Day 30 - To Santiago de Compostela

With some reluctance we took the bus to Santiago.  It took just over an hour what could have taken us several days on foot.

I guess at some point we have to accept that the body has its limits and we do only what we can.

The bus terminal in Santiago de Compostela is about 1.5 km from the cathedral.  Beeing Galicia there hills every where.  Wonder Woman did not want me to walk with the backpack worried that I might hurt myself again but I insisted.  Missing the last 80 I'm, I wanted to walk at least the last one.

We arrived in front of the Cathedral in 20 minutes and our emotions resurfaced.  Backpacks are not allowed in the cathedral anymore, so we went to our Pousada to leave them and came back.

The number of pilgrims has increased dramatically over the last few years (and keeps growing), so now they have security, you can only enter thru one door and exit on another.

We managed to get in, we had our moment of prayer, we took the stairs behind the altar to hug the statue of the apostole (as tradition dictates) and then when down to the crypt again for a moment of prayer in front of the tomb of Santiago el Mayor, St
James the great.

We had now a good Galician lunch of chipirones (baby squid), we showered, and washed clothes (we still have only one change of clothes, we need to wash them daily).

Back to the plaza de Obradoire, in front of the cathedral, the place to meet friends. We met two ladies from the Toronto Camino Pilgrims group.  Lynn and Leslie; they just arrived too, one completed el Camino Frances and the other one la Via de la Plata (all the way from Sevilla,). They met in Astorga where their Caminos join.  The best surprise was to meet our friend Antje Schneider, from Germany, we met two years ago in Alvaiazere, Portugal, and we walk together el Caminho Portugués from there.

Our friends from this Caminho, finished ahead and left yesterday, we missed Maria from Brazil and James and Cristina from the US but our Aussie is still here.  We saw Nicola and her husband Chris from Australia later.

Of course we went to the pilgrim's Mass in the cathedral that evening. Somehow it has a special meaning and feels very spiritual.  We arrived early and has a front row seat.  It is special to know that a lot of the people are pilgrims that have gone through the same joys and pains to get her, to pray at the tomb of the apostole.  The mass ended with the traditional botafumeiro. 

We are happy.

Santiago, pray for us.

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