” I’m Carrying a Heavy Load”…No More…Final Day; Final Thoughts in Santiago.

https://youtu.be/uc4Hz4WXD6M Heavy Load by Free.

A slow burner song, with great bass…like my rucksack burning up my energy, this time;

 but no more. Still got a Camino in me, maybe the last time.

Friday, 15 th September, 2017, spent in leisurely style in the old town. Entering by Porta Camino, close to the Alameda Park, it was very quiet, compared to the crowds of yesterday evening. Shop shutters grunting upwards, street cleaners pushing their wheelie bins and a few bar staff wiping down tables. It was only as we approached the Cathedral that it became more populous, chiefly, as a result of Cruise –  tour parties, lining up to see St James’ famous church….by 10.30, they were omnipresent. They are bussed in from Vigo, an hour or so away up the motorway. Complimentary shells were worn, naively,on their bellies. As they dispersed, the scene resumed some normality,with pelegrinos arriving from all sides of the Praza do Obradoiro – a young group threw themselves down on the ground and did twenty press-ups in unison, bicigrinos lifted their cycles  above their heads, like cup winners and young women performed  a similar feat with their rucksacks.

As I contemplated the scaffolding which covers the Cathedral, I wondered why the authorities allowed it to become so weather worn and delapidated, considering the € millions, tourists and pilgrims spend, annually, in the city – it is going to be a very long time before the Cathedral can show its face to the world again. I walked around to the  Hospederia San Martin Pinario, a wonderful place to stay, if like me, you can’ t afford the Parador; sat on the wall , listening to Galician Pipes lamenting their way up, from a nearby gateway and watched an impromptu, rehearsal of a dance routine. This was more typical, in terms of music and spectacle, of the city.

I then reunited with Mac, after some mandatory T-Shirt and bracelet shopping, to wander down the cobbled streets, to a favourite cafe ,The BISTRO – Earl Grey for me and a taste of Mac’s chocolate cake with Grand Marnier – these Caminos are hell, aren’t they?

I hope you like Mac’s bracelets….they were quite an outlay ! Despite the maddening cruise groups, the inevitable crassness of some shops, the city is still a majestic and captivating destination; none better than at the end of a Camino, however long,or short. It is only possible to give a glimpse of the beguiling nature of Santiago. So here is a mere, scintilla , including the famous ” Pilgrim’s Mass”, with its crowd pulling, flying Thurible.. There are far more fulsome and erudite guides to be found on the Net and in a plethora of literature. Actually, I find Wikipedia more than sufficiently informative!

And two posters to close this Blog and this Camino.

In the end, we walked a “Buen Camino”; may you, one day, too.