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SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA |
| There's a refugio about two hours walking distance from Santiago de Compostela. Hence, every morning from about 9:00 on, a wave of pilgrims begins to arrive at the enormous plaza (praca in Galician) in front of the Cathedral. Sooner or later, everyone you've met along the way shows up. Waiting for my cycling compatriots to arrive, I was struck by the expressions of happiness on the faces of the people who had completed their pilgrimages. I could see people who had been walking for a month appear to accelerate up the steps into the cathedral.
Santiago de Compostela is a worth visiting in its own right. Aside from the richness of its history, and its importance as the destination of the pilgrimage, it's also the site of a university, and the presence of its students keeps the city lively, and prevents it from being simply a museum of its past. There are, of course, innumerable souvenir shops that cater to the tourist trade, (I bought a number of remembrances myself), and an equally large number of restaurants with pelegrino specials. After we all met, and made plans to re-group later, I went to a pilgrims' mass in the Cathedral. From time to time (and I was never able to definitively identify its schedule) the mass includes swinging the largest incenser in Christendom, the Botafumeiro. Originally, the 4-foot tall Botafumeiro was brought out to fumigate the Cathedral in an attempt to diffuse the scent of the pilgrims who crowded the space. While we all smelled just fine, I was fortunate, for that day it was sent into action. It's very impressive. Men (called Tiraboleros) pull on ropes that make the Botafumeiro swing across the massive transept, all the way up to its 60 foot high ceiling, then back down over the heads of the celebrants, then up to the top of the ceiling on the other side of the church, generating oohs and ahhs from the celebrants under its path. (A few people ducked, too). That evening, we went out for a long, celebratory dinner and collected each others' email addresses. I spent three days in Santiago. I treated myself to a stay at a spectacular hotel - The AC Palacio del Carmen, which is about a 15 minute walk from the Cathedral. The hotel is a former convent which has been very artfully modernized. The staff was great. If you can afford to stay there, do so. They will let you keep your bicycle in the basement garage. Aside from relaxing and enjoying the city, I had the opportunity to see some of people I had met earlier in my trip. As we were going to lunch, the Nikkens rode in. The next day, I was walking in front of the Cathedral when Dr. Stindl arrived, wearing the Tour de France yellow jersey his colleagues had given him prior to leaving for Spain. I flew from Santiago to Madrid, then back to the United States, 10 pounds lighter and changed forever. It's very difficult for me to express how the pilgrimage made me feel. I know my feelings are shared by many people, many of whom, like me, didn't expect to be so moved. Perhaps it comes from successfully completing a physically demanding task I had set for myself. Perhaps it's feeling a part of history. After all, for 12 centuries, reaching Santiago has been the goal of millions of pilgrims. Having completed the journey, I felt a part of something much larger than myself. Perhaps it's caused by extracting yourself from your day-to-day life and spending 9 days to thinking of nothing beyond the day's task of reaching your destination. Perhaps it's sharing a common goal with people from all over the world, who seem to want nothing beyond helping you get to Santiago. I hope these web pages inspire or help you plan a pilgrimage of your own. Email me if you have questions, and I'll try to do my best to answer them. Buen Camino! Arthur |
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