As soon as we set foot in town after dropping off our luggage at our small inn, it began to pour sheets... so it is like Seattle! No better time to tour a cathedral than when it's storming outside, so we ran through puddles along the stone-lined streets, through moss covered porticos, and ducked into the church doorway right at noon, just in time for the special, daily mass held for pilgrims who walk the Camino de Santiago.
Although it was not the gleaming, gold glory of the cathedral in Toledo, nor the grand sprawl of the cathedral in Seville, the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela definitely holds the most mystique. All around us, weary pilgrims in their hiking shoes and rain ponchos knelt in silent prayer, sobbed as they were overcome with emotion, or just sat in awe of being in such a holy place.
The mass lasted roughly an hour, and at the end of it, we noticed the priests untying the ropes which held back the mighty, silver incense burner.
Could it be? We'd read that the botafumeiro is only swung 25 times a year, and oh... there it goes! How did we get so lucky? This thing weighs about 120 pounds, and with the incense burning inside of it, it swings in a wide arc through the cathedral, over the heads of the congregants, filling the place with smoke. Ricardo Stevez wrote that this interesting custom began as a way to "counteract the stench of the pilgrims," and in the past, "priests were said to add a pinch of cannibis," to enhance the party like atmosphere of pilgrims having completed their quest.
After the mass ended, we walked around the perimeter of the cathedral and found the tomb of St. James, which holds his remains in a delicate, silver chest.
Back outside, we started to meander the small streets of this enchanting town, which really, in all honestly, is a bit the way I imagine Hogsmeade (from Harry Potter) to be... narrow stone pathways, moss-covered walls, quaint shops and cafes tucked into every nook and cranny. The air was permeated by a pleasant dampness, and the Galic-sounding tunes of a recorder player floated from one corner, while bagpipes droned from another.
We found a tiny little bakery featuring the tarta de Santiago. Realizing that we hadn't eaten all day, (save for a couple of sad, little airport muffins,) we bought a slice of the torta to devour in the doorway. The light, buttery, cake made with almonds gave us a small burst of energy, enabling us to carry on with our explorations.
Lo and behold, the sun came out! We rounded the corner and found a sunny spot in the Praza do Obradoiro, facing the main entrance to the cathedral.
Scattered all across the square were pilgrims arriving from their walk, exhausted, many of them actually finding a dry patch of ground to lie down and catch a nap, or just gaze at the cathedral. We found the stone with the engraved sea shell in the middle of the square, declaring that you have reached your goal! Well, we hadn't but the actual pilgrims had...
By this point, we were both exhausted, cold, wet and still slightly sick, so we headed back to our tiny room at the inn, and pretty much slept till morning. Oh, but first, a stop at a cute, little chocolate shop first... must end the day on a sweet note!
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