sel writes
Hey Eddie, do they really swing the Botafumeiro every Saturday at the 11:00 mass?
I can only report from my personal experience. The last
Año Júbilar Xacobeo was in 1999. I attended a Pilgrims' Mass in Feb.'99 and again in Jul.'99 (24 Jul) and saw the Botafumeiro swing both times. On the latter date the pickpockets were really out in force. I saw an Italian man reporting a theft that happened to him inside the Basilica to a policeman; and someone tried to 'boost' my wallet when I stopped to see a
Tuna Universitaria performance at the
Plaza de Platerias. 'Shills' in the crowd encourage people to raise their hands up high and clap, leaving one pretty defenseless for a pickpocket. About the time I figured that out, I caught a guy going after a 'cargo' pocket in my 'cargo' shorts. He was pretending to look after a toddler he had with him; but my velcro fasteners are noisy coming open and I recognized the sound.
What other special things happen during this year? Our summer trip is beginning to take shape and I would love to know more.
If it's like '99 you can expect concerts & some
Bailes Regionales throughout Galicia the month or so leading up to Santiago (25 Jul). I don't know if
http://www.Galinor.es will have schedules. They may be able to point you in the right direction.
In Santander (Cantabria), there's a fiesta every year for about a week in July beginning about 10-days before Santiago. The calle de Burgos really rocks!
Will it be terribly crowded because of the Año Jubilar?
Yes; mostly around 25 July! Many people from beach resorts in Asturias and Cantabria will drive to Santiago for a couple of days around then. Then you've got your normal summer crowds in Galicia. Add a large number of Pilgrims for this first Jubilee Year of the new Millennium.
P.S.
Maybe I'll see you there. A friend from Lugo is trying to convince me to accompany him on a trip there.