Day 15
This morning was heavily misty but beautiful. Such a tranquil walk. I’ll miss Galicia when I go back home. It’s gorgeous.
I walked thru Arca and was glad I’d stopped in Santa Irene to sleep instead (more tranquil). I stopped in Arca for a coffee and some serious WiFi and was amazed to see piles of heirloom tomatoes, oranges, and a variety of veggies from the owner’s garden. You know they’re good when locals are stopping in just for a box of fruit and veg.
At about 13k from Santiago the path crossed the backyard of the Santiago airport. Another reminder that I’m going back home within the week. This plane flew right over my head.
Made it to the cathedral about 1ish.
Then off to the pilgrim office to get my compostela. They’ve changed the system a bit. Instead of making everyone queue for hours, they give you a number and let you monitor the count by a QR code from your phone (if you have internet… which I didn’t). That’s okay – I waited out in the garden and made use of the time chatting with a pilgrim from Michigan and giving my toenails an emergency coat of pink polish while I waited for a couple hours. They’ll get professional help when I get home.
When it was finally my turn the clerk “Ellis Island-ed” my first name on the certificate instead of using my actual name. Now I have a taste of how folks processed through Ellis Island felt… except they were stuck with the ‘loosely translated’ names for generations unless someone had the wherewithal to legally switch it back. When I told him that wasn’t my name he said “Miriam Linam” was Latin for Marilyn. I’m pretty sure it’s not. If this had been my first / only Camino I think I would have had a complete meltdown and insisted on a redo- but I have the compostela from my first walk with my real name on it. I wonder what they do with names for which there are no potential Latin configurations. LeToya, Oda, or Zaylee? If I come back again, I wonder how a different clerk will interpret my name next time? And if it’s different – I can throw down my ‘Miriam Linam’ certificate and make a scene. But today was not that day. I settled on having the story.
Next, a bed. No reservation in hand so I asked a nice guard at the cathedral for a recommendation nearby. I say ‘nice guard’ not because I spent a substantial amount of time with him but because he spied the city flag from Chicago on my backpack (which even folks from the US don’t recognize) and mentioned that he knew I was from Chicago and gave me a thumbs up. Nice enough! Anyway, he proceeded to tell me how to trek across town to find the cheapest possible accommodation. I thanked him, walked around the corner, and walked into the first place I saw. I think it used to be a monastery. San Martin Pinario. The room is sparsely furnished (like the monasteries I’ve stayed in back home…no, really) but still quite comfortable. I was delighted to see that they have an elevator! (It’s the little things.) The room also comes with linens, a towel, and private shower / toilet room. €25 and it includes breakfast. Love it!
I then went back to the cathedral to do a walk through ‘the holy door’, which is a small door to the room with the saint’s remains which is only open in a year of Jubilee.
I did a tour around the outside of cathedral but it was quite touristy. Then I took a detour down a few quiet side streets until I found a tiny restaurant that appeared to have truly local fare. Restaurante Tarara. All I wanted was soup. Not just any soup – Galician broth. Pork-based broth, greens, white beans, potatoes, and carrots. It was perfect. Hot, substantial, delicious. Served with bread.
It started to rain a bit as I walked back to the hotel so I was glad to have had a hearty, warm meal to tide me over until breakfast. It’s been a good day.
More later…