Camino Day 12 - Santiago de Compostella

Tuesday
This is going to be a very leisurely day. Forecast: rain all day. Breakfast included so we start with that. Buffet of course. Too much! We take our time.
Have to open the tuba. Had not even looked at it yet. The first one is the free one you get.

The second is the "distancing" for 3 Euros. 120 km (roughly).
You think a lot when you walk. I had to think of a series on the TV we saw when I was a teenager in Germany "So weit die Füße tragen" (as far as the feet carry)

The rest of our vacation is starting. I hope it is not going to be like this.

First thing to do: buy tickets for the bus tomorrow to Porto, Portugal. That was easy. Even got a senior discount without asking.
There is a lot of "cuteness" all around. We decided to do a little shopping. T-shirts for our grandchildren?

It was time for elevensies. This restaurant with its old walls had loose coins in a lot of the crevasses from all over the world.

2 coffee con leche for breakfast is enough for me so I had a hot chocolate. I had never something like this. Thick as pea soup and delicious. Really like melted chocolate.

James had to try it.

I had casually asked what time it was and the answer was "10 before noon". My reaction: we should have gone to mass. So we paid as quick as we could and hassled up to the cathedral. There was still a line to get in and it had barely started. Standing room only (but of the standing places a good one). It is a wonderful feeling to see a church this full! Of course not everybody was really there for the service. Most of it was in Spanish of course but some prayers were in Latin (which James knows from 7 years of it in school). I just recognized the prayers by there "melody". It was a lady cantor today and she had a lovely voice too. I found the service more moving today somehow than yesterday.
There were people there of course solely for the "show of the botafumeiro". It is not part of every service and happens only occasionally. We were surprised when we suddenly saw that they were preparing for it. It takes 8 men robed in red velvet and is quite impressive.
Burning incense used to be a part in the beginning to get ready for the service ... to fill the church with pleasing smell rather then the smell of several hundreds of pilgrims who have walked several weeks from their homes ... I am talking about the Middle Ages.

Of course during the service no photography is allowed. Amazing how many people don't care and do it anyway. You can't count how many telephones rang, some with the most obnoxious ring tones.
But at this point you are allowed and I took this VIDEO!

After the service we went back to the hotel to dry out. It is so incredibly conveniently located. As James always says "location, location, location".
And then we headed out again. First to the post office for stamps. Look, even the dogs have raincoats. This one was not the only one I saw.

We wanted to go to a museum but it was closed for renovation. What now? Back to the cathedral to look more in peace.
Pictures just don't catch it. I tried with two videos.
VIDEO 1
VIDEO 2

After poking some more in souvenir shops (well, not really our thing) we decided on an early dinner. Ensaladas Rusa and ensaladas y pollo. Very delicious.

We had lively conversations with a family from Mexico (celebrating the younger sons 30th birthday) and two couples from England/Ireland. At least the one couple was from Nottingham where James went to university. One can always find something to talk about with other people.
The birthday boy wanted to take this picture.

Yes, and Padron peppers too. Can't get enough of those. But everybody knows that by now.

Almost at the hotel. One more stop for a coffee. James said that in this place you might think you are in Vienna.

Time to organize and pack. With the backpacks with all the dirty stuff and things we don't need any longer (on this trip but of course want to bring home) it needs a little more thinking. Also with this weak WiFi trying to upload videos and photos almost takes strong nerves. Oh well.
May be it is time for night night.

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