Santiago - Day Two

Well, this will have to be fast, as I am late for dinner.

Day Two in Santiago has been both relaxing and strange. It´s the first time I´ve spent more than one day in one place for over a month. Did some souvenir shopping today and am finding it impossible to buy anything for people because a) I am SOOOO out of money, and b) not much here would have meaning for anyone who hasn´t been here and had this Camino experience. If you´re a loved one, please know that I´ve been thinking of you all along, but will probably not be bringing home anything for you...Dad, I know I´ll be getting a reply ORDERING me not to bring you anything, ha ha. However, my Best Aunt in the World badge will be revoked if I can´t come up with SOMETHING to bring my neph. The only things I´ve found are things he would LOVE, but his mom and dad would HATE. (Actually, the fact that his dad would hate them is actually appealing, as I have scores to settle from 20 years ago, but I like his mom and would like to stay friends with her, so I´ll try to resist the slingshot and the godawful child´s Galician bagpipe we´ve been treated to in the streets for two days....) =)

Finally went into the church. We went to mass today at noon...well, tried. It was PACKED. Pilgrims and rucksacks EVERYWHERE. Wanted to ask one of the priests in the confessionals for a blessing, but don´t know how to say it in Spanish and didn´t want him to think I was trying to confess anything. (Ha ha, LOVE not being Catholic....) Didn´t find much for me in the mass, but when I started slowly pacing laps around the entire place, that was much more enjoyable, because I could listen and still hear the singing but got to walk, and after the month I´ve had, nothing feels better than walking...slowly...without weight on my back....

I got in the line to hug St. James and it was a strange experience. It took up most of the mass service, and the statue is a gold one, not a stone one like I´d expected. It makes up part of the big display behind the altar (don´t know the word for it), so behind the service, the audience can see pilgrims ascending steps, embracing the apostle from behind, and descending again. You hug him over the back of his shoulders and it really does feel kind of silly. I kissed the shell on the back of his shoulderpiece and moved on. Down below was the crypt with his bones, and I knelt for a while and said a prayer that I´ll be able to use this experience for good for many years to come. It was pretty emotional.

The main entrance is blocked off, as is the pillar we´re supposed to touch with the stone statue of St. James at the top. Behind the statue is Maestro Mateo, whose forehead you´re supposed to bump with yours to get a bit of his wisdom, and you can´t get to him either. So we filed past and symbolically bumped heads with a quick, curt bow towards him. I need all the wisdom I can get, so I did it twice.

Other than that, we´ve just been wandering and eating and shopping a bit. I had made a mental list of the things I wanted, so as to minimize CRAP I´d come home with, and everything I bought has some meaning. I´m most pleased with the gold shell charm I bought...it might replace my Torii gate I´ve been wearing for years. I also got a shell tile and an arrow tile to put near my front doorstep and maybe on my deck or in my classroom. Got the obligatory cheesey Camino T.shirt with the names of all the places on the Camino Frances. Also bought some artsy postcards for framing and a beautiful little watercolor that I´m really excited about.

Jury´s out on sending things home. If there´s a safe place to leave a shopping bag while we´re in Finisterre, and it´s not too much trouble to get back to it on Wednesday as I pass back through, I´ll just carry it. Otherwise, I´ve just added about 5 pounds back onto my back.

Booked the train from Santiago to Madrid. Working out Wednesday night details. Pain in the butt since I´ll be in Madrid for 12 hours and 2 minutes, but the overnight bus was too close for comfort on time, and the overnight train was worse. Don´t want to take the chance.

Did laundry. Thank GOD. Last time for that in Spain. Can´t wait to get back to my own washing machine and clothes that aren´t stained and stinky.

Better go now...the gang is either waiting for me or has moved on, and either way, I´m famished. Tomorrow we´ll catch a bus at 9am to Cée and walk about 10-12km to the ¨end of the world.¨ I´m really excited about one more day of walking with the pack, and about walking into sight of the ocean. Already, I feel like my pilgrim status has been revoked, and our days of walking feel weeks behind us. CANNOT believe we only arrived yesterday. Sigh.

All for now. Love you all and thanks again for reading.