June 26—Santiago de Compostela, Day 1

Dear Family and Friends,

Day 43, June 26, we had a ‘Madrid morning,’ sleeping in until 11 AM, although it was difficult as there was loud noise both from the street and from some machine in the building of the hostel that grinds rhythmically. On the card for the hostel, it notes that their services include a restaurant and an asador, which we believe is a rotisserie, which may have explained the loudness. It did not keep us much from sleeping, however, and it was nice to feel less time pressured since we had a few days in town instead of an afternoon and a morning as with the previous three cities. We enjoyed some Muesli before heading up the hill to the Catedral de Apostal, where we took pictures for ourselves and for groups who had just finished some or all of the Camino pilgrimage to this religious site that supposedly is home to the head of St. James.

Never have we seen such a grouping of weary faces, many feet and packs sprawled on the stone ground in exhaustion, tan bodies the tones of the woodstained walking sticks that many used along the path. But never have we seen such joyous faces, either, so triumphant from completing such a monumental task and finally reaching the shadows of the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela (also known as 'Apostal').

We climbed the steps past the beggars with their laminated photos of their five or six hungry children. Standing outside of the mighty cathedral doors for several minutes, we watched as folks dabbed at their tired eyes, wet from the emotional climax of stepping through that threshold to behold the glorious works of stone and emblazoned gold beneath the towering pillars of God’s palace, which dated from the 11th through the 13th century in-the-making.

We stopped to marvel at the stonework created by ‘Master Sculptor’ Mateo, which depicted Christ in a central location, flanked on one side by the four apostles and on the other by four prophets from the Old and the New Testaments. Above, 24 musicians of the Apocalypse stand ready to announce the end of time on earth and the day of Judgment. A single statue of St. James sits below this collection of images, easily identifiable with a book in one hand and a walking stick—the sign of the peregrine (pilgrim)—in the other. An image of Hercules holds the mouths of two lions open at the very base of the central column, but had to be blocked off from the humans who have worn down the stonework over time by banging their heads upon the figure for good luck and futile hopes of getting some of Master Mateo’s genius in the headbanging practice.

Down the length of the front of the cathedral, we passed pews and many wooden penetenciarios (confessionals) and the cathedral museum. Onward, we approached the immense main altar, emblazoned with gold and jewels and sculptures of pink-faced angels. Seated at the very center was a grand statue of St. James made of gold and silver. People walked behind the sculpture to hug the apostle and thank him for bringing the Good News to their lives (and to everyone in Europe, for that matter) all the way from Jerusalem two millennium ago.

We were on line right at 1:30 PM when they closed access to hug the St. James statue until 4 PM, so we vowed to return. We were able to access the view of the burial place of St. James' decapitated head beneath the main altar. We spent some more time wandering through the other places of prayer and viewing the gated religious focal points, many of which were dedicated to the Life of James, but a few for good ol' Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, too.

Back in the streets, we wandered and wandered up and down the slim pedestrian walkways, lined on each side with tourist trap shops with t-shirts, shells, walking sticks, and other remembrances aimed especially at the hearty souls who had made the great Camino journey. We enjoyed another menu del dia for seven fifty euro at a little family-friendly watering hole. Dani had the regional empanada and steak with a salad; Martha had a bowl of smooth and tasty sopa de mariscos (fish and seafood soup) and the local hake with potatoes. Well, technically we shared all of it, as we split the dishes evenly to enjoy the range of flavors. Delicious, especially with a jarra de vino to accent the flavors.

Well fed and feeling good for having enjoyed some of the seafood in this fisherman’s area of Spain, next we went to the Museo das Peregrinacions, a fascinating look at various pilgrimages around the world. On the wall was a continuously updated map marking different pilgrimage sites from a variety of religions. Another wall highlighted the many paths through Europe that people have taken to make the Camino (see photo below to the left). Sketches showed the development and growth of the Catedral de Apostal over the centuries, including its destruction in the early 10th century and redevelopment. Displays contained items (such as a shell) that identified the pilgrims, the history of the legion of clerics who oversaw the health of the pilgrims (they typically wear a red cross such as the one seen on the wall beneath the basilica in the seventh picture on this page), and artwork depicting St. James and the pilgrims over the centuries. Most of the tour was in the regional Spanish that is more difficult to understand in written form than spoken, and Dani had been handed a Castillian Spanish guide book upon entry, so we did not spend as much time in this gem of a museum as we could have. The artifacts were interesting enough on their own, but it was time to be back outside of museum walls.

We wandered through town to the tourist office to learn about catching a bus to the airport on Thursday, continued to marvel at the faces of the weary/thrilled pilgrims, and eventually settled down for a siesta in the later evening. By 9 PM, we were ready to check out the cathedral at night, where we ran into a local troupe of troubadours in traditional red and black. They pulled one lady from the audience to sing along with them, adorning her with a robe covered in badges of musician honor. Finally, we landed at the local WiFi-friendly pub, sending notes quickly to our family to let them know that we were still alive and doing well. A full and fun day experiencing a pilgrimage destination point!

In love and light,

Martha and Dani