Santiago – May 26, 2017

We could hear the rain beating on the roof all night, so it was no surprise that when the hostess dropped us off back on the Camino where we were picked up, that it was still raining heavily.  Even though it was 8:30, some parts of the forest were unbelievably dark.

It continued to rain all day, and we  pushed on, stepping over the little rivulets running down the path.  Around noon as we approached the edge of the city, it really started a downpour for 10 or 15 minutes.  It takes a downpour for you to find that the waterproof garments are not quite as waterproof as the salesman suggested.  There was no concern with cars spashing us – we couldn’t get any wetter.

We finally arrived at the cathedral about 1:30, having walked through the 20 km of rain with only one pee break early on.  Somehow the rain this time quelled the magic of our previous Santiago arrival.  We took the obligatory photos in the square and headed to the fancy hotel.

We misinterpreted the instructions to get to the hotel, and ended up walking all around the outside of the complex looking for the door, adding an extra km.  The first order of business was to shed the wet clothes, and get warmed up.  The next thing was to get a bit of food under the belt.

The food in Santiago so far is of a lesser quality and twice as expensive as food on the road.  We discussed this with other people, how the Spanish do not seem to take advantage of the pilgrims, or the pilgrim route.  Food and drink and housing are reasonable and equally priced, even when there is no alternative, and where they could easily gouge the pilgrims.  That philosophy seems to have fallen apart in Santiago.

Anyway, then off to get our compestella certifying that we had completed the pilgrimage.  That entailed a wait in a lineup of hundreds of pilgrims for an hour and a half on tired feet.

Then it was time to go out shopping for T shirts, souvenirs and jewelry. By this time the weather had cleared and things were starting to dry up.  It is hard to remember that only 10 hours ago we were slogging through rain and mud.

As we walked through one of the big squares associated with the cathedral, we saw that they were setting up for an outdoor symphony performance.  There was a lone clarinetist in the back practicing his A.

After being thoroughly hosed on the price of a salad and a couple drinks, we returned to the square where the performance was in progress.  There was lawn chair seating for perhaps 500 (full) and many people sitting on the cathedral steps, so we joined them.  I have a tendency to doze in symphonic music, but granite seating removes that tendency.  It has been a year since we heard Victoria’s symphony, and I have never heard one with this many strings.  A highly strung orchestra.

So then it is back to the hotel.  It won’t feel right to not get up early tomorrow, and start walking.  It’s been an experience.