Stacy: Day 16 - We've reached the end, but it's not over, yet!
Well, after dropping us off at the same restaurant we ended at yesterday, we all went in to grab stamps for our credentials. The lady who helped us yesterday saw us, and asked if everything was alright. I exuberantly said yes, and thanked her, again for her help the day before (in broken Spanish). It's kindnesses like this that had helped us along the Way.
Since we didn't hit the road until a little later than usual, the sun was already beating down on us. It wasn't super hot, but the sun was unrelenting.
The mood of the other Pilgrims was a bit different today than yesterday. Not nearly as excited.
But, oh, boy, the bicycles! There were sooooo many of them today!
We're all so glad that yesterday we walked the miles we were supposed to hike today. We weren't nearly at tired walking 5.5 miles as we would have been walking 8.
[[EDIT after the fact!] See that sign, above? I saw the exact same sign from the road, a day or two later (on our way to Finnisterra, see below.) 😊
Entering the city, we stopped to grab a bite to eat. We didn't realize the restaurant was only serving cafe-foods, and would need to wait at least 45 minutes for food-food. We decided to wait because we knew this restaurant had gluten free options, and by the time we found another, it would be the time this place started serving. Of course, I had the Iberian Pork, again, and it was yummy!
And, then, we were down to a few miles! Then, two miles! Then, it was obvious we were entering the old city, where the streets are nothing but souvenir shops and food establishments.
We wound through crowds (it was now about 3pm?). We tried to keep our eyes from wandering to the shop windows (there be time to shop later!). We took a free (and gluten free!) sample of Tartar de Santiago--a cake made from almond flour. It was ok, but I'm glad I tried it.
And, then, from one of the alleyways, we could see the steeple rise above the rooves of the shops! We rounded a corner, and the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela was in front of us in all its glory!
We had reached our goal.
Our Camino was officially over.
People were everywhere, but I'm sure it wasn't nearly as busy as during the summertime, or even earlier in the day. There were lots of other Pilgrims, with their backpacks and hiking poles. But, there were a lot of plain-clothed tourists as well.
We celebrated. We waited our turn to take photos near the center of the plaza. We obtained our hard-earned Compostelas and distance certificates!
The guy helping me enter my information into the official system didn't know what to do with my Kumano Kodo credential. He thought I wanted two Compostelas. But, when Kim came over, and explained that her guy knew exactly what to do, he seemed to believe her (after a minute more...). But, he stamped it in the wrong place. Le sigh. It'll still be good, I'm sure. I even tried pointing where he needed to stamp, several times, but he ignored me.
And,then, GUESS WHO we run into as we're not 100 feet from the building?Bill and John! We chatted for a short while, and then went to go find our hotel. We were hot, sweaty, and exhausted!
But, by no means was the day over! After resting and cleaning up, we made our way into the Cathedral (early) for the 7pm Pilgrim's Mass. It truly was spectacular!
Afterwards, we were all starving, so grabbed one of the last tables at a bar not far from the exit. Where, all of a sudden, Kim looks up, and exclaims something about the stars moving in a straight line, quickly! [she knew they weren't stars]. I knew it to be Starlink! Pretty cool, eh?
If you believe our night was over, you'd be wrong! We had tickets for a Night Tour of the Cathedra. What an experience!
First, the tour guide started speaking Spanish, and when confusion rippled throughout the crowd, he stated in English that this was a Spanish-only tour. Murmurs of befuddlement still rippled.
Turns out, at least twelve of the attendees [pretty much half of the group] "thought we were purchasing" tickets for a tour in English. When confronted about it, the tour guide was brusque and rude. The next day, our travel agent informed us that she was unable to get our money back, and that she knew for a fact that a couple weeks prior, the website stated the tour would be in English. Now, that verbage was no longer there.
Sooooo. Being the "translator" of the group, I put my earphones in [to better hear him through his mic], and did my best to translate [after a while]. A kind lady attempted to translate some at the beginning, but I guess she got tired of doing it or something because halfway through, I noticed she wasn't doing it anymore.
The guy was speaking so fast! And, since he had a Castilian accent, I had even more trouble understanding him. Let's say this: I understood about 40% of what he said. I was able to translate about 15%, but with no certainty that I got the facts correct/straight. I did my best, though!
The Cathedral was absolutely stunning at night! And, we were able to visit some places you would not be able to, otherwise (like, AT the altar! We sat where visiting priests sit, and were able to oogle the Tabernacle). Photos were not allowed throughout most of the tour................................ (only when we were in the choir loft)
Enjoy some photos of the tour, and good night!
