Spain's Coast of Death | Alex Polizzi's Secret Spain | TRACKS

my Spanish adventure is nearing its end [Music] and what I've experienced of this country so far has amazed me at every step my tour began in the northeast of Spain I got excited in Pamplona emotional in Barcelona is just unusual this level of trust as man-thing glad she means something on the East Coast Valencia tickled my tastebuds this is that mantle perfect I was bowled over by Benidorm in the south I felt such passion in Bernardo boats whistle mind blowing on the west coast I tasted history and headers versus it's fun down the ages very well inland the majesty of Madrid moved me [Music] what an amazing place and Salamanca seduced me what looks like now I've almost come full circle as I reach my final destination the enigmatic region of Galicia there's nothing like this anywhere in the world [Music] at the Northwest tip of the Iberian Peninsula ilithyia feels far removed from the rest of Spain more akin to Cornwall than Andalusia with its lush green landscapes and wide sweeping bays it's one of the most beautiful but least discovered regions of this country here our journey into the heart of Spanish history I'll unearth the dark corner of Spain's past in the forests of neighbouring Castilla Y Leon before finishing like so many thousands of pilgrims in the ancient city of Santiago de Compostela but my starting point is a rugged stretch of coast that's home to a little-known prehistoric sea creature there's more coastline in Galicia than any other region of Spain you will find rocky headlands and cliffs that cascade down to remote sandy beaches one stretch is particularly alluring with its haunting and ominous name the Acosta del Norte Casa della Marta is a very evocative term means cosine of the dead it's a big Atlantic swell yeah people who depend on it for their livelihood to do so at their peril here local men and women risk their lives on a daily basis scouring the storm bosch shot rocks for a delicacy known as per se B's this seems like the most inhospitable place on earth to come to do a day's work just walking down here was quite an effort and now looking what they're doing down there seems actually insane per say bees also known as gooseneck barnacles are sticky little crustaceans that have populated the oceans for millions of years the ones found in Alethea are the kings of Spanish seafood at certain times of year in Madrid you can pay as much as 200 euros for a kilo which is why women like Mary kademan take potentially fatal risks in pursuit of their precious bounty this is a bloody dangerous job to do there wouldn't be much help if you fell in the water don't fancy your chances for long in that scene on average five fishermen die every year in these choppy waters hats off to her say Mari Carmen has been a purser beta for 30 years braving the waters five days a week allowed to collect these primeval looking sea creatures this is the per se B's they're very strange-looking creatures well what is the life cycle of the Perseus I mean how do they get here how do they reproduce how do they grow they're a brutal thing of yours Mesmer's only as much we in there sir DNA l penny mas grande is el animal en el penny mask random purposely on the squirrel moon it's a little funky proportionately even bigger than an elephant she says how long have these been so prized because they weren't always such such a delicacy where's auntie Sarah Camilla the poverties yeah la persona que comienzan a si como si fuera parte de Atacama Civic Pyramus - the same with - so it's really interesting it's only in the last you know 28 years these have become the this prized delicacy that they are now before that the same as were the preserve of the very pool it's that reversal in fortune for per se B's it has encouraged the women of the Casa del Norte to become pursue Baylor themselves la mujer e @ lien coordinator on the seniorita trabajan lissandra's para las mujeres entonces el hombre que cuando vania in De Niro arid el entonces el perceive a a la mujer Quan empezó a trabajar Rita media and independencia no no defender Dena vo forgave a NAPA muchísimo dinero EMTs new era see the only independent a compliment I'm saying anything else no never so if ever I will look at you know Mandana DM me me siento cuando quiero there are oficina de la Marie Carmen is most definitely her own woman and her relationship with per se B's is very much a working one do you eat them nante marisco mean would y no no okay I guess you know de Graaff you do it great no I'm really looking for this but I can't back out now having seen how hazardous they were to harvest I feel duty-bound to try one in the local town of karma that's my common has kindly cooked me up some of these pesetas and slightly apprehensive I must admit they're not the most attractive looking things I've ever seen but nothing ventured gonca kilos but that that column under traditionally they are lightly boiled with just a bay leaf and a pinch of salt comma C comma C [Music] actually they're just taste of the sea I'm not entirely sure that I would rush to eat these a on my liner and just how they look there's somewhat of pudding I've probably put worse things in my mouth a little SC American at the Kahala when like atom 3 sí me gusta hmm miracle apparently some very good notice police have important core memories opinion thanks for the offer but I think I'll pass because I'm heading inland the forests of Castilla Y Leon to learn about Spain's darkest secret it's shocking to hear that Spain a country that's in Western Europe part of the Western world is only second to Cambodia in terms of how many people are buried in mass graves I'm leaving behind the Costa del Norte and heading inland to Ponferrada in Castilla alone just as surprising is a jagged harsh coastline the landscape here is lush mountainous and peppered with forests of pine and eucalyptus if you venture into these dense forests you'll find flora and fauna and if you're here at the right time of year wild mushrooms so you don't find mushrooms in the summer obviously no they're the best months are November bumber mushroom expert Manuel is a 60 year old veterinarian who's been mad about mushrooms since he was a young boy I've met up with him and his son Oscar in a forest just outside from fahrrad oh the weather here is very favorable to mushrooms hot summers plenty of rain and a very humid and damp climate come autumn these forests become a pantry of different species of edible mushrooms and as I'm about to learn some that are not so edible how many types of mushrooms are there here and how many are edible you can eat like 100 and 120 here there they are like 101 500 1,500 yeah so you've got some awesome sir will you just show me is very cool Santo Alma yeah is Santo Daime a significant mmm Amory dia yeah ESCA me Bella no toxic what happens if you eat them all Emma's rustic or Sami toes Kathy own don't eating intoxication how many types are really are the ones that are so toxic that they'll kill you I'm I need to follow this it's an isotonic a little bit of a man is that the only one no I must see quanta Sesenta setenta ochenta species diferentes que NOS pueden pasar la morte Sealaska memos okay no Carla's it's my horror there's up to 80 types of very very poisonous mushrooms they might not kill you if you eat one you'd be very ill but if you're at six or seven in be done for these forests in this region may conceal an array of mushrooms but they also harbor a dark secret a part of Spain's history that would be impossible for me to ignore it's easy to forget that Spain was in the grip of a fascist dictatorship as recently as 1975 General Franco had a press fame for 36 years that time saw the deaths of more than 200,000 men and women fewer for dared a dignified burial most were thrown in mass graves strewn across Spain since then Franco and the horrors of his regime have been buried too erased from memory all that changed in 2000 here in the remote village of pure Anza del bierzo the site of one of Franco's bloodiest civilian massacres I met up with Emilio a journalist his grandfather was killed in that massacre by Emilio I'm Alex thank you so much for meeting with me yeah so tell me about the significance of this place this place during 64 years there was mass grave yes with no objects to know exactly the place and in 2000 I arrived here asking the old people of this area and one of them told me the mass grave perhaps with the bones of my grandfather is there near those trees I found a place and a group of archaeologists and forensic doctors open the grave I want to identify my grandfather because I want to put their bones on my grandfather with a bone for me now they are both in in the cemetery of my family reuniting his grandparents led emilio to form the association for the recovery of historical memory a group dedicated to unearthing mass graves at the beginning we say perhaps we have more and less 40,000 missing people in this plane now now today we know a one hundred and thirteen thousand missing people it's a little-known fact but Spain is second only to Cambodia as the country with the highest number of disappeared when the Franco's regime finish in 1975 the people who made our transition are the most of the end children of the Franco's regime and they decide to create this very very weak silence thanks to the work of emilio and his association that silence has finally been broken today there is a single primary purpose to the association's work the return of the victims remains to their families how many people do you think you've helped reunite with their families we find in in those in the last 15 years 8,000 people in mass graves yeah we can identify one thousand and two hundred I think it's very important to look for these missing people because we cannot live the people in ditches like animals we have to look for these people we give their bones to the relatives all of them the old people arrive the arm of the volunteers and say now I can die in peace [Music] the Association has a nucleus of seven to ten people who work from their small lab in nearby Ponferrada the process begins with an email from a relative which might inform them about the details of a missing person and where they were possibly buried much like detectives the team researched the disappearance if they have enough evidence then the dig will begin the team aided by volunteers carefully sift through the earth searching for clues or scattered bones all the time watched on by locals and anxious relatives Nicole is a volunteer who has journeyed all the way from California to work with the Association can you tell me what's happening I'm so what we're doing is we're looking for two men that were executed in 1942 I believe they had been hiding in the mountains so around that time the war had already ended these men were arrested they were judged and then they were executed yeah so these two men were supposedly shot near the south wall of the old cemetery which is this wall here yeah and then buried without any sort of casket they were just shoved into a pit forgotten what set off this particular investigation one of the family members of the the missing men the son wanted to find his father before he died he had to be in his late 70s his T family is fine does it help them find some kind of peace resolution or some kind yes I mean that's what the process is about sure I think there's a need to bury and mourn the dead one of the things they say a lot here is to give the families the right to decide how their relatives should be buried as opposed to the people who murdered them yeah the rituals are important we crave that and especially if you're a religious person to think that that's going to lead to a more restful time in heaven or whatever that's extremely important that's powerful below us the team have unearthed a grim but potentially important discovery they found the remains of a body now they must begin the delicate process of identifying it this particular individual is it's complete that's they're also looking to see if there's another body next to it or underneath because they should be buried together the problem is that they're looking for very clear evidence they're dealing with a mass grave rather than just an ordinary burial when you think about it it's obvious when you're Exuma a normal grave you will find people who are buried in respectful manner ie with their hands by their sides or their hands cross on their chest its traditional positions that the dead are put into in the mass grave that is obviously not the case as the team's resident archaeologist Renee oversees the excavations so can you explain to me some of the challenges of arranging an archeological dig like this voice quando inchoate Ramos los cuerpos lo primero que tenemos que saber a descubrir zone el cranio illa pelvis las dos partes de de los cuerpos nos in Deacons estamos delante un cuerpo do nombre o de una mujer son aspectos ant ropa locos por en tsa's que nos permiten Ella borer un / fill Dez's personas y despues la otra parte más importantes buscar S's in Valencia Ella Fiona's con las Casas de la muerte cómo pueden ser los servicios de bala odami las fracture Iselle los dos is this a satisfying job today [Music] ratification en este trabajo es de volver lay a las familias desaparecidos disposed a descent on your Sunday meal estado spaniel nila hostess yet another for awareness it's very important to shine a light on the past on the historic past because he feels that these people haven't been mended justice [Music] this corpse will be carefully taken to their lab where they will analyze the remains forensically examining any physical data to try to prove beyond doubt the identity of the victim if it is who they were looking for they will then return the body to his or her family so they can finally rest in peace completely blown me away to discover that Spain is only second to Cambodia with the numbers of the disappeared as they're called here in mass graves I mean I'm sure that almost nobody who you talk to would realize that today has opened my eyes to a hidden history here in Spain but thankfully not all of this country's past is quite so bleak it's like dancing I've headed back into Galicia and north to the port city of a Caronia often overlooked by travelers it's an historic city with fabled beaches impressive architecture and wonderful food ticularly pull Paula Gallagher I love octopus and pull Paula Gallagher is my favorite way to eat it when it's been boiled in a copper pot in the traditional manner it's cooled it three times and then served on a wooden desk a thinly sliced with only three other ingredients olive oil salt and paprika that's the traditional way and I still think it's the best this restaurant is reputedly the best place to eat for Paula Gallagher and I'm so excited thank you very much delicious thank you that is just a heavenly dish as a port city a caronia has always had an abundance of seafood and a strong reliance on the sea and there's one iconic building that has watched over the ocean here for thousands of years I'm looking at the Tower of Hercules which is the oldest functioning lighthouse in the world it's been guiding ships around this part of the coastline since Roman times and it's been refurbished many many times in its wonderful career it's an impressive structure but even more impressive to me as a fact that it stood here more or less in this form for over 2,000 years and here in particular you feel a very strong connection with the past if you have the stamina to climb the steps the tower has magnificent views of the city and beyond there's an ancient myth that suggests that gala thien's could see north to island from the top of the Hercules Tower and it's true that there is a real connection between Galicia and northern Europe in fact Galicia is still one of the seven recognized Celtic nations and the word itself means the land of the Gaelic people here some still believe in Druidry a Celtic religion connected to nature Swan is a druid very much in tune with his Celtic roots what do you have feeling Lisa we believe is one of the core territories of Atlantic Celtic culture as you travel around this region it's not unusual to come across remnants of its Celtic past many ears like these and standing stone formations called dolmens what are the significance of these stones to you personally the significance of this song has to do with the place where we are and right now we are at the base of a peninsula that's projecting itself into the sea and that's what's really important because the sea in 3d or in Celtic religion was the land of the beyond the land of the dead so it's a monument to our ancestors and then we have some historical significance because you can find this here and then you can go to Ireland or you can go to Cornwall and you find the same thing and you realize that there was a time when we were the same people so does the Celtic connection mean that you feel closer to other parts of the Atlantic friends than you do to the rest of Spain oh definitely I mean the fact that the Galicia is part of Spanish estate it's some historical accident really because was it's easier and faster to sail back and forth to the north and the south like using the Atlantic Ocean than riding your horse it's words if you wanted to take your horse and your chariot to the center of the peninsula will take you up to a if you wanted to say to Ireland or go to Wales who go to England to go you know could be a three four-day trip yeah so you know for thousands of years that was like our neighborhood do you think the past is more vivid here in Galicia than it is in other parts of Spain yeah the past is alive here of course it is because there are things that are around you that you can just change them they shape your culture it's not only SH one who feels a strong tie with his past here they placed genuine value on their cultural heritage another ancient tradition that Gala thien's are fighting to preserve is historical martial arts these men and women are reclaiming the blade from the past but this isn't fencing or historical reenactment this is real competitive combat with actual weapons Denis is a 32 year old web designer and the head of the group Galicia in arms well with your things class of historical European martial arts to practice that we pick books which were written in the 14th century in the 1516 17th centuries we are reading those books putting that into practice bringing it alive again Vanessa's offered give me a lesson in the art of fighting with a medieval longsword these are the tools of the trade okay kids right so this is a long sport right yeah this is 200 mostly I mean I've never held a sword before so it's but you know I can relate to give anything again [Music] along swirled alright you said you were right-handed yes your dominant hand yeah near the hilt this is the crosswalk the hilt right and your left feet should be forward unfold oh you're going to punch forward what it is always this work first on the body afterwards long swords were in use in the 14th and 15th centuries these swords are made of solid steel and weigh as much as two kilos [Music] like fencing where the main aim is to score points the objective of historical sword fighting is to get out of a confrontation unharmed fighting its advance with someone yeah looks like I've got a lot to learn if I'm to master this ancient art [Music] that's it but it is a growing sport and I can see why [Music] if you strike such fun who knew definitely right up my street just think the older I get the more I understand that it's all about passion and about how inspiring people are passionate about the things they do you know what do I know care about medieval martial arts but I am completely hooked in truth all of Galicia is rich in passion nowhere more so than its most treasured city Santiago one hour south of a Caronia Santiago is the spiritual heart of Galicia for over a thousand years pilgrims have flocked to this magical city walking the Camino de Santiago an epic 500 mile hike it's well worth the effort when they get here it is a stunning city beauty absolutely everywhere of all the places that I've been this is somewhere that immediately from the moment that you step into one of the squares feels the most special architecture is stunning a lot is hewn from the same color stone and there are endless flights of steps and little alleyways you definitely feel the weight of the centuries here and this is the last stop on my travels throughout Spain and it feels like very fitting place to end my journey [Music] whilst I'm here in Santiago I'm going to rest my head in a very historic hotel the five-star hostel a is des católicos is thought to be the oldest hotel in Europe commissioned by the king of Spain way back in the 15th century as a hostel for Santiago's exhausted pilgrims it had various incarnations since but one time it was a royal hospital another an orphanage now it's a hotel run by manager Julio [Music] I've heard rumors this is the oldest hotel in Europe although I believe there's other hotels that may claim that too we are considered to be one of the oldest literally not only in Europe as well in the world obviously today is a hostel for everybody but start to be a hostel for pregnancy in 1510 we got this phone shown during more than four four centuries we can consider that as well as one of the all these hostels in the world so considering how important Santiago is and how important this hotel is to the history of Santiago he must have lots of important visitors come here well obviously sometimes a very special City here many personalities politicians or artists comes for a special events I can say that during the history of the hotel many monarchs were staying here in our rooms we remember in 99 in holy year the Rolling Stones were staying here Charlton Heston Robert burner many American artists were in stay here as well obviously this is one special hotel and when you decide to do an important and summit here in Santiago since 1954 the hotel has be one of Spain's state-run para doors and the many famous names have stayed here would have no doubt indulged in the local cake of Santiago [Music] you cannot come to Santiago and not try the torta de Santiago which is basically made of almonds I mean the ingredients are almost ax cigar and butter and this is very powerful dishes like nearly like marzipan delicious it's very very rich diet I don't think that you like it absolutely this cake has welcomed arriving pilgrims since the Middle Ages a much-needed lift at what is an emotional time as I'm about to find out you know gentlemen 30 families looking for must feel an amazing sense 40 it's morning in Santiago de Compostela and like every other morning the first wave of pilgrims are arriving in the city this is their final destination the last tired steps on the Camino de Santiago the way of st. James many have walked for over a month to get here an emotional journey across northern Spain some are here to honor the Apostle sent James others on their own spiritual quest 250,000 pilgrims a year come to this office to get their certificate of distance to get it you have traveled 100 kilometers on foot or 200 kilometers on horseback or by bicycle to achieve your certificate you have got to get stuck along the way to prove that you've actually covered that distance the atmosphere is quite calm unsurprisingly as I'm sure the lots of these people completely exhausted how are you been walking for 30 or 40 days at a time the suddenly experience is literally life-changing did you like the communities you enjoy like this morning one food was taking me forward one food mastectomy back I didn't want to I wanted to be here I didn't want to finish at the same time it was quite intense was unjust I found what I came [Music] graduations that was very moving and you know the gentleman said yeah they found what he was looking for and I don't know what is but that's always a good thing I'm looking for [Music] I'm very new by the process much more than I thought I would be the pilgrims all naturally congregate in the main square one with Spain's largest and most impressive plazas there may well be a lot of backpacks and blisters here but it's impossible to resist the warm and jubilant atmosphere there's a lot of celebration people embracing and shaking hands and high-fiving each other which ever bit of the Camino you did this is the final point you know you've arrived you know you've done it kind of constant scene of celebration [Music] daniela and her friends have just arrived in santiago by bike they've traveled 800 kilometers to get here is the fluid la partie most importantly para me comprende que se puede hacer uniform i disfrutan de todo y con todo la vida de spaciest know as no es importante said TV with rapid I maintain this fruit Ave todo se hace Feliz ready go muchas gracias total mia por todo por comer bien por amor por por ter amigos familia de Chile El Camino esto hace que de mas Grande no se queda important a total tikka mas cerca de mas so lovely what she just said which is very kind of emotional inarticulate she's 42 years old she feels young but what she's realized is that it's so important just to get space get time in your life to have time to enjoy life I think that's an amazing philosophy if the pilgrimage teach to do that then I think everyone to do [Music] for many of the millions of pilgrims this journey is primarily a religious one and the final destination for them is the same today as it has been for a thousand years this is the Cathedral and it's pretty awe-inspiring this Cathedral is the reason the Camino came into existence it is here that the relics of st. James the Apostle are believed to lie the last one for which one is to come here and embrace the statue of sin James so that some of his sanctity can be bestowed on you pilgrims climbed the stairs that lead to an area behind the altar but they queue up to kiss who embrace the statue wrapping their arms around him in a hug it's an emotional end to the journey and as a Catholic this is all very moving to me but I want to know why it's still so relevant to so many today to find out I'm meeting the Dean in the cathedrals cloisters per que pensar così tanto personal of fun on Quora in questa mondo cozy noisy que così tanto room or aku's evil or sequester mondo cool internet convey Angie canary Khan to taka lo / ke con la persona necesita Salinas necesitan contrar say Concha Gomez mo en una sociedad como la nuestras Estrella Don todos los NT dos necesita de espacio de momento den quaint rose ESO se hace en la soledad del corazon en el via a low VL encuentro con las otras personas que esta bellamente spre Sado en los distinto retos real distintos mementos tell operative Nicole it has become even more important for human beings to encounter silence and to encounter them and he says it's like a therapy and it's more needed than ever in our world of today the final flourish for many of the pilgrims is mass in the cathedral a very special experience in more ways than one the Bata Fumero is a giant vessel full of burning incense and red-hot charcoal which has been in use in the cathedral since the Middle Ages its original use was to clean the air of the pungent odour of unwashed pilgrims since then it has taken on a religious significance it takes 8 men called terrible arrows and a system of antique pulleys and huge ropes to propel the butter for mayor on 75 kilos of silver plated brass swings like an enormous pendulum above our heads wafting incense as it arches through the air at speeds in excess of 68 km/h I'd be lying if I said you feel completely safe I've never seen anything like that it was completely mad that enormous sensor swinging wildly over everyone's heads probably a fitting end to this amazing journey throughout Spain but I've enjoyed so much every minute of I've been surprised and amazed by so many things here even the places that I thought were obvious tourist spots I can't pick out one place because I've loved it all every single minute of this trip I'm glad I'm ending it here then you

Channel: TRACKS - Travel Documentaries

Views: 269,750

Keywords: TRACKS, tracks travel channel, tracks travel, full episode, secret spain, alex polizzi, spanish documentary, coast of death, culture documentary, culture show, spanish culture

Id: 344HpjnuPlY

Length: 42min 58sec (2578 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 08 2020