ferry service from Vilanova, and has many beautiful beaches and also excellant sportfishing. It is the largest Island in Galicia and is also the closest. Getting around Spain is fairly easy, the most expensive, but easiest way is to rent a autoemobile, there is a good network of roads going to every part of Spain starting at the Plaza Del Sol in the center of Madrid, which is also th e geographic center of Spain. If you wish to save money the bus is also another good alternative, Spain has a very good network of public bus systems that go a lmost anywhere you would want to go. The train is also a very good way to trave l. Europe is famous for its train system and A person can get anywhere he or sh e wants to go by train. Spains trains are fairly comfortable and travel at reas onably fast speeds so you can get where you want to get quickly.