Santiago de Compostela, ...the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Yesterday, Sept. 15th, we arrived in Santiago. It was a most moving day. It started off like all other days, walking in the morning light, but very soon afterwards, the clouds gathered and we could see rain falling all around us. This is the first sign of anything but hot, sunny days we have had since we started. As we reached the outskirts of the city, near the airport, a huge rainbow appeared directly in front of us....we knew it was meant for us.

We arrived in the center of the medieval town which is dominated by the ornate and most beautiful cathedral, which is the burial tomb of St. James, a possible relative of Jesus, or so we read in our brochure. Around the cathedral, pilgrims and tourists are everywhere. We quickly found the office of the peregrinos, where we received our ¨Certificate of Compostela¨in Latin. Our names were added to the ledger of all other pilgrims which is probably a modern adaptation of an age-old custom.

So, we have reached what we have fondly called the end of a " really great pub crawl/wine tour with moments of spirituality", and a physical challenge, where we have all grown and learned. We want to take time to reflect on what we have done, so each of us has plans for our own way to celebrate. Dawn is planning some champagne for us, Jo is having a beauty day before she departs for Italy and continues her holiday, and for me.....well, I guess turning up at the ¨the biggest show in town¨ - the noon mass for Pilgrims at the Cathedral today with Dawn kind of capped this quest.

I have to say that having a bishop and 7 priests say mass and speak in about 6 languages to visitors, dignitaries and locals is pretty impressive. And wait till you see my photos of the swinging incense burner....another vestige of a tradition that had a purpose....fumigating the pilgrims after their weeks on the road without soap, water, hygeine, medicines etc. And I thought we had a challenge.....

so I think this maybe our last post. I will update the album when I return home with all of my photos of this trip. And I know Jo has plans to make one of her fabulous DVD movies when she has time. Thank you all for your good wishes and support and I hope this may have helped you decide if you ever want to become a pilgrim to Santiago. Love, Trish, Dawn and Jo. your 3 amiga peregrinas.