Latest news with #Galicia
BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
What Santiago's many 'Camino' pilgrims often miss
Europe's most famous pilgrimage destination is also one of Spain's most stunning – and under-explored – cities. Now, the city is keen to show off its artsy side. For the last 1,200 years, the Unesco World Heritage city of Santiago de Compostela has best been known as a pilgrimage destination for devout Catholics. Last year alone, nearly 500,000 faithful hikers set out along the series of well-trodden trails called "the Camino", journeying through the lush wooded hills and river-flecked valleys of Galicia in north-west Spain to reach the city's towering Romanesque years, I'd heard about Santiago's beauty from friends and fellow travellers who had gazed upon its towering church spires and twisting honey-coloured lanes. Yet, one of the great ironies is that many of those who had walked for weeks or even months to get there admitted that once they arrived, they shuffled alongside the masses into the cathedral to see the tomb of St James, slumped into one of the many touristy tapas bars around Rua Franco and then quickly headed home. If they had just taken a few more steps, I'd always wondered, would they have discovered more? I wanted to dig deeper into the city's medieval and more modern heart, but I didn't have the time or energy to trek the demanding trail myself. Fortunately, a high-speed rail route now whisks travellers across the nation to Santiago, giving visitors a blister-free way to explore one of Spain's most stunning – and under-explored – cities. The fast track Though Spain boasts Europe's longest and most-advanced high-speed train network (second in the world only to China's), it wasn't until December 2021 that the nation extended its three-decade-old high-speed Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) network to Santiago. "We're in an isolated corner of Spain," Ana Munín, from the Santiago de Compostela Convention Bureau, tells me. "We get things last." Stepping onto the platform at Madrid's Chamartin station, the white flanks of my streamlined AVE train were adorned with proclamations of its top speed (330km/h) plus a logo indicating that it was powered by 100% renewable energy. According to Munín, the arrival of these high-speed trains has brought an increase of Spanish travellers to Santiago, while simultaneously reducing the number of flights arriving at its small regional airport. "A one-hour flight – it is just wrong," she remarks. As my train leaves Madrid, I watch the seat-back speedometer rise inexorably until, after 20 minutes, I'm cruising serenely along at 300km/h. Arid plains dotted with weathered ochre-coloured villages and clusters of hardy trees scrolls by. Passing the city of Zamora, moorland gives way to sylvan valleys where mountain streams glint below the tracks. The train eases across the wide span of the Miño, Galicia's longest river, as we reach the ancient hot springs town of Ourense. From here, a series of viaducts carry us across hills carpeted by a tight arboreal tapestry, dotted with colourful villages whose facades seem brighter in the clear hill air. Barely more than three hours after leaving Madrid, I step off the train into the heart of Santiago. A new vision Pilgrims approaching Santiago on the Camino's network of trails often describe their first glimpse of the cathedral's ornate spires. Instead, I was struck by the dramatic rollercoaster curves and soaring glass facades of the City of Culture architectural complex, which rises atop Mount Gaiás and overlooks the train station below. Designed by US starchitect Peter Eisenman, this eye-popping, futuristic set of museums, gardens and libraries was designed as a "beacon for pilgrims of knowledge" when its first two buildings opened to the public in 2011. Inside the vast multipurpose cultural space (now known simply as the Gaias Centre Museum), I take in a retrospective of artist Rafael Ubeda before wandering through an exhibition on global tattoo designs and culture at the neighbouring UTESA convention and culture centre. "We have fantastic contemporary architecture, modern art – and the gastronomy scene has just grown and grown," Munín later tells me. As we sit at a communal table sipping Galicia's world-renowned Mencia wine and savouring the region's prized octopus and mackerel at Abastos 2.0, a hip diner attached to the historic food market, I look around and noticed that there doesn't appear to be a single foreign visitor in sight. "Santiago is also very much a university city," adds Munín, revealing that a quarter of the city's 100,000 residents study or work at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, which dates back to 1495. As she explained, this infuses the city with a vibrant, youthful energy, as students and young creatives frequently showcase their work at pop-up arts events – like the exhibition of contemporary photographs I soon stumble upon housed in a 17th-Century church nestled amid the city's medieval core. Santiago's Old Town is a glorious, compact melange of squares and historic porticoed streets that give way to promenade-lined parks like the central Alameda and more secluded Bonaval. Munín explains that in recent years, ancient edifices have been refashioned into atmospheric museums. But unlike the tourist-thronged cathedral, I experience near solitude in every other cultural space I visit – as if the pilgrims don't realise that reflection can be stirred in Santiago's quiet corners, as well as on the trail. Inside the austere granite outlines of CGAC (Galician Centre for Contemporary Art), for example, I see just four other people during my hour spent exploring three floors that include a brilliant exhibition of Galician photographer Mar Caldas. Mere metres from the end of three Camino trails (the French, Northern and Primitivo Ways) on Rua de San Pedro, incoming pilgrims walk right past a showcase by young Galician artists at the tiny Defímeras gallery. After taking it in, I tuck into a luscious Galician bean stew and generous pork loin at the nearby local favourite O Dezaseis. Inside a neighbouring Dominican convent now housing the Museum of the Galician People, there's just one other person absorbing evocative displays of ancient industries, linked via a dazzling Baroque spiral staircase. At Colexio de Fonseca, the university's oldest college, I immerse myself in a contemporary art show beside its leafy Renaissance courtyard while all alone. Ditto at the nearby Fundacion Eugenio Granell, which showcases Surrealist art inside an 18th-Century mansion once believed to be Santiago's loveliest. The following day I visit Casa RIA, a foundation opened in 2023 by famed British architect David Chipperfield which aims to promote sustainable development in the area. As well as displaying exhibitions on topics like Galician food markets, there's a stylish in-house cantina whose affordable daily menus include produce from the foundation's allotment in its tranquil rear garden. "We've welcomed academics from Shanghai's Tongji University and MIT, but also a few people every day visiting the exhibition or stopping by the canteen," Casa RIA's director, Inés Piñeiro Ozores, tells me. Interestingly, she adds, very few of their visitors are pilgrims. Back at the city's main square, the vast Praza do Obradoiro, I watch the melee of faithful mill around the cathedral. Suddenly, the sound of Galician bagpipes draws me around a corner to discover a piper named Fernando Hernandez playing alone in an ancient archway as a flow of people go by without pausing. He happily tells me about the link between Galician pipes and those of Scotland, Ireland and Brittany before lamenting Santiago's pilgrim hordes. "The Camino has just become a walk for too many people – companies now even carry their bags each day!" he says, before returning to his pipes. More like this:• St James Way: The return of the UK's medieval highway• The Lighthouse Way: Walking Spain's 'other' camino• A 77km hike that could inspire miracles As a record-number of pilgrims have descended on Santiago three years in a row, the city has started pushing back against the negative aspects of overtourism that have prompted fierce protests in other Spanish destinations like Barcelona and the Canary Islands. In Santiago, these include a surge in short-term rentals that push out locals, an influx of souvenir shops selling cheaply manufactured wares and bad tourist behaviour such as pitching tents near the cathedral. In addition to local campaigns such as Compostela Resists, in 2024 the city launched a "Fragile Santiago" campaign to encourage visitors to engage differently. The hope is that visitors seek out handmade local crafts, savour traditional Galician cuisine and take time to discover the city's cultural – and not just religious – heritage. "Every month, Santiago has some sort of arts festival," says Flavia Ramil, director of the city's tourist office, adding a note on their affordability, with tickets starting at just a few euros. "Now, we are seeing more tourists from places like Japan, the US and UK who are very interested in the culture of the city," she says happily. Amen to that. -- For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Fox News
a day ago
- Science
- Fox News
Ancient Romans' favorite sauce reveals fishy secrets after 1,800 years
Ancient Romans had a big appetite for a certain kind of fish sauce – and a new study is revealing exactly what went into it. Researcher Gonçalo Themudo published his findings in the journal Antiquity on July 2. The research centered around garum, a fermented fish sauce that Ancient Romans enjoyed as a popular condiment. Themudo, a biologist based in Portugal, was able to recover DNA from the fish remains in an ancient garum-making vat at Adro Vello, an archaeological site in Galicia, Spain. At the bottom of the vat, researchers uncovered small, fragmented fish bones – mostly vertebrae – that were remarkably well-preserved. They were 1,800 years old and heavily processed during fermentation, yet the DNA in the bones was still intact enough to study. Themudo successfully recovered and sequenced the genetic material, with the results confirming the ancient sauce was primarily made from sardines. "We knew from other sources and from the morphological identification that these should be sardines," Themudo told Fox News Digital. "But there was always a possibility the morphology was wrong because these were based on loose and very small vertebrae bones." "Romans most likely liked its rich flavor and versatility as a condiment – and prices seem to have matched their fondness for it." The recovery of viable DNA was unexpected. Themudo said he was "really doubting" it. "It was a real surprise when we got some positive results for the presence of DNA and then when we were able to match it to sardine DNA," he said. The sauce was exported widely across the Roman Empire, meaning the local sardines were probably being used to season dishes far away. Themudo said that garum was "full of glutamates, giving it a rich umami or savory taste, similar to what you get in modern fish sauces, broths, shellfish, mushrooms or some cheeses." "Romans most likely liked its rich flavor and versatility as a condiment – and prices seem to have matched their fondness for it," Themudo noted. "It could be used as fish broth and used to season meat or fish during preparation of meals." He also compared garum to soy sauce — or, to be more accurate, the fish sauce commonly enjoyed in Southeast Asian cuisine today. "It would probably also have a strong fish smell," he said. "It could be used as fish broth and used to season meat or fish during preparation of meals." The study also underscores the value of ancient DNA research, Themudo stressed. DNA molecules degrade over time, breaking into ever-smaller fragments due to chemical and physical damage, particularly in fermented products, Themudo said. "Think of [DNA] as narrow and extremely long sheets of paper filled with the letters A, C, G and T," Themudo said. "Someone takes those sheets of paper and starts tearing them in half, and then takes each half and tears those, and so on. As time passes, the pieces of paper become [so] small that they become unreadable." The discovery also shows that, even in difficult conditions, ancient DNA can survive — and be deciphered. "This study not only proves that we can extract and sequence ancient DNA from fermented fish remains," he said. "It also opens new avenues to the study of population dynamics of these fish species through time."
Vogue
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Shop Matteau's Latest Vacation Styles for 10% Off
Photo: Courtesy of Matteau If we had to build our summer wardrobes from scratch, one of the first brands we'd want in there is Matteau. The Australian label, founded by sisters Ilona Hammer and Peta Heinsen in 2015, focuses on classic summer styles that bridge simplicity with modernity—an ethos that resonates strongly with many Vogue editors who seek them out for seasonal yet timeless wardrobe additions. Matteau's consciously-designed swimwear is a great place to start if you're just getting acquainted with the brand, but since launching over a decade ago, the label's expanded into various ready-to-wear categories that prioritize regenerative, organic, and recycled materials like poplin, silk, and regenerated nylon. Whether it's for summer-in-the city dressing or laidback vacation wear, mainstays in our own closets include their fisherman drawstring pant, which associate fashion director Madeline Fass recently wore on a trip to Galicia. Associate shopping director Talia Abbas loves their white cotton poplin midi, which she's had for two summers and counting. Meanwhile, Cortne Bonilla swears by their airy popover dress for beating the heat in style, even more so now that she's expecting. Shop these editor favorites for less as an Insider—and discover more Vogue-loved styles that won't compete with your wardrobe, but instead, complete it.
Times
6 days ago
- Times
I've lived in Spain for 35 years — these places welcome tourists
The figures are extraordinary: 94 million tourists in 2024 and more expected this year. As are the scenes of furious Spaniards firing at visitors with water pistols in protest. No less extraordinary, however, is just how much of Spain — almost twice the size of the UK — remains untouched by tourism. While it is true that certain areas of Barcelona, San Sebastian and Palma de Mallorca now have more avocado-toast brunch bars, luggage lockers and Ikea-decorated short-let apartments than seems reasonable, whole swathes of the country are not only tolerant of tourism but happy to receive a good deal more of it. Staying ahead of the hordes is simple enough: the trick is to cast your net wide across this hugely diverse country. Unfold an old-fashioned printed map and consider the lush green hills and sweeping beaches of Galicia; the moon-like deserts of Aragon; the forests of Extremadura in the far west, where blackfoot pigs virtually outnumber people. Whole regions of Spain are puzzlingly absent from British bucket lists — examples being Castilla y León, with its pungent historic legacy and powerful red wines; or the province of Teruel, empty of people yet bursting with character. Each of the 50 provincial capitals has its own heritage and personality, and of these only a handful — Cordoba, Girona, Toledo — have a substantial tourism infrastructure; in Albacete, Soria, Badajoz or Lugo it's unusual to hear a foreign voice. Here are some great destinations to try where you won't be in the firing line. My top tip for a Barcelona substitute would be Zaragoza, capital of Aragon and a festive, hospitable town that for the moment is not complaining about overtourism. The fifth largest Spanish city, it stands beside the mighty Ebro River, the towers of its great basilica rising proudly above the water. On your to-do list here might be the medieval architecture of the old town, the rumbustious wine-and-tapas scene in El Tubo district — a maze of streets with an estimated 60 tapas bars — and Zaha Hadid's twisty bridge over the Ebro, built as part of the city's Expo 2008 celebrations. Also not to be missed are the works by Francisco de Goya, an Aragon native, at Museo Goya. Stay at the chic-and-cheerful Hotel Avenida, with white rustic-minimalist rooms and a courtyard decorated with cacti in B&B doubles from £69 ( Fly to Zaragoza • The northeastern Spanish city with a surprising tapas scene Of course it's not quite Seville — nothing could equal the dreamlike beauty of the Andalusian capital's cobbled streets and squares perfumed with orange blossom. But Jaen has beauties of its own — plus a low tourist presence of which stressed-out Sevillanos can only dream. Among the dun-coloured rooftops of the its historic quarter stands the twin-towered façade of a mighty Renaissance cathedral — the masterpiece of the local architect Andrés de Vandelvira. A medieval bathhouse, discovered by chance in the 1970s, is a fascinating relic of the city's Moorish past. With its rabbit-warren of whitewashed alleys, churches, convents and time-worn taverns (try the Taberna Cassa Gorrion, where locals take their late-morning snifters along with a plate of raw broad beans and a hunk of cheese), the old town is like Seville without the souvenir shops. Stay at the Parador, in a castle high above the city, and dine at the Michelin-starred Baga, for many the best restaurant in town, with dishes such as Motril shrimps with shiitake mushrooms or smoked eel with pear (tasting menu £85; B&B doubles from £132 ( Fly to Granada Done San Sebastian? Remember there is another Basque town — capital of the region and Alava province — that is one of the best places in Spain to live. Slow-paced, affable Vitoria-Gasteiz offers a pintxo scene to rival that of San Sebastian and the Virgen Blanca, an annual fiesta that can out-party San Fermin in Pamplona (August 6 to 9; — and nary an Australian tourist in sight. A green belt of carefully preserved park-like countryside surrounds the city centre. When you're done with the historic centre, with its palaces and plazas, drive into the rolling wine country of Rioja Alavesa, known as the Tuscany of Spain. Stay at urban bolt hole La Casa de los Arquillos, which has simple, smart rooms and studios beside the central Plaza de la Virgen Blanca. Details Room-only doubles from £69 ( Fly to Bilbao • The unsung Spanish city that's a great alternative to San Sebastian The northern regions of Spain are increasingly the subject of scrutiny among foreign visitors worried about soaring temperatures on the southern coast. Asturias is filling up fast, but Cantabria remains a summer destination that many would prefer to keep under their sombreros. This autonomous community has it all: verdant hills, soaring peaks, rustic villages, historic towns and a good number of the country's most pristine beaches. Ferries from the UK connect directly with the elegant capital, Santander — a place to spend at least a few days (check out the Centro Botín art museum, designed by Renzo Piano, on the harbourside) before heading east towards the seaside towns of Laredo and Castro Urdiales. The 180-mile Cantabria coastline has beaches as sweeping and spectacular as Arnia, Oyambre and the surf-tastic Somo. On the two-and-a-half-mile stretch of sand at Trengandin, backed by dunes and forest, finding a space for your towel will never be a problem. Stay at the Helguera Palacio, a 17th-century country house 20 minutes' drive from the sea, with 11 elegant rooms and a pool overlooking the B&B doubles from £264 ( Fly or take the ferry to Santander Finding alternatives to the overcrowded Spanish islands is a challenge. Even on Menorca — once the low-profile Balearic, where mass tourism was kept firmly under control — there have been protests and mutterings about visitor numbers. The Canary island of La Palma has resisted excessive tourism, and combines low-key pleasures with big-screen thrills — botanists, horticulturists, ramblers and stargazers will find much to enjoy here. Explore towns such as Garafia and Tazacorte, where you will find traditional houses with sash windows and clay-tiled roofs, or hike along the island's more than 600 miles of signposted paths, the most demanding of which — the 15-mile Ruta de los Volcanes — follows its central spine from north to south. Stay at the Faro Punta Cumplida, a converted lighthouse on a volcanic outcrop. Details B&B doubles from £251 ( Fly to La Palma Much of what makes Valencia a massively popular destination can also be found in Murcia. Yet this handsome provincial city, inland from the southeast coast, shows little sign of tourist-tiredness and visitors are welcomed with open arms. Stroll along the banks of the Segura River towards the Floridablanca Gardens, where families congregate in the shade of century-old ficus trees. Shop at the Mercado de Veronicas, an early 20th-century modernist building with the soul of a genuine Spanish produce market, free of the gawping selfie-snappers that have spoilt the Mercat Central in Valencia. The tapas scene in Murcia, based on vegetables grown in the market gardens surrounding the city, is a powerful draw — head for the Plaza de las Flores to feast on marineras (a combo of ensaladilla and cured anchovy on a breadstick). Stay at the Rincon de Pepe, a classic Murcian establishment with neat rooms near the glorious baroque B&B doubles from £116 ( Fly to Murcia Guadalajara province, in Castilla-La Mancha, is an hour's drive northeast of downtown Madrid, yet it might be said to suffer from 'undertourism' — indeed, you can drive for many miles here without seeing another car. Single-track roads wind between ancient forests of oak and juniper; it is said that the Iberian wolf, once almost extinct, has returned to this wilderness. Overlooked by the brooding peaks of the Sierra Norte, the landscape is peppered with the astonishing black villages of Guadalajara — so called because their houses and churches are built of slate. Meander between Campillo de Ranas, Majaelrayo and Roblelacasa, stopping for a simple lunch of chargrilled beef or stewed lentils at Los Manzanos in Campillejo — one of only a handful of eating places in the area (mains from £3.50). Sparsely populated, these silent villages suggest that some parts of Spain could do with more tourism, not less. Stay in Campillejo at Casa Rural El Roble Hueco, a villa with eight double en suites and beds and cots for One night's self-catering for 18 from £649 ( Fly to Madrid
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Energy Transition recommended as preferred bidder for Spanish Penouta mine acquisition
Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed company Energy Transition Minerals has announced that its subsidiary, Energy Transition Minerals Spain, has been recommended as the preferred bidder to acquire the Penouta tin-tantalum-niobium mine in Spain. The recommendation by the court-appointed administrator is part of the auction process for the assets of Strategic Minerals Spain, which is currently in administration. The Penouta Mine, located in Galicia, Spain, includes both permitted and currently suspended sections. The bid status places Energy Transition Minerals Spain in a favourable position ahead of a live auction scheduled for 29 July 2025. Should its bid remain preferred, the company expects to be declared the acquirer of the productive unit of Strategic Minerals Spain by the court by October. The offer for the mine is up to €3.6m ($4.1m), which includes a €2.5m fixed consideration, up to €1m in contingent payments and €100,000 coverage for employee liabilities. A deposit of €500,000 has been lodged, which is refundable under certain conditions but forfeitable if the company's bid is not selected or if it withdraws post-selection. The company has also committed to covering care and maintenance costs of up to €1.2m for a maximum of 12 months. Completion of the transaction is contingent on several conditions including legal, regulatory and creditor approvals. The offer will be funded from Energy Transition Minerals' cash reserves and the transaction is expected to be completed before the end of 2025. The deal aligns with Energy Transition Minerals' strategy to build a diversified portfolio of critical minerals projects, complementing its core asset, the Kvanefjeld rare earths project in Greenland. "Energy Transition recommended as preferred bidder for Spanish Penouta mine acquisition" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
