History and Hospitality on the Camino…and Galicia.

Just today, I received the Autumn Bulletin from the Confraternity of Saint James. I was intrigued by a review of a late fifteenth century book, ” Doctor Hieronymous Munzer’s Itinerary ( 1494 and 1495 ). He was a doctor from Nuremberg,whose itinerary took him across Europe. His account was originally written inLatin, common at the time, and a scholar,James Firth, has saved it from obscurity – ” well- produced edition of over 500 pages complete with introduction,maps,notes, a glossary, and wide ranging indexes”  – in English. It’s interest to Pilgrims of the 21st Century, we are told, are his descriptions of his time in Santiago de Compostela and Galicia, in general.

Munzer approves of the countryside and the city’s gardens full of fruit,but denigrates the residents as “…swinish…and idle,that they live off what they can make from Pilgrims”. He describes the Cathedral in Santiago, in great detail, enjoying feast days, ( here’s one for our religious correspondent, Dermot) such as Saint Fructuosus! He is less than impressed by the  congregation.” There is always an incredible , popular clamour in the church. Devotion there is not excessive.It would be fitting for the holy apostle to be venerated more reverently”. Travelling on westwards, he notes disapprovingly,” the people live mostly on pork and are truly unclean and piggish in all they do”.

Well, there are comparisons and contrasts with today.Yes it is fruitful and you can take time to smell the flowers. Yes, they still eat a lot of pork, but you can get Padron Peppers now.These days, there is disquiet expressed about the Turigrinos at Mass, only wishing to see the Botafumeiro swing. From our experience , we never expressed anything  less than full gratitude for the hospitality which came our way, without exception. Acknowledgements to Pat Quaife, for the review.

On the subject of food and drink, the highlight for me, was a bowl of Caldo, enjoyed one lunchtime In a little bar “Cruceiro”, where the English owner, convinced me by her enthusiastic description of her recipe. Outstanding hotel, was Hotel Kensington, in Naron,where the value for money was only matched by the welcome and hospitality of the owner, who had worked in London, for sixteen years, hence the name. And…they keep other animals these days; I could have taken this beautiful goat home, despite the fact he had licked all the sweat off my Pacer Poles!