Camino 2016: Via de La Plata Days 34-35 - Santiago de Compostela

Monday/Tuesday May 2-3

My last blog told about my arrival in Santiago but there is more. Later that evening I received an email from the family I had met in the cathedral offering to take me back to the point where I had stopped and go with me helping me walk the last 60km to Santiago over the next 4 days since they also had time before their planned departure. I was not in a condition where I could have walked the 15km per day necessary to complete the Camino on foot but their generosity was incredible. The Camino community and their support for each other has to be experienced to believe.

Having gone down to the cathedral using hiking poles for support on Sunday I realized that that was not a good option and that what I really needed was crutches to minimize the weight I was putting on my legs, in particular the right one. One Monday morning I asked in the hotel where I could get some. After some thought the manager of the hotel said "I think a colleague of mine might be able to help. There were some previously used by his mother. I will find out if he still has them. Give me one hour". An hour later he came with these old but perfectly usable crutches for me to borrow!

We adjusted them for length - I must be much taller than the old mother, and they have made a huge difference. Monday I went down to the cathedral again for the 12:00 noon pilgrim Mass which included the use of the large incense thurifer (Botafumeiro") at the end of the service. Here is a video. It is a performance that has to be seen to be believed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHfcZ2ys7o4

 

The cathedral is still under renovation and much of the front is still covered by scaffolding. The part that is finished however gives a good idea of how it will look when the work is completed.

 

Inside I find it much more friendly than most of the other cathedrals I have visited in Spain in the last few weeks. The center is open, not blocked by a massive choir section. The altar area however is so full of statues and decorations that one almost loses sight of the actual worship area. At the top of the decoration there is a statue of St James riding a white horse representing his miraculous appearance at the legendary battle of Clavijo in 844 AD fighting on the Christian side against the Muslim Moors and ensuring victory over a vastly superior army. There is also another statue of St James the Apostle above the tabernacle on the high altar.

With the crutches I was better and felt that I was not damaging my knees much so I went to a couple of the souvenir shops to look for a few things to take home. I have a small very light backpack that I use for carry on items on the plane and for shopping on the Camino that I use when I am out on the crutches since I need both hands free.

Found a nice salad for lunch and back to the hotel for a rest. I sat in the "library" for a while reading an interesting book I found there and chatted with a couple from Texas who are touring in Spain and Portugal.

My room is tiny but big enough and I can reach almost everything with just one step so perfect for me at this moment. Nice view from the skylight, not of the cathedral but of one of the many churches in Santiago and of the hills beyond in the early morning light. Room is too small for a photo.

Outside there is a very nice garden café where I can sit.

That was Monday May 2

This morning (Tuesday May 3) I woke up feeling much better physically. My legs were definitely improved and I was even able to get make the three steps to the bathroom without using the crutches. I can walk up and down stairs just using the handrail but I need the crutches for anything more than a couple of steps. However I feel that I am on the mend and that by Friday I will able to manage the train with my backpack and possibly with assistance from other passengers.

After a good breakfast in the hotel I made my way down towards the cathedral and sat for a while in the sun. Pilgrims who I had walked with and were just arriving came by and we chatted for a while. They were all disappointed to hear my situation since we had spent so many days walking the same paths.

After lunch I decided to go to the pilgrim office and ask if I was entitled to a certificate of distance walked. There are two certificates that can be awarded. The major one is the "Compostela", a certificate which declares you to have completed the requirements to be considered a faithful pilgrim, the other is just informational to record the distance.

I showed all my documents and said I knew I was not entitled to the Compostela since I didn't complete the distance on foot. The person started writing an d said, yes I was entitled to a Compostela since I had walked so far and clearly was only unable to complete the last few km due to a medical condition.

Tears welled up in my eyes again since I had already made peace with myself that I had not earned it. I left the office with two certificates, written in Latin as has been the tradition on the Camino.

The Compostela

The Certificate of Distance

As I headed back up the hill, past the cathedral towards my hotel I had to go up some steps which go under a part of the cathedral cloister and there are often musicians there hoping for donations. This afternoon as I approached there was a lady who was clearly trained as a professional singer singing first The Lord's Prayer and then the Alleluia song. I had to sit down on the steps to listen because both of these pieces were perfect for expressing my feelings at that time. I hope I can rember what I have learned in the last weeks on the Camino. "Be humble and you will be delighted with what you receive." A lesson on the Beatitudes

I got back to the hotel and sat outside in the garden with a glass of wine marveling at unexpected blessings I had felt this afternoon.

 

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