Mass at the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral
With a little help from a rented car, we made it to Santiago de Compostela in time for mass at the cathedral, the subject of this sketch. This mass was a big deal; the bishop and some 20 priests celebrated it in honor of a group of young people who were being confirmed today. The cathedral is huge but it did not hold all the people who wanted to attend the confirmation. The pews were packed and many people sat on steps or stood throughout the service.
Today was the tenth and final day of our Camino de Santiago trip, some 250 kilometers by bike across the mid section of the Northern Route, from Bilbao to Ribadesella. We were a fun quartet. We struggled up the mountains together, flew down the mountain trails, and got a big kick out of biking across the gorgeous beaches. Checking out all the food and experiencing the range of hotels was fun too. And the two day car trip from Ribadesella to Santiago via Finisterre was a delightfully easy way to enjoy the final 350 kilometers together.
The Spanish people are warm, kind, generous and treated the four of us well. Their country is incredibly green, well kept, and bursting with history. It seemed that every place we saw was a place we would have liked to linger in. I hope to come back for six weeks or so and do the pilgrimage on foot.
This is a pen and watercolor sketch.
