Day 29: Santiago de Compostela to Malaga

I got up and went to meet Mario at the pilgrim office when it opened at 09:00. Guess what? It was raining again. The Parador Dos Reyes Catholicos, a fancy hotel by the cathedral has a tradition where ten pilgrims are given a free lunch each day. We planned on getting two of the ten tickets and having a good lunch. Since I had received my Compostela last night, they would not give me a ticket. Mario got one, however, because he did not get his Compostela until the morning. The interesting thing is that several years ago, ten pilgrims would get a free breakfast, ten pilgrims would get a free lunch, and ten pilgrims would get a free dinner. The Parador cut back and only does lunch now.

We hung around the pilgrim office trying to wait out the rain, but it did not stop. We agreed to meet up again noon at the pilgrim mass. I walked over to the cathedral's south side entrance and went inside. The interior of the cathedral was being renovated. There were no pews, the chandelier was down, there was scaffolding all over the altar and there was extensive masonry work being done. I saw more of a construction zone than the magnificence I saw at the Burgos, Leon, and Astorga Cathedrals. There are two things that a pilgrim must do: (1) visit the remains of St. James in the crypt below the altar and (2) embrace the St. James statue on the retablo by walking up a stairway behind the altar. Because of construction, the daily pilgrim mass was moved to San Francisco Church. On my way out of the cathedral, I bought a rosary made of wood from an olive tree. Since I had passed by many olive groves on my walk, I thought this was fitting.

I went back to the hotel to dry off, then went to Casa Ivar to pick up the luggage I had mailed from St. Jean Pied de Port. It cost €25, and I got to meet Ivar, the guru behind the website and forum: caminodesantiago.me. We chatted briefly, then I dragged my roller bag back to the hotel. I hurried up and tried to get dry before mass. Leaving the hotel, I requested a late check out. The receptionist was on the phone and seemed to purposely ignore me for five minutes. I was short on time so I ran to church. I made a mistake and went to a church with a similar name: San Frutuoso. I finally got to the pilgrim mass at San Francisco Church late. Mario was not there. Maybe he also went to the wrong church or decided to change plans. I did see the Dutch pilgrim from the previous day and a handful of other pilgrims.

Next, I walked to the Burger King again for lunch. I had a Double Whopper, an Oreo shake, and a large Coke. The previous night at Burger King some Morroccan teenagers walked in and grabbed cups off of trays that were left on tables to self serve themselves free drink. While I was eating lunch today, the same Morroccan teenagers came into Burger King again looking for used cups left on tables. The restaurant employees told them to get out. I walked back to the hotel getting soaked some more and started organizing my two bags. Most of my backpacking clothes were still wet.

I checked out after 18:00, paid the late check-out fee and ordered a taxi on the Pidetaxi app. I was going to fly to Malaga at 20:50 on Air Europa. The constant rain in Galicia was depressing me. I wanted to check out a warmer part of Spain before it was time to return to the United States. The taxi driver was very talkative and seemed to know alot about the Camino. We talked the whole way to the airport in Spanish.

At the airport, there was a long wait to check-in. I noticed out of everyone on my flight, I was the youngest person. I was surrounded by geriatrics. I later learned I was on a charter plane that happened to have an extra seat. The advanced age Spaniards kept bumping into me in the baggage line and later I'd see them cutting each other off in line so they could be the first one's on the plane. Of course, I was given the window seat in the last row of this charter plane.

The plane arrived in Malaga on time. I collected my bag and took a taxi to the center of the city. I checked into the Vincii Posada del Patio and went to bed, foregoing dinner. I was happy that Malaga was dryer and warmer than Galicia. I will now take it easy on the Mediterranean Sea until February 3rd, when I have to fly back to the United States.

The retablo in the cathedral. Notice the scaffolding and restoration workers.

The pews are out and the chandelier is down.

The tomb of St. James beneath the altar.

Another view with my camera through the bars.

There is a stairway behind the altar where you can walk up and embrace the St. James statue from behind. 

Waiting for my baggage at the Malaga airport.

Day 28: Arzua to Santiago de Compostela

I left Arzua at 08:00 sharp. It was dark as I exited the town. I used my phone's flashlight to navigate through the woods. Not too long after walking, the rain started, but at least it was not heavy. I pushed hard all morning, traveling at a rate of between four and five kilometers per hour. I finally stopped at 11:25 just before Santa Irene. The trail went right in front of two bars facing each other on opposite sides of the road. I decided to get out of the rain for a bit and have a drink at a bar called O Ceadoiro. I drank two Cokes and booked a hotel in Santiago de Compostela off the bar's WiFi.

After about thirty minutes, I saddled up and started walking again. A Dutch and an Italian female duo walked into the bar as I was leaving. The rain seemed to have stopped while I was in the bar. Shortly after, Mario caught up to me. We chatted as we walked through hamlets and forest. The break in the rain was only temporary. Around 14:00, we came upon a Spanish guy in a eucalyptus forest. His name was Jose Antonio. He was a retired officer from the Spanish Air Force. He was wearing half milk jugs over the top of his boots to keep his feet dry. He looked like an astronaut. We heard jets taking off and landing, and knew we were walking along the Santiago de Compostela Airport now. We had about fourteen kilometers to go.

Mario stopped for lunch and so did Jose Antonio at a nearby bus stop. I took a break but did not eat. As Mario finished eating, the Dutch lady and the Italian lady I saw earlier at O Ceadoiro caught up. The four of us continued on through San Poio, Lavacolla, and Monte do Gozo. The rain got heavier. I was now soaking wet everywhere: socks, t-shirt, pants. Rain gear becomes useless in prolonged heavy rain. The water is going to find a way in. We had to keep walking because that was the only thing we could do. My right leg was in severe pain. As we entered Santiago de Compostela, the two ladies broke off, presumably to secure lodging in town.

Mario and me pushed on into the old part of the city and could finally see the cathedral steeples about a half kilometer out. Mario went to the south side of the cathedral where the entrance was, while I walked to the front of the cathedral on the west side via a tunnel with a bagpiper busking. I took some pictures of the cathedral in the Obradoiro Plaza. I tried to go into the Portal of Glory entrance, but I was told I had to drop my backpack off somewhere to go inside. I had finished my five hundred mile walk at 17:10.

I continued over to the pilgrim office to get my Compostela and a Certificate of Distance. I bought a tube to put them in and plan on framing them when I get back home. They look like they are from the Middle Ages and some of the script is in Latin. The pilgrim office gave me a free ticket to go to the Portal of Glory and Maestro Mateo museum at 19:00. Mario then showed up at the pilgrim office, and we exchanged numbers and planned to meet up in the morning.

I checked into the Hotel Carris Casa de la Troya. It was only a block from the cathedral. I showered and walked through the rain to the 19:00 tour at the Portal of Glory. It was a chance to view the main gate to the church,  which is no longer used and only a limited amount of people get to view each day. Afterwards, I had a beer at a cafe called A Gramola. The worker also brought me a plate of green olives to snack on. I hate olives.

I figured out via Google Maps that there was a Burger King about a half kilometer away, so I walked to it despite getting soaked. I had a double Whopper, potato wedges, and the largest Coke I could get. It was a satisfying dinner. I walked back to the hotel in the unrelenting precipitation and watched soccer on television: Barcelona destroying Seville. I was tired and glad I did not have to wake up early and strap my boots on again. I did 38.5 kilometers on the final day with rain over 95% of the day.

I think all those beer bottles were drank by pilgrims staying in Outeiro.

The airport is on the other side of the hill. You can see a plane tail wing behind the tree.

Walking with three other pilgrims into Santiago de Compostela.

Santiago de Compostela.

About a half kilometer left. The steeples are visible.

The cathedral is just beyond the tunnel.

Santiago de Compostela Cathedral.