07/06/19
It's hard to process that this is the last day we will gear up for a long day of walking. It makes you appreciate each sight & step along the way. I asked Betty if we could go slowly so I could enjoy the final sounds, sights, sound of crunching boots & the murmurs of many languages along the final kilometers. We found lovely cafes for zumos & coffees. Sun peeked out but drizzle, and finally downpour, dominated the day.
We spent some time at parque Monte del Gozo, famous for its first glimpses of the cathedral. It features several prominent pilgrim statues & oddly huge buildings of utilitarian rooms & pilgrim support services. We are assuming they are readying themselves for the onslaught of pilgrims in the upcoming 2021 holy year. The site can house hundreds of pilgrims who would quickly overrun the existing available rooms nearby.
After a brief stop for lunch in San Lazaro (in honor of Betty's husband, Lazaro), we made our way into Santiago. After over a month of countryside, we had to be careful to obey traffic signs to avoid an accident in the final home stretch. While arrows abound, at this point you just follow pilgrims, like zombies trudging along en masse.
From a distance you start to see narrow roads lined with churches & historic buildings. Then you hear the bagpipes. Around a quick corner & voila, the Praza de Obradoiro, the golden square of Santiago is underfoot. You can't help but be drawn to its cathedral. While luckily, its outside scaffolding has been removed & external renovations completed, much of the internal work is currently underway so we won't get to experience the iconic swinging of the giant incense burner Botafumeiro during a pilgrim mass. This ritual requires a half dozen attendants to swing the giant burner & originally started as a way to fumigate the sweaty & possible disease-ridden pilgrims. I'll save that for a future Camino.
Weather cleared for us to take pictures & enjoy watching others reunited with other pilgrims from earlier in their journey or just standing in the square with tears in their eyes. You're torn on how long to stay as you are eager to go to the Pilgrim Office to get in line for your Compostela.
I don't know why I found the Compostela process so stressful. To be granted a Compostela, pilgrims must complete at least the last 100k of the Camino & get two sellos/ stamps each day to serve as proof.I triple checked my sellos & dates imagining the volunteer quizzing me about varying legs to be sure I had, indeed, met all the requirements. It couldn't have been more pleasant. Once my number was called, I met with volunteer & church deacon, Angel, who provided congratulations, checked my credentials & completed the paperwork for my certificate. I even asked Angel if I could give him a hug? He opted for a hearty handshake since a hug would require me climbing over the counter.
Now, off to clean up & enjoy this fine city.
22k to Santiago de Compostela (population 96,000)
It's hard to process that this is the last day we will gear up for a long day of walking. It makes you appreciate each sight & step along the way. I asked Betty if we could go slowly so I could enjoy the final sounds, sights, sound of crunching boots & the murmurs of many languages along the final kilometers. We found lovely cafes for zumos & coffees. Sun peeked out but drizzle, and finally downpour, dominated the day.
We spent some time at parque Monte del Gozo, famous for its first glimpses of the cathedral. It features several prominent pilgrim statues & oddly huge buildings of utilitarian rooms & pilgrim support services. We are assuming they are readying themselves for the onslaught of pilgrims in the upcoming 2021 holy year. The site can house hundreds of pilgrims who would quickly overrun the existing available rooms nearby.
After a brief stop for lunch in San Lazaro (in honor of Betty's husband, Lazaro), we made our way into Santiago. After over a month of countryside, we had to be careful to obey traffic signs to avoid an accident in the final home stretch. While arrows abound, at this point you just follow pilgrims, like zombies trudging along en masse.
From a distance you start to see narrow roads lined with churches & historic buildings. Then you hear the bagpipes. Around a quick corner & voila, the Praza de Obradoiro, the golden square of Santiago is underfoot. You can't help but be drawn to its cathedral. While luckily, its outside scaffolding has been removed & external renovations completed, much of the internal work is currently underway so we won't get to experience the iconic swinging of the giant incense burner Botafumeiro during a pilgrim mass. This ritual requires a half dozen attendants to swing the giant burner & originally started as a way to fumigate the sweaty & possible disease-ridden pilgrims. I'll save that for a future Camino.
Weather cleared for us to take pictures & enjoy watching others reunited with other pilgrims from earlier in their journey or just standing in the square with tears in their eyes. You're torn on how long to stay as you are eager to go to the Pilgrim Office to get in line for your Compostela.
I don't know why I found the Compostela process so stressful. To be granted a Compostela, pilgrims must complete at least the last 100k of the Camino & get two sellos/ stamps each day to serve as proof.I triple checked my sellos & dates imagining the volunteer quizzing me about varying legs to be sure I had, indeed, met all the requirements. It couldn't have been more pleasant. Once my number was called, I met with volunteer & church deacon, Angel, who provided congratulations, checked my credentials & completed the paperwork for my certificate. I even asked Angel if I could give him a hug? He opted for a hearty handshake since a hug would require me climbing over the counter.
Now, off to clean up & enjoy this fine city.
22k to Santiago de Compostela (population 96,000)
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