Day 3

We docked in Vigo at 9am, later than one might have expected after 40 hours at sea.  It was fairly grey and overcast but we were optimistic that it would brighten up – which it did – before the possibility of a shower and/or some drizzle later.

We set off for Santiago de Compostella and the shrine of St. James the Apostle.  The road was dual carriageway all the way and the journey time was about an hour.  We had a guided tour which was fascinating and it culminated in a visit to the cathedral.  St. James is buried under the altar.  The altar itself is stunning with gold everywhere as the Spanish discovered tons of it in the New World and dedicated it to the glory of God.

There were lots of devout worshippers around but photos were allowed without a flash, so you know who had a field day, trying to capture the majesty of all that gold.  We walked round the side of the altar and noticed a very narrow doorway with a green light. On closer inspection it said it was the sepulchre of S James so we ventured in.  It turned out to be quite an experience.  Half way along there was a passageway to our left protected by an iron grill and behind it was a glittering tomb, beautifully illuminated, containing the bones of St. James - or so they say.

We continued our tour of Santiago which was very enjoyable and then it was back on the bus for our return journey.  We had barely got back on the bus when the heavens opened and the predicted shower turned out to be a sustained period of heavy rain.  On our return, we decided to venture in to the shopping centre next to the ship to see if there was any free wifi – which there wasn’t, so it was a case of trying the wifi café above the modest terminal building.  That was dead and it was quite clear that a purchase or two would be required to be able to access the wifi, so we gave Vigo up as a wifi desert based on our experience there and got back on board the ship.