The relatively short remaining hike to the Cathedral and the Plaza do Obradoiro was, once again, rainy and cool. We arrived at the Pilgrims Office ten minutes before it opened and there were still 30 – 40 pilgrims in line ahead of us. That number would grow by several hundreds before the afternoon. No matter which Camino taken, the pilgrims’s credentials need to be audited to ensure the proper number of stamps and validation of the route before being awarded the ‘Compostela’ certificate.
There is a universal feeling of accomplishment among our group – after all we just hiked almost 200 miles, with a quarter of that in very difficult weather conditions!! Great job team!
It is also important to reflect on the reasons beyond mere goal attainment that we, and so many others, do this crazy thing. We sat at a table in a small breakfast cafe this morning where three men from different parts of the U.S. were eating. All three were probably in the their late 60s or early 70s, and let’s just say, were not “fitness instructors”. Upon talking with them, one volunteered that he had decided to walk the Camino when his 36 year old son died suddenly, and that his two friends insisted on accompanying him. This and stories like this are very common on the Camino, and help explain why hundreds of thousands attempt the journey each year.
It is also very special that we were able to begin our Camino on David and Brenda’s 39th anniversary and end it on Dee Dee and Jim’s 45th. We are truly blessed in so many ways!
If you have never been to Santiago de Compostela I am not sure you can adequately comprehend the sheer number of pilgrims that arrive each day from one of the multiple Camino routes, nor the infrastructure of restaurants, bars and shops open in the historical district to serve them. To illustrate, we first tried to attend the noon Pilgrims Mass, one of four services held each day in the Cathedral. After winding through a several block long line of pilgrims to find its end we realized that we had little to no chance of making that service. So, after a late lunch and probably too much time browsing in local shops, we decided to tour the cathedral between masses. We arrived at 6:15 pm, walked through the incredible 1200 year old structure, and then decided to remain in the cathedral for an hour in order to attend the 7:30 mass. Great decision! By the time the service started not only were all pews filled in each of the three wings, but there were several hundred pilgrims forced to stand.
Following mass, and after a celebratory anniversary dinner, we decided that with the improved weather forecast we should wait and take our external pictures for the blog in the morning.
While certainly not easy at times, this has been an incredible experience for the four of us. We truly hope you have enjoyed following our journey, and want to thank our longtime friend, Kevin Vanderwall, for providing us this platform.
Now, on to RIBERA DEL DUERO wine country
