WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO IN SANTIAGO?

The week before Santiago was in sight, the talk everyday was..."What are you going to do in Santiago?"
"I'm going to the Black Cat for una cerveza."
"I'm going to get a massage."
 "I'm getting a hotel room with a bathtub"
"I'm getting my clothes washed."
"I'm burning my clothes!"
"I'm going to thank the Saint!".
"Are you going to Mass?  Of  course, I'm going to Mass."
"Do you think they will swing the Botafumeiro?"
"I heard that this Friday will be the last time they will do it."
"No, No, No I heard that Thursday is the last day!"
"We are going to compress the last week into three days because we can't miss the Botafumeiro.  We are going to start walking at 4 am every morning.  We will walk until 8pm."

This trip has been so wonderful.  But I can't rush ahead.  I must take each step,  and I must experience and be in the here and now of the moment.  I can't walk in the dark.  I will accept whatever I find in Santiago.  I arrived on Friday in the mid afternoon. I got my Compostela certificate.  Saturday is my day to go to the Cathedral.  I'll put my arms around the Saint. I 'll see his tomb. and I'll go to the Pilgrim Mass at noon with a spirit of thanksgiving..

Arriving at the Cathedral on Saturday is the ultimate Pilgrim hangout.  It is unbelievable how many people I see that I know:  Helen and John from Glasgow, Larry and K from Montana, Debbie from Australia, George and Mike from Quebec, Tamsin from the UK, Laura from Cape town, The Korean kids.  We are all so happy to be reunited. at this moment for our final solemn act as Pilgrims. The church is filled to standing room only  It is Saturday at Noon. This is the Pilgrim Mass.  Six priests and the bishop say Mass.  They welcome and greet the Pilgrims in every language.  We all feel the joy.

And then as the Mass ends, Six men lower the Botafumeiro from its place of suspension over the main altar.
It is filled with smoke producing incense.  The Botafumeiro is given a good push and the men pull the ropes with such precision and force that the Botafumeiro easily swings from the ceiling of one side of the Nave to the ceiling on the other side of the nave ...at least ten times..  The audience is in awe.  We are all overwhelmed because the rumor mill told us ... for sure... that we would NOT see this event. When it comes to a stop, we CHEER, we APPLAUD., we are OVERJOYED.  What a memory to bring to our next chapters of living!   Here are my Photos of the moment.

It weighs about 40 kilos

This is the pulley  system in the Dome 

WHAT HAPPENS IN SANTIAGO

Hurray! I made it! I walked into Santiago in the pouring rain on Friday October 18, 2013 at approximately 1:30 pm.  There is a long line of Peregrinos at the Pilgrim Office.  We are all waiting for the same thing...that final moment of completion.  It is my turn to go to the counter to present my Credentiale (actually 2 of them) filled with sellos from every stop along the way. The volunteer Pilgrim-Amigo behind the counter gives me a warm greeting and welcome.  She carefully exams my two Credentiales, inquires about my walk and congratulates me for completing the trek.  I am overcome with emotion.  My face is covered with my broad grin and tears are streaming from my eyes.  The pilgrim waiting behind me gave me a big hug.   I received my Compostela. I completed what I set out to do. I did it on my own. I did it at my own pace. WHEW! I'm ready to start life anew!

I was proud to wear my American Pilgrim patch everyday. 

Here is my Compostela in Latin.

Here are segments from the two Credentiales I presented . They were stamped (sello ) front and back , beginning and end with the official  Santiago sello and completion date.

Tomorrow I hope to see the BOTAFUMEIRO!

SANTIAGO, DO YOU KNOW THE WAY

                                                                                                                                                              The walk over the last three days has been dominated by rain.  At the end of the day everyone is struggling to get dry… boots, sox, pants, shirts, tee shirts, vest.  All are soaked even though the outer layer is covered by a waterproof.  One albergue has  an inviting fire place in the bar/lounge/dining area.  It is a great place for drying boots, gloves and sox. 

 

 There is no washer or dryer available here.  A group of Austrians are hovering around the fireplace making sure that their boots are front and center for drying.  It is comical to watch.  Every now and then the owner of the albergue re arranges the boots so everyone gets a fair share at boot drying.  Soon afterward the Austrians come back and move their shoes to the place nearest the heat.  I am happy to report that my boots were dry and ready for walking in the morning. 

I have chosen my next albergue by the fact that it has a washer and dryer available. The volume of traffic has picked up over the last few days the closer I get to Santiago . I have walked with Spanish school groups who are on Fall break, groups of Danish, Irish, French and Dutch making the journey of the last 100km. With the greater numbers of pilgrims the urgency to get to Santiago also increases.  Here are scenes from my last day walking into Santiago on October 18th.

A real street sign

Just landed ... at the edge of the Camino

Autopista

Camino and the airport runway

arriving in Santiago

The sign I have been looking for

The Camino becomes what I think 
they call"multi modal" in traffic
engineering lingo.  The Camino
is bordered on one side by the
autopista  and the airport 
landing/take off runway on the 
other. With all this traffic Santiago 
can't be far.

Cathedral spires in the distance

My goal today is to get the PILGRIM OFFICE in Santiago , validate my Credencial del Peregrino, receive my Compostela  and check into my hotel. 
No more albergue life on this trip!