Pilgrimage ends in Santiago de Compostela

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As we write today’s blog we are viewing images on Spanish TV of a 5.1 earthquake in Lorca, east of Cordoba. Live images show an aftershock causing part of a church to collapse. This viewing brings back memories of events back home in Christchurch where friends and neighbours are still experiencing earthquakes. Our future plans include a visit to Cordoba before heading north to Madrid so we will watch events closely.
Today’s trip into the centre of Santiago de Compostela to visit the cathedral ended our Northern Spain pilgrimage. Unlike the hundreds of people we saw walking along the way we did it in the comfort of a car. Many of the pilgrims were sitting in large groups on the many steps around the cathedral obviously relieved at reaching their goal even if rather tired, with sore legs and backs, and suffering a few blisters. Shops around the cathedral were full of souvenirs of the region but especially of the pilgrimage.
The cathedral is in the process of being restored but this does not stop the many people visiting. Two of the highlights for many were the viewing of the tomb of Saint James and the climb up steps behind the altar to touch and kiss the image of the saint. The steps are well worn by the feet of countless millions of pilgrims over centuries.
We were treating today as a quiet day so after an ice cream and some people watching we returned to the “hotel” for our siesta. With the help of our GPS we found an incredible commercial centre where we enjoyed a simple, cheap, but delicious evening meal. We are not really in for the institutional meals of the night before.

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