We made it! We walked in the dark and the rain for a few hours to make sure we made it in time for the 12:00 mass. Lorna kept us company and the three of us used our headlamps and headed into the woods and highways that led us the last 20 kilometers. When we arrived at the cathedral, Eamonn went downstairs and when we saw him again, he was dressed in a purple robe as he helped the Spanish priest celebrate mass. We didn't take photos as some moments are just worth experiencing. The priests put the incense in a giant golden container and they swung it back and forth in the cathedral. It's called the botafumeiro and it only happens on special occasions. It's hard to describe but picture a huge incense burner being swung around a giant cathedral over the heads of the congregation.
The priest welcomed the pilgrims, some of them by their name and/or country of origin and read the Gospel about Christ restoring sight to the blind. We saw some friends that had gone on ahead of us like Atillio and Kathrin. We hope to run into Brend and Harold and some of the others that will be arriving in the next few days. Some have gone on to walk to Finisterre and/or Muxia which are towns on the coast but Mark and I will take a few days of rest before flying to Seville on December 5th.
We are blessed to stay with some friends of friends who live here in Santiago and plan to eventually open an albergue and pilgrim welcome center of their own. It's a great way to debrief and be with an American family. They have a Christmas tree!
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| Eamonn, Becky and Lorna in front of the Cathedral. |
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| Hooray! We made it. |
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| Attilio, Kathrin, Eamonn, Becky, Mark, and Lorna |
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Hip hip hooray, Becky and Mark! Very joyful for you at the end of this amazing journey! Thanks for the blogging along the way!
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