Finally, I got to Santiago. I actually made it ahead of my
original schedule. It turns out those long days pay off. The
last couple of days were distracting with all the other
Caminos joining in. The people from Frances and Ingles were
definitely a different breed. I didn't think of myself 'sporty'
but compared to basically everyone who joined in now I looked
like an athlete, and not only looked like but also performed.
By this time I had a way of walking where I basically do a fast
Nordic Walk with the poles all the time. It keeps a nice rhythm,
and helps in up or downhill. I was passing everyone, except
that guy on the horse and the people on bikes. There were gangs
of Spanish kids (Nothing would persuade me to join a group of 30
for a camino, I can't understand these people), visibly
intoxicated people, people with electric bikes (Really? Next time
I'll bring a moped). I tried to remind myself that they are having
the experience they want, but it is hard after being on one kind
of Camino for the past five weeks.
I reached the city ten o'clock on a Saturday. There happened to
be some kind of bag pipe festival right next to the church. I sat
there for many hours just observing, with my Stone in my hand.
After that I walked to the other side, where they have the
square that is the end of the Camino. It was overwhelming, I
couldn't even stop there. The gangs of people throwing each other
in the air, crying hysterically, yelling, taking selfies. I tried
to get away but everywhere around the church it was one big
tourist trap. It was too much so I retreated to my tent at the
camping site to return the next day.
Sunday morning I went to the church. I was early enough to walk
alone. No hordes of Walkers, the tourist shops were still closed.
I went in through the east gate. This gate is only open during
the holy year, I've read, and if you walk through it and take
part in some ritual (probably the communion, right?) you get
all of you sins forgiven. The holy year was 2021 but since it was
ruined by a certain pandemic, the Pope said that 2022 is a holy
year as well (I find this very charming). I explored all of the
rooms in the church I could get into. It is sort of interesting
collection of different eras of artwork, all with the same theme
of course. The box with the remains of the saint was surprisingly
small. I guess there weren't that much left. After I had seen
everything, the church service started, so I joined in. Didn't
feel right to take the communion though, so I guess I will deal
with the consequences of my sins when the time comes. The special
show here is the botafumeiro, which is this giant incense
burner they hang from the ceiling and swing all over with
deadly speed. Lucky for me someone had sponsored the ritual
(it costs 400 euros) and they lit that thing up as the last
spectacle of the service. They said the smoke symbolises the
prayers being sent to heaven, or something to that effect.
All in all, I liked the church, and the town would have been
nice if it wasn't for that tourist trap in the middle.
I bumped into the team that my Partner had joined on the square
as I came out and joined some of them for a coffee, met some
new people and got some tips as to how to get my Compostela,
which is a certificate that says I have done the Camino. Some
of the group were going to continue to Fisterra, the most western
point in mainland Spain, a point that was thought to be the
end of the land in the olden days.
I collected my Compostela, bought some post cards and a rosary,
and decided to walk the 90 kilometers to the ocean. I think it
was the tourist trap that made me do it. I didn't want this to
be my last image of the Camino. Also, I was ahead of my schedule
as I had planned to walk for six weeks.
