SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF SANTIAGO

After doing  all the necessary pilgrim tasks such as retrieving the things which I'd sent to myself from the Oficina de Correos; picking up my compostela from the Oficina de Peregrinos( I opted for the non-religious version this time)  I rapidly became a tourist.

Sitting on  a wall in the sun, soaking it up like an aged cat, made my knees feel well again.  I could have done without hearing a gaita, the Galician bagpipe, playing Amazing Grace.  Many things were the same as last time. I stayed in the same hostal,  saw the same waitstaff in the cafes; I felt almost like I belonged!

I was still  unable to see the Porta de Gloria without scaffolding.  One of these times when I'm there, it will be restored.  Until then, I'll be unable to see the full glory of  Maestro Mateo's creation.

The Palacio Gelmirez  almost made up for it.  The wonderful vaulting, which to me looked like whale vertebrae climbing into the gloom, made me wonder if this was inspiration for Gaudi's extravagant organic forms.  I loved the merry faces of the figures on the corbels --these certainly bore the touch of the master.

I tried to find things that I hadn't yet done in the city.  I made great strides towards conquering my fear of heights by going on a tour of the roof of the Cathedral.

   I walked through the Alameda in the early morning mist,

 seeing the beauty of the baroque towers for the first time.  Up close they are grey and heavy looking.    I followed that up by eating chocolate con churros for breakfast.

 That felt very decadent until I noticed the guy with the red wine for breakfast at a nearby table.  I ate fries with salsa brava (because you have to be brave to use it--hot!).  It was delicious, and I felt like it was probably the real thing because there were local police officers eating there too.

It was nice to see the odd pilgrim that I recognized.  The loving couple swayed down the plaza, laughing, oblivious to everything but each other.  Would they just get a room, already? At the second mass, I had the pleasure of seeing my Great Oregonian Women  and sharing the giddy excitement and jubilant abandon inspired by the swing of the botafumeiro and the swell of the organ.  That spectacle completed my pilgrim experience on a high note.

After that it was all about the business of getting home.  Nick was able to get me a flight that would bring me home five days early, but that meant I had to get my act in gear.   I decided to walk to the bus station to pick up a ticket back to Bilbao and my flight home;  I guess I wasn't completely at home here yet because I got hopelessly turned around, and had to take several buses to get back to familiar territory, but I was on the midnight bus to Bilbao that night.