What I had yet to realize is that Santiago de Compostela has become more of a tourist destination than a devotional one, much to my surprise. You could tell who had walked the Camino and who hadn't - I would guess that tourists made up the majority of people visiting the shrine. Even though I was one of these tourists, this bothered me a little.
The sign of the El Camino pilgrim's walk is the scallop shell, and it is ubiquitous in this town. It's on the roads, on sconces, imprinted on chocolates, and all over every kind of knick-knack that the tourist shops were flogging.
Above: my foot next to one of the many scallop shells on the paving stones around town.
Below: some delicious looking pilgrim's shell chocolates.
Like two other major historical landmarks I've visited on my trip thus far, the cathedral of Santiago was being restored and currently covered inside & out with scaffolding. This made photography difficult but I managed to snap a few shots.
Above: the main façade of the cathedral of Santiago (now with more scaffolding!)
Below: the main square that greets pilgrims who have completed the el Comino. The space is vast and cannot be captured in one shot. The building facing the camera used to be a hospital for sick pilgrims, but it is now a posh hotel.
Below: the high alter of the cathedral. So much ornamentation, it's hard to get a handle of what's going on. You can walk behind the Saint's statue and give him a hug from behind and nod your head to his, it's supposed to grant wisdom of those who do so.
Next two photos: a giant insence censer made of solid silver needs 7 priests/alter boys to operate the giant pulley to swing it back and forth during ceremonies. Note the all-seeing eye on the apex of the domed ceiling (an illuminati symbol I keep seeing in churches around these parts, hmm).
Above: a rather cute gargoyle, in my opinion.
One doesn't really need a map to navigate around Santiago de Compostela. The town is small enough, and sooner or later, the narrow, winding streets all funnel together. There are many buskers about, and I was glad to see people playing the Gallician bagpipes (Celtic influence can be seen in local visual and ceramic arts).
Below: There was also this "pilgrim" hanging about the square, but didn't actually do much of anything except look like a more cartoonish version of Gandalf the Grey...
My hostel was located about four blocks or so from the cathedral, and I could see it when looking out the window of my shared room. At this point however, the cold that was starting to show itself in Braga became full-blown, and I ended up in bed for much of the second day I was there. When I peeled myself out of bed after napping for three hours, I went out onto the patio and started chatting with a newcomer from New Zealand named Bernice. She had just arrived in town and is planning to walk the "silver" road Camino walk from Seville at the end of this month. We ended up spending the day together wandering around Santiago. I kept encouraging her to ditch her map because the town is so small but everyone's got their own way of orientating themselves. I was a bit stupid-headed from my cold, and was glad of the company. We shared some churros and chocolate, and she helped me run a few errands for my return to Portugal the next day.
I really wanted to go to La Coruña on the northern coast of Gallicia, and visit the Tower of Hercules - the oldest working lighthouse in Europe. But my cold interfered and I thought it best to rest and not overdo it. I'm glad I listened to my body, but I'll be keeping that lighthouse on my bucket-list for future reference.
I have to say, after walking around Santiago for two days, that it was enough for me. The place unfortunately has a tourist trap vibe that I couldn't wait to be rid of. That said, I'm still glad I went to see this historic and holy place. It also has inspired me to consider walking the El Comino myself one day. After all, it's about the journey, not the destination, right?
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