The last 12 miles
June 10, 2022
I left my Albergue around 7:00 anxious to get on the road while it was still relatively quiet. It was the typical overcast morning as I followed the trail into the woods with only a few other pilgrims in sight. The farther I traveled, the more people started to crowd the path, especially when passing through a village. I stopped for breakfast at a bar in San Paio which is right next to the Santiago airport runway. My last tortilla and orange juice of the trip!
The streets became more and more crowded as we entered the outskirts of Santiago. I passed a few familiar faces in the crowd including two from the Portuguese group. After stopping at a chapel to get my passport stamped one last time, I just followed the crowd toward the city center of Santiago and the cathedral. Santiago is a bustling city with the old city center with its crowned jewel, the cathedral. There were large groups of pilgrims, some in matching shirts, converging towards the cathedral so I didn’t even need to try to follow the waymarks at this point.
Santiago
I entered the plaza through a short tunnel and was greeted by the sight that all pilgrims long for… The Cathedral de Santiago. It is a massive, ornate structure that certainly lives up to its reputation and was worth the walk to get there. The plaza is huge so like many others, I decided to have a seat and just take in the atmosphere and reflect on my journey to get here. It was incredible just watching pilgrims as they entered the plaza and celebrated in front of the cathedral while taking photos.
I had the address for my hotel but I didn’t have data on my phone so I couldn’t figure out where it was. After wandering around the cathedral for a while, I stopped for lunch at an outdoor restaurant and used their wifi to get directions then headed to my hotel. After a shower and a change of clothes, I headed back towards the cathedral to the pilgrim’s office to get my compestella.
The next morning, I stored my backpack at my hotel and went to the cathedral to wait for Suzanne and Gary to arrive. While waiting, I saw Malthe arrive as well so we had a Camino family reunion! After they dropped off their bags, we took a tour through the cathedral and then had lunch. By now, it was getting close to the time for me to head to the train station for my ride back to Madrid where my flight home left early the next morning. I wish I could have stayed longer!
Photos – click to enlarge
The Cathedral de Santiago
In years past, pilgrims would enter the cathedral through the front iron gates and up the steps to the main entrance. There, a statue of Saint James is there to greet you and many pilgrims would give him a hug. Since Covid, this entrance has been closed. We were able to enter through another entrance once mass had ended but the statue of Saint James is still not able to be seen, unfortunately.
The cathedral is spectacular, both inside and out! It had just undergone a thorough cleaning and we were lucky that it was finished and the scaffolding was gone. This cathedral is known for its large botafumeiro and the lingering incense that filled the inside of the cathedral as we walked around. We were able to view the reliquary where the bones of Saint James are said to be kept beneath the altar. This article gives a great and thorough description of the architecture and religious imagery throughout the interior and exterior of the cathedral.
Photos – click to enlarge
