Cathedral Rooftop Tour Confusion: Which One Should You Choose?

[Anniesantiago]

I'm a little confused. Now it appears there are several different tours offered at the Cathedral.
Can someone tell me for SURE which of these is what we used to call the Cathedral Rooftop Tour?

Ticket sale Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

Official website of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela for the online purchase of tickets for visits to the permanent collection, the Portico de la Gloria and Santa María La Real de Sar.

visitas.catedraldesantiago.es

 

[amancio]

They used to call it "visita a la cubierta" or "visita a las cubiertas", and it used to include a visit to the Palace of Xelmirez/Gelmirez, worth every cent, and every minute of it, particularly at sunset time

 

[Kathor1]

They used to call it "visita a la cubierta" or "visita a las cubiertas", and it used to include a visit to the Palace of Xelmirez/Gelmirez, worth every cent, and every minute of it, particularly at sunset time

On the website, they call the tour Museum, Decks and Carraca's Tower in English and Museo Catedral, Cubiertas y Torre de la Carraca in Spanish.

To me, as a non-native English speaker, I would not know what "decks" means in this context. I know what "cubiertas" means in this context: it means "roof".

Apparently, a visit to the tower where the carraca is, the huge wooden rattle or ratchet that replaces the bells of the Cathedral during the week before Easter, is now included in this tour.

 

[trecile]

On the website, they call the tour Museum, Decks and Carraca's Tower in English and Museo Catedral, Cubiertas y Torre de la Carraca in Spanish.

To me, as a non-native English speaker, I would not know what "decks" means in this context. I know what "cubiertas" means in this context: it means "roof".

Apparently, a visit to the tower where the carraca is, the huge wooden rattle or ratchet that replaces the bells of the Cathedral during the week before Easter, is now included in this tour.

Right. The English description of the tour is

The entrance includes a visit to the Museum, the guided tour of the Decks and access to the north tower of the cathedral through its medieval structure, looking out, more than 70 meters high, to a privileged viewpoint over the city of Santiago and its surroundings

In Spanish

La entrada incluye la visita al Museo, el recorrido guiado por las Cubiertas y el acceso a la torre norte de la catedral a través de su estructura medieval, asomándose, a más de 70 metros de altura, a un mirador privilegiado sobre la ciudad de Santiago y su entorno.

 

[amancio]

On the website, they call the tour Museum, Decks and Carraca's Tower in English and Museo Catedral, Cubiertas y Torre de la Carraca in Spanish.

To me, as a non-native English speaker, I would not know what "decks" means in this context. I know what "cubiertas" means in this context: it means "roof".

Apparently, a visit to the tower where the carraca is, the huge wooden rattle or ratchet that replaces the bells of the Cathedral during the week before Easter, is now included in this tour.

I think I get the root of the problem now


Cubiertas in Spanish can refer to a roof (less commonly, we have "tejado" in Spanish, a much more common usage word, the average Spaniard would never use "cubiertas", it is a technical architectural term), but "cubiertas" are also, and more commonly, the decks on a ship.

I cannot help it, it is my trade, I am a translator!

To me, this looks like a translation done cheaply, either by somebody who believe they can translate because they have some language knowledge, or else simply somebody using a dictionary without having a clue.

There was a much worse case recently; in Santander, "Casa Botín" is a sort of museum for the richest family in the area, founders of Banco de Santander. Botín is their family name, but it also means "loot", so the official web site referred to "Casa Botín" as "Loot House".

Sorry about the rand, it is very frustrating to find so many translation errors in every day life, I have to fight to make my trade recognized as it is due!

 

[trecile]

I also noticed that instead of translating entrada as ticket or entrance fee it was simply translated as entrance, which isn't what we would say in English.

Have you ever used the automatic translate feature to look at Gronze.com? Lots of place names have been translated. For example Ventosa shows as Sucker.

 

[El Cascayal]

Many new cathedral tours. We took the night tour that starts around 10:30 & it was unreal! Our guide was fabulous. It included a quick tour of el Portico de la Gloria and she did a moving explanation that was more thorough and thoughtful than a prior Portico alone tour I attended in 2019. Night tour includes free access to Museum within a 24 hour period. Luckily went as the sun was setting over Obradoiro also a great view of the Año Santo beacon.

 

[JerryStroebele]

The roof tour is worth every euro. Buen Camino

 

[Martin Cole]

They used to call it "visita a la cubierta" or "visita a las cubiertas", and it used to include a visit to the Palace of Xelmirez/Gelmirez, worth every cent, and every minute of it, particularly at sunset time

Completely concur.
Go to the office/door to the left of the cathedral entrance looking at the front from the square. If you go to the other side they look at you like you are crazy and said you must be asking for a private tour, really wierd, I was there with some yankee mates a couple of months ago and they loved the tour. i did the sunset tour a few years back, it was the bees-knees, fantastic. This around E14 each

 

[peregrina2000]

There was a much worse case recently; in Santander, "Casa Botín" is a sort of museum for the richest family in the area, founders of Banco de Santander.

Well, I am sure there was a lot of looting going on — I think it was Balzac who said that behind every great family fortune there is a huge crime. Maybe the translator had a good sense of humor or a good understanding of the family’s history.

Sorry I know it’s off topic, but you started it, @amancio!

 

[J Willhaus]

My husband did the roof tour in 2016. He did a private underground tour in 2018 during excavations and we did the tour of the Portico de Gloria in the summer of 2019. All well worth it. I chickened out on the roof tour as I am afraid of heights.

 

[Olivia Luna]

I think I get the root of the problem now


Cubiertas in Spanish can refer to a roof (less commonly, we have "tejado" in Spanish, a much more common usage word, the average Spaniard would never use "cubiertas", it is a technical architectural term), but "cubiertas" are also, and more commonly, the decks on a ship.

I cannot help it, it is my trade, I am a translator!

To me, this looks like a translation done cheaply, either by somebody who believe they can translate because they have some language knowledge, or else simply somebody using a dictionary without having a clue.

There was a much worse case recently; in Santander, "Casa Botín" is a sort of museum for the richest family in the area, founders of Banco de Santander. Botín is their family name, but it also means "loot", so the official web site referred to "Casa Botín" as "Loot House".

Sorry about the rand, it is very frustrating to find so many translation errors in every day life, I have to fight to make my trade recognized as it is due!

A fellow translator here, “tejados” would have been the appropriate choice for sure.

 

[VNwalking]

A fellow translator here, “tejados” would have been the appropriate choice for sure.

They chose the word they chose for the original Spanish text, so I'm not clear what translation has to do with it. Anyway, "deck" may actually be appropriate. The flat area adjacent to the sloping part of the roof proper is where the tour actually goes.

 

[C clearly]

How about "roof deck" ?

 

[VNwalking]

How about "roof deck" ?

Perfect.

 

[Olivia Luna]

My husband did the roof tour in 2016. He did a private underground tour in 2018 during excavations and we did the tour of the Portico de Gloria in the summer of 2019. All well worth it. I chickened out on the roof tour as I am afraid of heights.

Haha! I totally get that. I am borderline afraid of heights, but the hubs convinced me and found me a perch on the actual roof so my heart rate could normalize. Sitting up high was not bad at all. He walked around like a cat and there I sat, perched with a fellow pilgrim who was in the same state.