After The Compostellas

The few days after finishing our Camino were full of relaxation and exploring the Old City. We arrived on a Sunday and most everything was closed. The next day was a considered a holiday (after the festival of San Juan) so most of the shops were again closed. We spent the day wandering around eating pastries and ice cream (restaurants were pretty much the only thing open). We also spent several hours napping in the afternoon.

Because we didn't get to see the botafumerio swing on the day we arrived, we made sure to check and see when it was set to swing next. Fortunently, the Pilgrim's mass was the next scheduled swinging. We got there around 11:00 and got great seats in the cathedral. 

It was incredible to see the botafumerio swing and I was able to get a video of it swinging. (http://youtu.be/Fl30Q5UmM7o)

That evening we went from bar to bar trying different tapas. 

Abe found a bottle of Four Roses and of course he had to have a glass. Tastes just like home! 

The next day we were originally planning on going to Finisterre, however after talking to several people who had been, we decided against it. It would be 6 hours of travel time and apparently there wasn't much to do there. The people we spoke to said that they arrived and had lunch and then came back. We knew we had to be on the train for 12 hours the next day, so an additional 6 hours on a bus did not sound appealing. Instead, we took the day to purchase non pilgrim clothes and explore the cathedral more. 

We bought tickets to be lead on a tour of the cathedrals roof. It was an awesome tour and if you're ever in Santiago, be sure to do this! The tour guide told us that the only scheduled swinging of the botafumerio was on Friday at the night mass. Any other time it swings, someone has paid 300 euros to see it swing. Crazy. It made us even happier to see it the previous day!  

We also looked around the cathedral more and got to hug the apostle (This other Pilgrim activity made me want to started crying again, so overwhelming. If the tiny preist in the corner, who made sure no one took photos, wasn't there I probably would have). 

That night, we had one last celebratory dinner in Santiago to celebrate our achievement. 

Santiago was a wonderful city and it allowed us to rest and relax after our 800 KM walk.

The next day, we woke up early and were off to Barcelona. Now we are enjoying all the city has to offer and trying to cut back on our caloric intake (my metabolism still tells me to eat every few hours!).