Day 49: Santiago de Compostela

En esta iglesia, en fin, no se encuentra ninguna greta ni defecto; está admirablemente construida, es grande, espaciosa, clara... y está edificada doblemente, como un palacio real. Quien por arriba va a través de las naves del triforio, aunque suba triste se anima y alegra al ver la espléndida belleza de esto templo.

- Aymeric Picaud, Códex Calixtinus, 12th century

Unfortunately for me, this espléndida iglesia is currently undergoing restoration work in preparation for the holy year in 2021. But a passageway is kept open to allow pilgrims and other visitors access to the tomb of St. James the Apostle.

Before going to the Cathedral, however, I spent some time in the Pilgrims' Office, where I stood in line for forty minutes to request my Compostela and Certificado de Distancia, then attended pilgrim mass in the chapel in English and had a cup of coffee with other English-speaking pilgrims, talking and sharing our experiences.

When I arrived at the chapel for mass, it was just about full; the only free seat left happened to be next to the only familiar face in the chapel, Bill from LA, with whom I shared chocolate on the way down from O'Cebreiro!

The priest and deacon celebrating the mass were from the Philippines, and there were people from all over the world (but mostly Ireland!) in the congregation. We all introduced ourselves and said where we were from and where we had started walking, and as usual, my explanation was a bit more complicated than the others'!

We were all teary-eyed at various points during the service and while discussing our experiences over coffee afterwards, and continued to be emotional in the Cathedral, despite the scaffolding!

To return to a more composed state of mind I invested €1.20 in a ticket to the Museum of Pilgrimages, in an emotionally neutral modern building close to the Cathedral.

From here I went on to the Mercado de Asbastas, a fresh produce, fish and meat market that also has seafood restaurants, and sampled the local specialty, pulpo a feira. 

After lunch I ran into Marius and the group of young people I had been in León with, and had a chance to congratulate them and say goodbye. Some of them are walking on to Finisterre too, but not until Monday. I'll be long gone by then!

I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around town, and discovered that once you get away from the cathedral, it is a perfectly ordinary city with a life of its own quite independently of the Camino! Though shell symbols and references to Compostela do abound. Even in the name of the local football team!

At 6:30 I ventured back into pilgrim territory to pick up my backpack and meet up with Emily, a fellow couchsurfer who was also going to be staying with the same host as me. We met up with Yaiza in a bar, where we were joined by her PhD supervisor for beer and snacks before going on to Yaiza's favourite restaurant for nachos and veggie burgers. We talked about travel and Couchsurfing adventures and had a regular girls' night out before going back to Yaiza's studio flat. Emily took the air mattress and I took the couch, which was perfectly comfortable for a night's sleep.

One thing I have learned from Couchsurfing: it's the people who live in the smallest spaces that are most generous about sharing them!