Reflections

We arrived in Santiago de Compostela on Wednesday, October 27th. The road in was mostly downhill with lots of construction and very few yellow arrows for direction.

Occasionally, on the road, arrows can be challenging to find, but this seemed more difficult than usual. After asking locals for direction, it was simply "keep walking up and in a circular pattern" to finally arrive at the Praza do Obradoiro ("Square of the Workshop"). The square was smaller than I thought it would be, but the cathedral was taller. I had an immediate sense of awe when arriving. I wanted to sit and process everything.

Zed and Mando

Instead, we began seeing people we knew. First, Zed greeted us with a smile and hug. We had met Zed, from Canada, many kilometers earlier. He had arrived the afternoon before. He shared that when he arrived, he couldn't process his trip with so many people in the square.  So, he decided, since the name Santiago de Compostela means 'field of stars,' he would come back in the evening. This was a beautiful time to contemplate for him. He plans to walk the Portuguese next August.

Jay and Joe in front of the Parador

Then we ran into Jay and Joe, who started their walk around the same time we did. They instructed us where to go to get our Compostela. (Walk to the Parador, turn left, down the hill, turn right, and your there.)

Compostela 

Joe and Jay stayed at the Parador de Santiago in the square, considered one of the most beautiful hotels in Europe. Jay told me they had to walk through three courtyards to get to their room. She loved it, and it cost more than 300 euros a night, I will admire it from afar. It is tradition for some to stay there, after walking the camino.

We did go back to the square that evening and ended up listening to opera, rather than quietly processing the journey.

In the morning we attended the Pilgrim's mass, and walked through the holy door, which is opened only  rarely and we saw the ivory and guilded box, said to contain the remains of Saint James, the apostle of Jesus.

The Pilgrim's mass

We fly out of Madrid today, so, time to reflect may need to happen after the trip. 

Thank you for coming along.