Welcome to the Xacobeo blog

Conselleiro de Cultura e Turismo, Roberto Varela

It is a pleasure for me to welcome you to this new meeting point on the Internet that forms part of the Plan Xacobeo 2010. Now that the Holy Year that fills us with so much hope and pleasure is around the corner, we are redoubling our efforts to ensure that the solid tradition that is the Way of Saint James is maintained today and is taken into the future. The Internet, which is the most innovative and direct means of communication today, is without doubt an ideal tool to share the collective wealth of the experience of the Way of Saint James.

The creation of not just one blog but an entire blogging platform is not a chance event. To bring alive all the social, cultural, artistic and identifying values linked to the Way of Saint James must by definition be a collective effort. The interactivity and opportunities for participation that are part of the blogging world are guarantees that what has always been the foundation of the Xacobeo phenomenon will still play a vital role in its modernisation: a spirit of unity based on respect for diversity, culture as a common project, and sharing experiences for mutual enrichment.

To keep this tradition alive today means making the power of the Xacobeo experience accessible to pilgrims. This involves not only making their journey along the Way easier, but also providing them with everything they need to prepare for the pilgrimage and to ensure that such a unique experience continues. I hope that this space soon becomes a much-needed reference point for information about the history of the Way of Saint James and the lands it passes through, an archive full of useful information for organising the pilgrimage, and once the journey is over, a place to remember it with pleasure.

Pilgrimage is a special moment that embodies the richness of life, the human spirit and humanity itself, but that moment should not be left to dissipate. That is why we open this space to all pilgrims so that they can share their experiences through their own blogs. We hope that with these travellers’ notebooks and memories a truly virtual community shall gradually take shape that encourages and extends the binding force of the Way of Saint James through the Internet.

Born from the original idea of pilgrimage, the Xacobeo phenomenon has become one of the major economic and tourist activities in Galicia. While always respecting the Way’s tremendous religious and spiritual importance, we also intend to construct a modern, sustainable tourist project all around it. I also hope that the traveller who feels curiosity for the gastronomic delights, natural heritage and cultural riches to be found in Galicia, finds incentives in this blog to come to visit us or pay us a return visit.