Today is the day we arrive to Santiago...the real threat of rain looms everywhere. The three of us are not use to hopping up and walking within seconds IF GIVEN THE CHOICE, but we are a powerhouse and we do know what we need to do to pull something of...we needed to be out by seven to assure a noon mass. The threat of not making mass would hang over us for this walk, however we knew we could make it tomorrow and leave for the coast after, we also knew making it tomorrow would have us arrive with our party group from last night.
A Spanish buddy who I call "The Ambassador" would come by and stir us to assure we got up, at six thirty we were up and packing while everyone else around us slept.
We did stop for a quick coffee and didn't know how to gauge our stops in fear we would arrive to mass late. What is confusing is there are signs that say Santiago is twenty kilometers away BUT you have to factor in how far the cathedral is as I think these reference the city perimeter and I think that the cathedral is an additional five kilometers. Our walk we were told would take about five hours. We were so eager...
We passed the last auberge that our group from the night before would be staying at tonight for "the big party", they described it well as it was really on top of the hill right before you get into the city. We all agreed we would never regret our decision to press on. There was a nice park there with so many people relaxed knowing this was their destination tonight, we had the exact opposite energy going on within us as we felt we couldn't stop. Even my usual conversations with every dog and cat were stunted today. Once we hit the city limits of the city we were on full charge, everywhere you walk in Spain the cathedral or church is the first thing you see...not in Santiago...infact I was convinced there wasn't even a cathedral in this city. What on Earth were these pilgrims walking to for a thousand plus years? Not a cathedral in sight AND keep in mind we were standing on top of a hill five kilometers out that overlooked Santiago...what kind of pilgrim torture was this? Were we even in Santiago?????
We meandered thru the streets and had pilgrims walking past us the other way, all smiling for it was clear they had reached their destination possibly days before and were just lingering, they'd throw us a bone, "you're near", "almost there", "about two more kilometers". Then with no cathedral in sight still and suspecting it was about ten minutes away it started to rain...a huge decision to make, do we just go for it and get drenched or pull over and gear up. Gearing up involves covering your backpack and pulling out your rain gear that should be at the top of your bag on days that you might need it. J and M would use nice rain ponchos that cover them and pack, I would use a jacket and the backpack cover (this is one of the biggest questions and decisions that one must make when planning their purchases). We would make the correct decision to pullover and batten down the hatches. We were full steam ahead when around a corner we see a church wall and approach to come around the cathedral, we had fourteen minutes till mass, the courtyard was semi clear as folks had moved in and J and I got emotional. I suspect had there not been rain combined with seeing familiar faces in the courtyard on a sunny day that the tears would have really flowed. We high fived eachother and hugged eachother so proud of our accomplishments.
We tried to enter the cathedral from the main entrance and were motioned to walk AROUND it to another door. I think we were disoriented and just wanted entry, it wouldn 't be till later we would find out why...but thanks be to God as that instruction would be the cherry of my Camino. This is a rather large cathedral...we would walk to this other door and walk into a packed, standing room only mass, we had been motioned to go around because the main area was full. It might sit a thousand but I am going to guess it was at atleast twenty five percent of what it sits standing. The obvious choice was to enter through that door and to stand in the back where all others were, we were minutes if that before mass was to start. A nun was up at the alter speaking in Spanish and I instantly noticed some pilgrims ip front before the first pew. I caught the attention of J and M (I'm always the opportunist) and urged them to follow me. The emotions and the feeling of anything is possible poured from me, we were soaking wet and high as a kite with enthusiasm, I later would describe it as the feeling a Super Bowl winner must feel as they funnel into the locker room after the game. There was something very powerful entering that cathedral seconds before mass right off the trail and surrounded by tourist there to witness the mass but not having the vested interest we all did. We were dripping wet as it had just started raining ten minutes prior others were dry. We marched up to the front where several people were grimacing that we can't do that...we smiled and pretty much had the attitude that we would do it till authority told us otherwise. We sat there infront of the pews but did swell into the nave area so I felt we would be told to move but I already had a plan B up my sleeve, an escape route that kept us ip there IN THE FRONT but just not exactly where we were. More than a thousand people in this cathedral and we were right up there in the front. The huge incense canister hung from its usual position and I hoped it would swing today, it would have just made the arrival perfect. Security did come thru and told us we needed to keep the aisle clear and i must have had a lapse in my typical opportunist way as I surrendered and started walking to the back of the church. As I did i made eye contact with one person in the muddle section of the pews, it was Bond (from my first days, who had to go home due to a bad blister infection) but had returned to Santiago for mass and to walk to the coast. Ever the gentleman he gestured for me to take his spot in his coveted seat and that he would go back and stand, there is no way I would have taken him up on that but the gesture meant the World to me. I gestured back I was soaking wet and couldn't squeeze in there without getting everyone wet around him. I then glanced back to see J and M were not behind me, I jumped for joy at their rebellion and put my nose in the air and walked right back up to the front of the church and just squished in to try to stay out of the aisle.
J and M had not met my Irish crew of Father, Tom and Mary but they knew they meant a lot to me and I so imagined that I would share this moment with them as well.
THEN two rows of priest walk in robed and stand up behind the main priest and I let out a gasp...there at the alter is Father!!!!!!! Who had arrived the day before literally facing where I was standing...this meant the World to me to see him there. We gad a few other interactions with the professional/appropriate security guard but managed to keep her happy enough where we were allowed to stay. Towards the end I saw someone in a maroon robe grab a shovel of sorts with some kind of paper on it... I turned to M and said, "it's gonna fly...they are lighting the bufermerio". The handlers of it took their place and the beauty of it swinging thru the cathedral can never be described. I don't know what they were singing but it sounded like our American song about the Statue of Liberty that references "I lift my lamp beside the golden door" (now I question if I have that songs association correct but I remember being in Germany as a child and learning that in second grade).
I have had the PERFECT Camino...nothing not one second of it would I change...I feel so blessed.
When mass was done Father came down and joined us and many friends gathered around for pictures, he got us to our auberge, simple but clean and we exhaled.
I has heard about a great restaurant to get their thick hot chocolate, my kids were waiting for this moment...and we were thrilled with our meal there.
Tomorrow we would go to the cathedral welcome friends in and leave for the coast. We of course had the chance to do mass again but I could not dare after the perfect experience today.
It would continue to rain while in Santiago just drizzles but enough to not really allow us to investigate every nook and cranny. I might not be describing it accurately because of the rain but Santiago is no Burgos or leon...I'm just seeing tourist shops of items made in China. In otherwords after welcoming in pilgrims tomorrow I'm ready to hit the coast, which has always been my main goal. To do it with J and M is icing on the cake.
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