Santiago de Compostela

Friday, September 27  

 After breakfast Pat and Mike departed for the airport.  They booked an early flight and spent the day in Madrid.  I have an evening flight, so I have one last day in Santiago de Compostela.  About 9:30am I checked out of the Hotel San Lorenzo, stowed my mochilla and headed for the Cathedral.  The streets were wet from overnight rain and the grey morning looked like more rain was on the way.  

As I entered the side door of the Cathedral, I discovered a mass in process with the priest in the midst of his homily.  There were no seats available, so I stood behind the pews with a clear side view of the altar. It must have been a children's mass as there were school groups in attendance and the music included a chorus of children singing to a folk guitar. It was my good luck that after communion I had the experience of witnessing the Botafumerio.   It's a ritual that dates back to the 12th century.  An urn like container is suspended by rope from the cathedral's ceiling.  Fully loaded with incense and coal, the "the smoke boat" weighs over 200 pounds.  It takes eight people to set the container in motion and the pendulum swings high above the worshipers, traversing from one side of the cathedral to the other.  It's a real spectacle.  A poem recapitulates the passio magna and addresses St James in words that are used every time the botafumeiro is swung in the cathedral in Santiago: “Oh most worthy and most holy apostle, shining golden chieftain of Spain, be our protector and patron on earth, warding off all ill, be our celestial health...”.

After mass, I visited the tour office and purchased tickets to the Cathedral Museum and a rooftop tour at 4pm. Then, I stood in the Plaza del Obradorio watching the arrival of the pilgrims. Some arrived by foot and others by bicycle.  Yesterday I met Cornelius from Holland.  He traveled for 16 weeks walking 1360 miles.  Today I met Danny who just arrived by bicycle from Brussels, Belgium.  I asked him how far he travelled and he showed me his odometer.  A journey of 2,906km or about 1,806 miles.  What an accomplishment!  I watched a group of people arrive with great joy including some Italians whose hugs and kisses included the dog that accompanied them.   



 I visited the museum and wandered the streets of the old town.  I arrived back at the cathedral in time for my 4 o'clock tour where the guide took our group up a set of steps and onto the roof of the cathedral.  The views of the town were fantastic.  I snapped a lot of photos even though the rain was pouring down on me. 

After a dinner of paella at the historic Casino Cafe, I returned to the hotel, picked up my backpack and took a taxi to the airport.  I had a couple hours before my flight and as I was walking along the concourse I heard a voice say "hey."  I looked over and a guy was smiling at me.  It was Mick from Ireland.  He was also waiting for the flight to Madrid.  Mick and I talked all the way up to boarding time.  We stood in the boarding line, talking and not paying attention and almost boarded a flight to the Canary Islands.  Mick is something, a unique character.  By the time we climbed aboard the Ryanair flight to Madrid, I  think I was speaking with an Irish brogue.