It's unfortunate the weather has not cooperated – wind and rain making walking about a run from building to building. And the wind was so strong umbrellas were being blown apart – with many broken umbrellas at every garbage can. It is unfortunate because Santiago de Compostela is an incredibly beautiful city filled with so much history, and is sited as an UNESCO World Heritage. The old town is a maze of narrow cobbled streets and plazas, which are filled with tourists from bus tours that out-number the peregrinos who completed their pilgrimage. It is unfortunate that commercialism over powers the city's spiritual historical purpose, and the peregrinos are all but forgotten. And the intent of most peregrinos is to visit the cathedral and the noon mass is special for the pilgrims. However the line up to get in is filled with so many tourists and the wait is 1-2 hours to get in. Some peregrinos stood in line in the cold rain, but many did not. We were discouraged by the long lines each day, and the intimacy of a special blessing for peregrinos was lost.
Each day in Santiago we continued to meet other peregrinos we met along El Camino. These are sad moments were we wish each other well and say a final “buon camino”. See Pictures>>
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