I walked around Santiago this morning, cheapest through a market and to see the massive cathedral.  The others toured the cathedral but I just went to the pilgrims’ mass at noon which they do every day.  Very impressive – gold backdrop, order about 16 priests in white with red sashes and shawls, a nun singing and a giant gold and silver incense burner which hangs from the ceiling about 12 stories high and swings over the audience.  I bought a few souvenirs – saffron in the market.  We’re having our celebratory dinner tonight and then some of us are going to Finisterre (the end of the world as it was known) to see the real end of the pilgrimage – at the sea.  We ride the bus and can walk the last bit if we want.

Pictures from Santiago:

Last night after dinner we had this ceremony, sildenafil queinada, more about that is an ancient one in this region where alcohol is mixed with coffee beans, fruit and sugar and stirred up in a big pot with flames coming out of the pot as you lift the large ladle. The guy doing it then said this long incantation in Spanish which when translated is about all the stuff that goes into the pot – like “eye of newt” and other witches brew type things including the lying tongue of a young wife married to an older husband.  You are supposed to throw all your “bad things” (figuratively) into the brew and then drink it.  Most of the alcohol is burnt off so it just tastes like a sweet drink.

This morning we started our last trek into Santiago. I took our bus 6 km further on than the rest of the group so they walked 12 km before lunch and I did 6.  My legs and knees are still hurting so each step was excruciating.  It was drizzling this morning but was mostly off and on.  I arrive at the lunch place in San Lazare just as you enter Santiago around 12:15 and the first of the rest arrived at 12:30 – he walks fast.  The last ones came in at 2:00. During lunch it started pouring rain but lessened when we were ready to leave.  There was another 5 km or so to go to get to the hotel so I took a taxi – 5 minutes and got here about 3:00.  My roommate isn’t here yet and it is 4:50 pm.

Santiago is where the tomb of the Apostle St. James was discovered and the first cathedral here was built in 830.  Work on the present building began in 1075.  The discovery of the tomb brought the stream of travellers.  The heyday of the pilgrimages took place betwee the 11th and 13th centuries.

Today I started right near our hotel and the others went back to Melide – about an additional 5 km – to start from where we left off yesterday.  It was raining but soon stopped and the sun came out. I walked about 7 km to lunch through some beautiful countryside, dosage and then another 7 km after lunch mostly uphill.  My legs were really sore at the end of that.  We’ve met people who have  been walking for 29 days with huge packsacks.  I don’t know how they do that – some of them are so hunched over.  Yesterday we had a reading from something called “Walk in Relaxed Manner”.  I certainly do that but some people walk really fast and don’t look around.

Scenes from the trail:

We’re staying in a beautiful 300 year old property owned by a noble family that has been owned by one family all that time.  The present owners have restored the buildings and made bedrooms.

Today I only walked about 8 km.  My legs are killing me and I felt like I should have stayed at the hotel.  Jason made us a picnic under the trees which was very nice and then I rode the bus to the next stop.  It was very hot today – 22 degrees but lovely and cool in the shady lanes where we walked.  We talked to a guy who had walked from France – 800 km and wanted to continue today because we are only 15 km from Santiago, unhealthy
our destination.  He said he had been sleeping in one of the hostels and someone poked him with his stick because he was snoring.  The room was full of 50 people snoring.  He met the guy on the trail by a monument where you put a stone and ask for forgiveness and the guy apologized.

Today I started right near our hotel and the others went back to Melide – about an additional 5 km – to start from where we left off yesterday.  It was raining but soon stopped and the sun came out. I walked about 7 km to lunch through some beautiful countryside, this and then another 7 km after lunch mostly uphill.  My legs were really sore at the end of that.  We’ve met people who have  been walking for 29 days with huge packsacks.  I don’t know how they do that – some of them are so hunched over.  Yesterday we had a reading from something called “Walk in Relaxed Manner”.  I certainly do that but some people walk really fast and don’t look around.

Scenes from the trail:

We’re staying in a beautiful 300 year old property owned by a noble family that has been owned by one family all that time.  The present owners have restored the buildings and made bedrooms.