Throughout the year the city hosts a large number of national and international trade fairs， as well as congresses， seminarsseminar n.研究会， 讨论发表会， meetings and business encounters that attract lots of visitors. Booking your accommodation early during these busy periods is highly advisable.
Valencia，s mild climate is another reason to come for a stay. Inviting and hospitablehospitable adj.好客的， 招待周到的， ready to be enjoyed； whether travelling alone， as a family or in a crowd， you won，t be disappointed if you choose Valencia as your next host destination.
Santiago de Compostela
圣地亚哥——狂热的朝圣之地
圣地亚哥位于西班牙北部海滨，是一个文明、安全、和平、祥和的城市，也是西班牙第四大城市，有人口近50万人。
世界上有至少三处地方名叫“圣地亚哥”：美国的圣地亚哥，那是一座现代文明之城，和西班牙的圣地亚哥有很大的区别。应该说西班牙的圣地亚哥历史最久远、最“正宗”，而美国或智利的圣地亚哥只是她的“再版”。
圣地亚哥这座神圣的小城虽然随着时代的变迁也在不断地发生着变化，但在无数朝圣者的扞卫守护下，这里从古至今一直沐浴在绵绵细雨中，无声无息地等候着虔诚的教徒们投向它的怀抱。
Santiago de Compostela (2003 pop. 92，339)， the “European City of Culture” for the year 2000， is located in the northwest region of Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia.
A popular etymologyetymology n.语源， 语源学 of the name “Compostela” holds that it comes from Latin campus stellae， i.e. “field of stars”， making Santiago de Compostela “St. James of the Field of Stars”. This name would come from the belief that the bones of St. James were taken from the Middle East， to Spain. These bones were then buried where a shepherdshepherd n.牧羊人， 牧羊狗 v.牧羊， 看管， 带领 had spotted a star and a church was eventually built over the bones and later replaced with the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela. The City lies at the end of the important medieval pilgrimpilgrim n.圣地朝拜者， 朝圣 route， the Camino de Santiago or Way of St. James from Kapel isn，t Zand to Santiago de Compostella.
One of the most beautiful of all Spanish cities， Santiago de Compostela has been a travellers， destination for so long that it boasts the oldest hotel in the world - the Hostal dos Reis Católicos. The city is also the subject of the first guidebookguidebook n.旅行指南 in history， the early 12thcentury Codex Calixtinus， part of which details the famous pilgrim route， the Camino de Santiago (Way of St James). The city，s importance in the history of Christianity is such that it is the third holiest site in Christendom， after Jerusalem and Rome. Santiago de Compostela is a national monument， and its artistic and historical importance was confirmed when， in 1993， the entire city was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This was further corroboratedcorroborate vt.使坚固， 确证 when it became a European city of culture for the year 2000.
Today， Santiago de Compostela remains an exquisitelyexquisitely adv.精巧地， 敏锐地 preserved medieval cathedral town， centred on the shrine of the apostle James， after whom the city is named. The winding narrow streets of the Old Quarter are built from local granitegranite n.花岗岩 and on clear days， the warm and golden stone glows in the sunlight. Even on the more frequent rainy days， the facades glisten beguilingly - the Praza do Obradoiro， with the great Baroque facade of the Cathedral， is especially gloriousglorious adj.光荣的， 显赫的. The entire Old Quarter is a honeycomb of architectural charm， perfect for exploring on foot.
Santiago de Compostela is almost entirely Romanesque and Baroque - the city，s 18thcentury ecclesiastical patronspatron n.(对某人， 某种目标， 艺术等)赞助人， 资助人 lavishedlavish adj.非常大方的， 过分丰富的， 浪费的 vt.浪费， 滥用， 慷慨给予 so much wealth on this particular architectonic approach that it evolved into a style known as Galician Baroque.
The city is far more than a mere stone relic. The Way of St. James is still an enormously popular pilgrim，s route， drawing thousands of people every year from around the world to the Cathedral - as， indeed， it has for the whole of the last millenniummillennium n.太平盛世， 一千年. The 730km (454mile) walk from Roncevalles culminates in the Pilgrim，s Mass， at noon each day， with the great botafumeiro (incense burner) swinging above the heads of worshippersworshipper 礼拜［崇拜， 爱慕］者 in the Cathedral transept， dispensing clouds of sweetsmelling incense. The image of Santiago (St.James) in the form of the scallop shell is evident around the city， an important symbol since the 11th century. While its origin is a mystery， it continues to be worn by pilgrims today.
Situated in the very northwest of the country， some 40km (25 miles) from the coast， Santiago de Compostela is one of the wettest places in Spain. The damp climate means that it is wet in winter and humid in summers， while evenings can be chilly. As the capital of the region， it has a key role within the province of Galicia. The region itself is strongly defined， with a distinct Celtic strain and a selfconscious and aggressively selfpromoting regional identity.
While its writers may hymn the Celtic mysteries of the characteristic Galician forests and misty groves， Santiago de Compostela is also the focus of modern broadcasting， press and publishing enterprisesenterprise n.企业， 事业， 计划， 事业心， 进取心， 干事业 designed to reinforce Galego (Galician) as a language and a unifying cultural force. Santiago de Compostela，s famous university attracts a large number of students， which guarantees the city a youthful ambienceambience n.周围环境， 气氛. The university (founded in 1501) has long given a lively buzz of activity to the city，s bars， cafés and restaurants. Small enough to be strongly influenced by its university， Santiago de Compostela revels in a continuously refreshed influx of youthful energy and inventivenessinventiveness 有发明创造能力，独创性，独创能力 that treats the grand stone edificesedifice n.大厦， 大建筑物 as the most superb of stage sets.
Visit the City
Santiago de Compostela is one of Spain，s monumental towns； with a particular architectonical style all of its own. It is the third most important place of Christian pilgrimagepilgrimage n.朝圣 vi.朝拜， 朝圣 globally； it boasts the world，s oldest hotel and is also the subject of the first guidebook in history.
It，s as worth seeing now， as it was then. With fascinating things to see and do； excellent hotels and resorts and a zillionzillion n.（美口） 庞大的数字， 无法计算的大数字 things to discover， you can，t go wrong selecting Santiago de Compostela， as your next holiday or business destination.