Lugo is in Galicia and the language is slightly different than Spanish, but not radically different, as Basque is from Spanish. Traveling through Basque Country, Castillia and Leon, and now Galicia I am getting a glimpse of the variety that is Spain. This is all very different from Andalucia and central Spain, which I toured a decade ago.
Today we are in the small city of Lugo. En route we passed many snow-covered peaks, and although about 1000+ feet higher than Leon, it is 20 degrees warmer. Lugo and Avila are the only two completely walled cities in Spain. Lugo’s walls were built by the Romans. The cathedral dates to the 8th century, although the existing building is largely Romanesque inside, Baroque outside, and Gothic here and there. In the back of the cathedral is a silver float used for Corpus Christi processions of the Blessed Sacrament; it may also be used in Holy Week. I very much liked the sturdy Romanesque interior. A statue of Mary much loved by the locals is known as “Mary with the big eyes”.
Lugo appears prosperous, but I did notice several fixer-uppers and vacant lots inside the city for someone with money to burn. We also are seeing more and more about the Camino de Santiago de Compostela — one of the oldest of the pilgrim routes passes through Lugo. (Fonts mysteriously changed again. My apologies.)
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