Glory Glory Hallelujah!!

I have been wondering what will be the song in my heart when I see the city and the spires of the cathedral for the first time. And so it is the one above and I cannot even remember the words excatly, but it dos not matter. It just feel like such a glorious occassion. It is day 33 and I am determined not to let the fatique and my sore feet affect the thrill of coming into the place where we have been heading for all these long days through these many adventures and challenges.
We are up early once again and for the last time and of course the first 8 kms are all up hill and some of them very steep. We walk together as my head lamp has given out at last and so we need to share the light. We are 6 as we picked up Cathy along the way. She did not have enought light for the dark forest path that is the first few kms. We are later than sooner at the cafe stop and oh how good it is to taste that Cafe con leche and the croissant with cheese.
The following few hours are pleasant and not nearly as tough as expected and in fact the way into the city is the most pleasant city walk we have had yet. It is amazing to think that we are arriving at our destination, as for some time now, it has not really been about the destination, only the journey, but this now signals that an end is near. We are so touched to walk once again through old city streets and you can feel the ancitipation of those around us who have also travelled far to reach this special place. After about a 90 minute walk from the top of the last hill, we are coming into the narrow streets of the old city and site for the first time the spires of the cathedral and we all start to cry. It is so emotional to arrive at this place, mostly because it has really taken so much to get here, but also because it just seems like a very special part of the world.
We are soon at the pilgrims office to get our certificates and are given these with our names written in latin. We find a bed for the night in a very old pension which we find is really not suitable and are moved out pretty quick the following morning. However, it is a place to leave our packs as we want to get to the cathedral to explore everything there is to see.
It is a wonderful place,the cathedral, surrounded on 4 sides by interesting squares. We do not see the main square the first time we arrive at the cathedral and so walk around to get to it. It is huge and immense and the front of the cathedral is so amazing you just have to do the pilgrim thing and lie down on the cement in front and stare up at all of the carvings and statues that grace the building with the blue sky as a back drop. It was completed in about 1211 and took about 200 years to build this place, so it is pretty amazing. There are tourist groups all around and many looking at the pilgrims lying on the pavement like we are a bit crazy but at this point, I do not care what they think. There about 3 stories worth of steps to get to the entrance to the cathedral and so eventually we climb up and enter the church. It is beautiful and austere, not like the richness of Burgos, but more authetic somehow in its simplicity. We explore all around and get to the small stairway that leads up to the statue of the apostle which is at the center of the alter. This is almost a too simple experience after the long journey to get here and even going down the well worn steps to the lower level where you can look deep into the cavern at the silver carved casket that holds the remains of the body is not as thrilling as I expected. Perhaps it is because there are so many people who have arrived on a bus and we are not in the midst of the people we have walked with -don´t know, but the best is to come the following morning.
We have had some wine and a good hamburger - Spanish style and so are quite tired. Heading off for a rest and later a light dinner, we then find ourselves in a short walk in the late evening in the midst of the Santiago night life. There are many people to greet and say hello to. We see people that we have not met for days and so it is quite a special time of frindship and good wishes.
We are awake a lot of the night with the party making out of the windows and in the morning decide to move to a better place which we find immediately. Better and cleaner. We are like children, thrilled that there is toilet paper in the bathroom and we have our own bathroom with soap and shampoo and there are cean sheets and towels in the bed. Who could ask for more!
To be in Santiago with the journey at a near completion is almost depressing and we are, although tired, a little energized by our plan for the last day.
More to come.................Maggee