The bus terminal is 2k away from the centre of town so we actually did get to walk into Santiago and arrive at the cathedral on foot. We hung out gazing at the huge baroque facade for a bit and then I went to look for a hotel since my negligible Spanish was the best we had. Clara and Alex had their photos taken as ‘real pilgrims’ by a collection of day tourists. I found a place just a block from the cathedral so we could hear the sounds of the city and the bells all night long…. it was lovely. We walked around ate some famous Galician seafood then sat on our tiny balcony and gazed at the spires til we had to sleep.
In the morning we went into the cathedral and I was delighted to realize that the body of the church was Romanesque surrounded by a baroque facade. We entered just as the 10am mass was ending. I saw some priests with a shovel full of hot coals and I realized they were about to light the giant Fumario incense pot and swing it above the heads of the pilgrims in blessing. It takes 6 – 8 priests to haul on the ropes to get it to swing high enough to completely go horizontal at its apex as is swings from north to south transept. I managed to get around to the less crowded north transept to be right under it as swung over our heads – very dramatic!
We rested in Santiago all day June 14 and the morning of June 15th. We were able to watch the lineups and managed to go through the sacred door of Perdon (only open during the holy year) without lining up and then to climb up behind the high altar to hug the statue of Santiago from behind. It was lovely to spend time in the several squares surrounding the cathedral and watch the day and shadows move across the facades, the clouds move in the sky behind the spires, and the herds of tourists follow their leaders listening to talks in many languages. Clara also busked a bit and gained a few fans that we saw several times on our walks through the city. We shed our terror of carrying extra weight in our packs and shopped for trinkets and pretty not-hiking shoes. We are leaving the Camino and about to go to Paris as tourists. Why is it sad?
It was good to feel stronger and stronger each day, to be outside in all weather, to stop for a coffee, tea or beer while hiking (an impossibility on most hikes in Canada!), to meet people from all over the world and be part of the river of pilgrims meeting and re-meeting fellow travellers, good to see the landscape unfold slowly before me – flora and fauna changing, geology, people, languages, to challenge all my language skills, good to just walk and not have to figure out anything else, just look for yellow arrows and be happy when you see them. Would that yellow arrows would appear in our regular life and tell us so plainly we are on the right path. …. and all the characters and all their stories, the simple acts of faith, the acts of caring for each other, the architecture, the stone towns, the sculpture, the excellent craftsmanship and the comical but sincere attempts by those less skilled, the humble acts of beauty in each town – flowerpots, gardens, lace curtains, crosses along the pathways, lizards, snails, exquisitely eroding stones…. the time to experience and appreciate, to be.
Thank you, sister, for sharing with us your pilgrimage experiences, from the grandiose cathedrals to the lowly snails; the twisting path, your fellow travellers, the food, the music; the exhilaration of discovery and weariness at the end of the day. Your pain and loss.
I know it will all continue to unfold for you over and over in your dreams and remembrances.
Brian
thanks Brian, it’s been amazing, beautiful, difficult, and very simple. Life back at home is much more complex but it’s good to have had this time to reflect