Post Camino

Santiago de Compostela

Our day was spent quietly in Santiago. Quietly absorbing everything: the end of our Camino, the people around us and simply walking around the city.
We watched wet and bedraggled pilgrims arrive in the morning as it rained all morning and dry pilgrims in the afternoon - all showing a range of emotions just we must have done the day before.
A special time for us was the pilgrims' Mass in the beautiful San Francisco Church. The Mass was said by five priests and a young Sister sang throughout  - her voice so clear and pure. Being together with so many other pilgrims, so many that the small church was full to overflowing, and the Mass ending with a pilgrim's blessing - first in Spanish then in English - was very moving. It was quite fitting for the pilgrim Mass to be held in the San Francisco Church while the Cathedral is being renovated as St Francis of Assisi himself was a pilgrim. He made his pilgrimage to Santiago in 1214 and it was while he was here that he founded the Franciscan Order in Santiago. The present day San Francisco Church was built in the 1700s.
We had special thoughts and prayers for Uncle Ray, Brother Raymond ofm, and for Mum and Dad as they are/were both members of the Third Order of St Francis.
Our day passed very quickly and we most probably walked as many kilometres during the day as we did when walking our Camino. And we also seemed to have adopted Spanish hours as we ran late all day including late meals.

San Francisco Church:

The pilgrim Mass

800 years since St Francis made his pilgrimage.

St Francis Pilgrim to Santiago 

San Francisco Church

Pilgrims in Prada Obradoiro facing the Cathedral de Santiagode Compostela:

This carving on the Cathedral has alpha and omega in reverse - a message for pilgrims maybe that the end is the beginning.

Some random snaps taken during the day:

Wet morning - some pilgrims arrived wearing ponchos as these ones in red, others had no rain gear at all and were soaked through.