Stage 32- Arriving Santiago

May 27, 2025- ARua to Lavacolla. Distance 7.26. Weather - sunny and 70s. Breakfast was very nice and included fried eggs. A lovely undulating route through more eucalyptus forests. Along the way our route took us by the Santiago Airport where I realized I hadn’t heard airplanes for about 2 months. We took two breaks to use up time so we didn’t get to the hotel too early, we weren’t allowed to call for pickup before 2:30.

One of the breaks was at San Poio where there was a bar and church - the site of a former monastery- but not much else. We had a bit of an uphill where city sounds became audible and we knew we were coming into the vicinity of a large city. We continued into LAVACOLLA where we realized we had another mile to go to our hotel (uphill). Only after we arrived did we find out we could have been picked up:)

The hotel was very nice and had a lovely garden. We had a snack of cheese, beer and sangria to hold us over to dinner which wasn’t until after 8pm.

The hotel clued us in to a short cut for the morning, so we did a test run to make sure we wouldn’t get lost. We also wanted to see the. It of the path we would miss- this included the Sionlla River, which, translated literally, means “wash testicles”. According to the guidebook, this suggests a washing ritual of some kind, to which women we’re gratefully excused. Chris offered to demonstrate, but I said this was not necessary.

Dinner was a pilgrim dinner- salad, a main and dessert.

May 28, 2025- we finally arrived into Santiago! Distance: 7 miles. Weather: hot! High 70s and sunny.

It was a long day- short in mileage, but it felt like it would never end. Our short cut worked well and we didn’t get lost.

There wasn’t much of interest to report until arriving at Monte San Marcos/Monte do Gozo which offered a lovely view. It seemed to take forever to see the Cathedral, but we finally saw the spires as we entered the old city. This was actually quite an emotional moment for me, also brought on by people who cheered us on.

We finally arrived at the Praza do Obradoiro at 10:42am. This is the Plaza in front of the baroque facade of the Cathedral and a very emotional moment for me. It’s not the end of our journey, but it is the traditional end of the Way of St. James where we received official distance certificates confirming we walked 779 KM, or about 490 miles. I am very thankful that I don’t have to walk back, like the traditional pilgrim had to do 500 years ago.

We made an immediate selfie and high-tailed it to the registration office for our official certificates. I wasn’t sure what to expect, given that on a busy day pilgrims may not get their certificates on the same day they arrive. We pre-registered and were numbers 225 and 226 of 2438 total pilgrims for the day. As mentioned, we got two certificates - a certificate of completion and of distance. We weren’t done yet. In 2023 I walked the Kumano Kodo which is entitled me to get a dual pilgrim certificate and pin, so off to the Tourist Information Bureau to get my dual certificate.

Feeling like we were very official, we now went back to the Plaza for some more involved arrival photos.

We had an “understated” arrival, but some groups were quite impressive in their arrival message

A group arriving at the Plaza in front of the Cathedral

We had about a mile more to get to the hotel which was out next stop. We had a well deserved rest and walked back into town for dinner and a champagne toast to our accomplishment.

May 29 and 30, 2025 - Rest days in Santiago. Even though a rest day, we managed to walk over 5 miles in the heat - it was over 80 degrees. Today was all about the cathedral, and, because of the heat, we didn’t do much else.

Breakfast, in comparison with others on the trip, had a huge selection and it was a bit overwhelming.

Last week I bought combined tickets to see everything in the Cathedral and decided to start with the Pilgrim Mass at noon. We got there at 11:15 and there was already a line stretching quite long. We were able to enter the church for the mass, but there was standing room only and it was a full mass. I was surprised that the priests translated parts of the mass into multiple languages - Spanish, Portuguese, English, and Chinese. To make my entire pilgrimage, I actually teared up when they did the swinging incense - Botafumario. This is now only done on about 12 days per year OR if a group sponsors the cost (to the tune of over 1000 Euros), so this was really unexpected. From the website: The Botafumeiro is one of the most famous and popular symbols of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. It is a large censer that moves from the central dome of the Cathedral, from where it hangs by a system of pulleys, towards the side naves. Eight men are needed to move it, the well-known "tiraboleiros". It weighs 53 kg and measures 1.50 meters; it is suspended at a height of 20 meters and can reach 68 km/h. Strangely enough, this time it was sponsored by a church in Jacksonville, Florida! Even from the extreme back of the church, it was impressive.

After the mass (and a quick sit down after standing for 90 minutes on a hard floor), we looked around the church and got in a long line that turned out to be the line to the crypt and the remains of St. James the Apostle and two of his apostles - St. Theordorus and St. Athanasius. Immediately afterwards I was able to go up to the Baldaquín, a magnificent canopy over the tomb and impressive image of the Saint.

Next it was time to see the Portico de la Gloria. This is the main entrance to the Cathedral where so many people have passed you can see the image of fingers on the main pillar. No photos or touching has been allowed since 2007, so the below is from Google.

Other highlights of the day include the treasure room of the Cathedral and the beautiful tapestries contained in the museum. No photos were allowed anywhere.

The most bizarre part of the day was the tour of the roof. We walked up to the actual roof of the Cathedral and walked on it. It was quite a steep pitched room and it was very hot, so I felt my feet slipping in my shoes - not the most secure feeling. The views were amazing and we got some interesting close up views of the alter through the windows. At 5pm we felt it in our bones when the clock struck 5 right next to

The Peregrino Museum was closed for some reason and it was extremely hot, so we went back to the hotel for a rest. Dinner was delightful in the Palace Hotel. Bless his heart, Chris thought it was the Paradore Hotel, but it was still very nice.

Other than laundry, we did nothing on Friday except rest and prepare for the final push to Finisterre.