Distance: 0.0km (728.7km).
Weather: Nice.
Santiago de Compostela is like a home to me. As it may be for several other pilgrims too. It is nevertheless a home less visited, since there now has been two and a half year since I was here the last time, but it still felt like coming home yesterday. Part of it being that familiar feeling. When you walk a Camino, you want to be walking home and Santiago is your home.
Torre da Berenguela.
June left for Taiwan this morning, it felt sad to see her go. That is another anti-climax when you finish your Camino, you 'lose' your Camino family. It is a time of departures. Ciaran left for Finisterre this morning, wanting to finally be able to do the Camino to the end of the world. However, I still have Joan and Paige to count on.
The botafumeira is lifted up during the pilgrims mass in Santiago.
Do you set up a tight plan for everything you will like to see when you have finished the Camino and have a day at your leisure in Santiago de Compostela? No, you do not. Even though there is a lot to see. Santiago, I feel, is best experienced by just being there, walk around (ironic) and taking the atmosphere and mood. In the same way you do on the Camino. By living in a world that goes in 5kmph, instead of the 150kmph you are used back home in your regular life.
Via Sacra with the gate to the Mosteiro de San Paio de Antealtares.
Quite morbid details, Mosteiro de San Paio de Antealtares.
For me, the Camino Portugués was a walk in three parts. First, the hot walk from Lisboa to Porto with few other pilgrims. Then the scenic and eventful walk on the coastal route from Porto to Pontevedra. Last, the wonderful spiritual walk from Pontevedra to Santiago de Compostela. The places that I came to marked the highlights on the first part. Tomar with its knights templar castle and church, Coimbra with its ancient university and scenic narrow streets, Águeda with its wonderful and amusing street art. Lisboa and Porto must of course not be forgotten in this aspect. Coastal beauty and scenic excursions formed the best experiences on the second. With its boardwalks and paths next to the sea, the Basilica de Santa Luzia in Viana do Castelo, and the off Camino climb of Monte Santa Tecla with its ancient settlements. Highlight of the spiritual third part was undeniably Ruta de la Piedra y del Agua, but it was not the only part worth to see on that route.
The archway in the Pazo de Raxoi (the town hall of Santiago).
Most of all, the company of others. And good food, I am somewhat strangely fond of the menu del peregrino but Portuguese food on the Way was better.
Catedral de Santiago de Compostela.
If there is something negative to say about the Camino Portugués it is this. The start out of Lisboa is tiresome at times, although work is being done to mitigate that. There were few pilgrims walking from Lisboa, this is fine if you do not want to be on the crowded Camino Frances, but sometimes I did miss the company of other pilgrims. I found also the first part to be less interesting scenic-wise.
Santiago de Compostela from Parque de Alameda.
Busy with people, tourists and pilgrims, the narrow streets and squares close to the cathedral are still one of my favorite places in any city. I sit down again at the Praza do Obradoiro, just watching the pilgrims, both those arriving and those who has arrived. It is nice to see the joy in the eyes of those who finishes their Camino, wondering which Camino they did and from where they started at. Of course, the majority will have walked the French way. I then suddenly meet one of the Americans that also stayed at Alpriate, that was so strange, we met on the first day on our Caminos, then I did not see them again after the second day. Now, in Santiago, I meet one of them again.
From the contemporary art exhibition in a church.
I attend the pilgrims mass in the cathedral, where I meet again Guus and Elisa. The queue to enter the catedral was long, but I got in. Thankfully, for today the botafumeiro was swung between the Azabachería and Praterias doorways. That is 80kg of smoke expeller swung by the eight tiraboleiros in red robes.
Mercado Asbestos de Santiago.
During one of my sojourns in Santiago, meaning wandering rather aimlessly around (I like that), I walk into a church on an impulse. The church is by chance the stage for a contemporary art exhibition. All special given the rather interesting location, as some of the art is rather controversal when it comes to the contents. Given the usual conservative mindset of the church. It is a quite cool exhibition, where you as a visitor sometimes becomes part of the art itself.
Window of Igrexa de Santo Agostiño.
Wandering further I come to places in Santiago that I have not visited before, such as the old market (Mercado de Abastos de Santiago). I should have been here earlier, it is now locked.
Praza de Santo Agostiño.
Best tapas ever.
I ate lunch together with Joan and Paige, and we meet again later for dinner. This time we go to my favorite place, A Taberna do Bispo. Words cannot convey how good the hot cheese with almond crust and blueberry dressing tapas is. We have become quite a little group now. Afterwards, we go to the Parque de Alameda to look at the catedral illuminated in the dark.
Parque de Alameda in the evening.
Old ladies...
It has been great. An adventure is over again, another begins. Tomorrow actually.
The catedral in the evening.
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