The end of the walk

 Yesterday I walked up to the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral and completed the Camiño. I managed to have no injuries or blisters, so I call that a win! I met interesting people, ate good food, drank great wine, walked through countless vineyards and have some funny stories. The walk slowed everything down making it possible, in a totally different way, to appreciate my surroundings, the people I met from all over the world and how unreal it felt sometimes. Thanks for all your encouragement and good wishes  

The process worked well too.  Every day a company transported the large backpack on the left to my next hotel.  I carried the small one. The blue boots kept my feet dry in the wet weather and the brown ones kept them cool in the heat.  I used the poles on days with hills.

The cathedral is massive. It was built and destroyed a few times in the ninth and tenth centuries, but today’s basic structure was consecrated in 1211. It has a long history, but it has always been the culmination of pilgrimages because St James, the apostle is believed to be buried here. There are carvings and statues all over the four facades.  I like these guys, especially the thumbs up.

The inside is extraordinarily ornate, but it is still used for services every day.

I wandered around town today looking at the many statues and gardens. The university library has a lovely garden with a statue of its founder. When I first saw it I thought he was on a cell phone!

I am sending all the hiking stuff home to begin the  more tourist section of this vacation. Staying in Spain through the weekend, then going to the Algarve, the Portuguese beach on the Mediterranean Sea.  Around Memorial Day, I’ll come back to my favorite beach in the world.

And for the Catholics in the audience, the Botafumerio is an enormous incense burner that uses pulleys to swing over the congregation. Legends include that it cured disease or that the pilgrims smelled bad.