Stage 25: PEDROUZO to SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA (13.98 miles)

 We bade farewell to Pedrouzo with an eye to reaching out goal of entering Santiago de Compostela. Along the way we came across both beauty and oddities...

We continue to encounter many pilgrims along the way. Because we wanted to get into Santiago to beat the crowds, we left an hour earlier than normal. It was very nice weather and the trees helped a lot.

This was an odd sight: the person had created an altar filled with religious artifacts.

You find these shrines all along the trail.

Of course, I still can't resist a good Romanesque church!

So we are walking along this walled forest when we notice lounging around amid the trees a small herd of cattle. There were also horse wandering about. It was clearly a private farm of sorts. Nothing like we had ever seen before.

We finally reached the Monte de Gozo. This is the high point from which pilgrims would get their first look at Santiago de Compostela and the Cathedral.

On the Monte de Gozo there are memorials like the one above with panels that honor the pilgrim route.

The most beautiful are these statues that express the joy that the pilgrim feels as he nears his goal.  On this spot we had a brief devotional and then sang "All Creatures of Our God and King." A small group of people gathered around. It was a beautiful moment for all involved.

From the Monte de Gozo we walked another 5 kilometers into the city.

WE MADE IT!!! It feels so unreal to think that we have crossed Spain from the Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees to the Santiago de Compostela in its western reaches.

Later that day we attended a special pilgrim's mass in the Cathedral. The Julián Barrios, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santiago conducted the mass. He delivered a beautiful sermon. The most dramatic moment (which is not part of the mass) is the swinging of the botafumeiro, a large incense burner moves across the transept of the Cathedral. It weighs about 56 kilos and requires the strength of six men to swing it. Here is a brief moment as it begins to slow down:

After dinner we went to the Plaza in front of the Cathedral where we listened to a "Tuna" which is a musical group associated with the university. They sing traditional songs and are very entertaining, often telling jokes and involving the audience in their activities. 

We finally decided that we needed to get back to our hotel. It was 11pm and the Cathedral was a beautiful sight:

Grateful that we all arrived safely and deeply grateful for the experience. We still have a few days in Santiago de Compostela involving the Cathedral. More to come.

Stage 24: RIBADISO to PEDROUZO (13.98 MILES)

Today was a fast day and the terrain was pretty easy with only a few rolling hills. For one of the few times during the trip Jannette, Seth, and I were the first ones to the town along with our fellow traveler Britton. Here is what we saw...

This is in Arzua. This the second art piece like this we have seen.

It was another crazy day on the Camino with floods of people heading for Santiago. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that we sped up and raced ahead of the crowds.

We saw this lady out tending her garden. Gardens are everywhere with a lot of the restaurants along the way using fresh produce in their meals.

Jannette and Seth deep in conversation.

Along this stretch we came on this little "altar" with different "pilgrim" items left with inscriptions. In the rock were carved multiple crosses with the larger one in the center. It is probably some devotional spot.

Here we discovered the strangest sight: thousands of beer bottles attached to walls, stumps, fences, etc. The "beer garden" in the back has everyone who drinks a beer write their name on the bottom of the bottle and place it in a spot around the bar.

You see a lot of little farms fenced in with large, flat rocks placed upright.

This fuchsia bush blew my mind! It was about six feet high and about five feet across. There was another one beside it of about the same size. Usually we see these as small plants in hanging baskets but here they live as perennials in the open.

And, the blossoms were huge. Probably the size of my thumb.

We have arrived in Pedrouzo. This is the view from our hotel room.

The best part of the day was celebrating Gaylamarie Rosenberg's birthday. We arranged for a nice meal and bought four cakes. She had no idea that we had purchased the cakes! We had made arrangements with the restaurant owner to keep them for us until we had finished our meal. On cue, the owner and his people brought out the cakes and over the loud speaker a happy birthday song played. It was fabulous!

Tomorrow is our last day of hiking; we enter Santiago de Compostela. I must confess that it is hard to believe that we are so close after such a long and arduous (yet amazing and beautiful) experience hiking across Spain. We have seen and experienced so much; met amazing people from all over the world; and have learned so much about ourselves.

 

Stage 23: PALAS DE REI to RIBADISO (17.32 miles)

 Today's hike was long and a little stressful physically, but what hasn't a little stressful over the last 400+ miles? Here are some things from along the way...

This is the bridge going into Melide. This point in the trail is where the pilgrims from the French way meet up with pilgrims coming in from the Northern trail that runs through Oviedo.

View from the bridge above.

Melide

While leaving Melide we came across this graveyard called O Castelo. Rarely in Galicia do you see anything but these mausoleums.

So, we are walking along and come across these two young men playing a gaita (Galician version of a bagpipe) and a drum. There is a very strong Celtic influence in northwestern Spain.

I loved this stone bridge. I can't imagine who placed those huge stones nor who did it.

Just outside of Ribadiso. Ready for a good night's rest before the next leg tomorrow.