Our Way Walking The Camino: Museo do Pobo Galego & The Bonaval Park

It is actually funny how many times we walked passed the street to this museum. Every time we went into the Old Town? We searched for it one Saturday morning and it was only when we were heading home that I saw the street we were looking for.

The Museo do Pobo Galego translated means 'The Museum of the Galician People.'
It's origins began in the 13th Century when it was the Convent of Santo Domingo de Bonaval.
Founded by Santo Domingo de Guzman who made the pilgrimage on the Camino in the year 1219.

After a renovation and rebuild it was opened to the public in 1977.

It houses a huge range of displays and items showcasing the Galician cultures and traditions throughout the years.

I have purposely not posted everything we saw in the museum, but some of the surprises I thought would be interesting.

Wooden shoes?

Called 'zoquiera' they were and still are traditional 'working' clogs. Made of wooden because they would protect the feet from dampness.

There is a woman who designs 'zoquieras' with a modern twist. Elena Ferro, from Merza, Spain, an artisan and a descendant of traditional clog makers for over 100 hundred years.

Scary faces sculpted in stone.

Bag pipes in Spain?

The Galician Gaita or 'bag pipe.' Possibly derived from the Gothic word for goat which is 'gait.' The original bags were made from goat hide.

As early as the 9th Century this was very popular. Again it was revived in the 19th-20th Century with famous Galician musicians, such as Carlo Nunez.

In Santiago de Compostela there is always a bag piper, male and female, in the tunnel heading to the Cathedral. The sound resonates throughout the pilgrims arrival to the Pilgrim Office and the Cathedral.

Our bag piper we see each day.

Another, almost, lost tradition is the lace making.

Lace is one of the most popular handicrafts in this area, especially Muxia.

We didn't see anyone working on lace. It was available to purchased....at reasonable prices.

Apparently, as the women work, with the many bobbins and thread, at great speed, there is an almost hypnotic response to the rhythm of the wooden bobbins. (shown below)

In the 18th Century this convent was nearly completely destroyed on the royal orders of the Queen Regent (Queen Maria Christina). At that time, religious buildings, culture and faith lost their significance. The order was never fulfilled. Thankfully.

Below is the courtyard of the museum.

The museum essentially ensures the survival of the traditions and cultures of the Galician people.

We saw many students with teachers while we visited.

A surprise during our visit to the museum, is the Santo Domingo Church or Church of Bonaval. It's entrance from the museum is through an unassuming door that lead us here.

WOW!!!

The Church is attached to the convent. It was built in the 13th-14th Century.

It is enormous. The views from the second level are incredible.

The Virgin Mary depicted in two different sculptures on the second level.

In the 17th-18th Century, when the Convent was rebuilt, it included this astounding triple helical (spiral) staircase. Three staircases, all beginning in the same small space, each reaching a different door.

The highlight of this museum.

We spent a good few hours in the museum and the church. It only cost us 3 euros each! Wow!!!

Pretty cheap.

Note to self: Most places, including this museum, are closed on Mondays...kind of like home.

After spending a few hours we are now going for lunch or a sweet and 'cafe con leche.'

Below is the sidewalk which has the inscription, in many languages,

'Europe was made on the pilgrim road to Compostela.'

This is the road we arrived on and followed to the Cathedral at the end of our Camino journey.

"The holly and the ivy,

When they are both full grown,

Of all the trees that are in the wood,

The holly bears the crown."

Every time Deb and I see these trees or bushes we break into the Christmas song....but we only know the first line...lol.

Ta daaa!!!!

A knitting store along our wanderings today....and not one...but there were two!!!!!

We realized the street we were exploring was the street we came down when we arrived at Santiago de Compostela from the Camino.

Little, sweet doggie waiting for it's owner, and an extraordinary balcony full of blooming vines and flowers.

Hungry now.....calamari and a traditional omelette that has potatoes and eggs. Yummy!!!

A sweet tartlet with custard and fruit.

We are heading, on a different day actually, to the convent gardens, or Santo Domingo de Bonaval Park, (right behind the Museo do Pobo Galege), which still has some ruins of the friars outside buildings when it was a convent.

From this level of the park, there is a panoramic view of Santiago de Compostela.

The two steeples on the left are the Cathedral.

Part of the ancient city's wall. The Museo do Pobo Galego (originally a convent) was built outside these walls along the road that the pilgrims travel to the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela. It was understood that pilgrims along 'The Way of Saint James' would always be offered assistance, food and shelter. It remains a constant today.

This park is inside the walls of the city.

While taking photos this sweet woman stopped and started to greet me in Spanish. I apologized that I don't speak Spanish and she started to talk to me in English. How gracious.

She shared with me that it has always been her dream to go to Canada and the USA. She was so lovely.

We talked about the joy of walking through the parks and green space in Santiago and she told me that you can actually walk from park to park throughout the city along the river?

The river? We didn't even know there was one here.

Another adventure to be had.

Japanese Maples are brilliant red and their leaves are still falling and painting the grounds a beautiful ruby colour.

An underground well......a mine? Apparently there is one behind here.

This park is built on 'shale' rock, situated on a very steep hill.

Shale is called a 'mud stone.' It is composed of mud, and small fragments of minerals, clay and rocks such as granite. Well into the 20th Century, shale was referred to as slate. Different rocks but looks a lot alike.

"Watch your step!"

Above is what looks like a hole, but in fact it is a very steep stairway to the next level of the park.

Can you see 'Wee Waldo's' head?

Stunning sun through the colourful trees.

LD walking, carefully, down the steep stairs.

An old Roman semi-circle arch wall tucked in the park.

I must say...the Spanish people are so nimble. To climb up and down these vertical stairs, and the fact that they are so small...you need balance, coordination and strong legs.

"Careful LD."

Standing between the second and third level of this park.

It is built on a hill in three distinct sections.

A medieval fountain, quite hidden and almost buried, below trees and stairs.

"Don't go into the light Debbie!"

Ok.....it's gorgeous in the light.

We are looking at the back of the Museo do Pobo Galego.

The way the sun shines through the moss covered trees, it gives an appearance of a haunted building.

At the top of the stairs I have the Santo Domingo Church or Bonaval Church on the left, the white building behind is the Museo do Pobo Galego and on the right is the old cemetery that is the entrance to the Bonaval Park. We have come full circle.