After watching the large incense burner, or botafumeiro, swing over the transept length of the Cathedral of St. James, wafting incense over all of us ¨dirty pilgrims,¨ I went to the train station to book my passage to Madrid...only to find out it was a full train!
Plan B! I´ve learned on this pilgrimage that life is full of options, including Plans B, C, D, E, and keep the alphabet flowing! So Plan B miraculously showed up and unveiled itself. I went to the Museum of Pilgrimage, and my friends Jackie and her partner Allen said, ¨Don´t worry, we have a room for you, all paid for!¨ That was easy! So I went with the flow, went back to the train station, got my ticket for tomorrow at 1 in the afternoon, and went back to the Cathedral for a 6 in the evening walking tour of the Cathedral roof top!
It was breathtaking: we walked through the dining-reception area for the cardinals and royalty, followed by literally climbing to the roof top and looking up close at the towers and bells of the Cathedral. The bottom of the Cathedral is Romanesque; the middle is Gothic, and the top portion is sheer Baroque! We traipsed over the length of the nave, followed by the transept length. We noted the ram with the cross at the top: they used the ram for sacrifice in ancient, biblical times, and they would burn the clothes of the pilgrims in view of the stone ram, burning not only the past, but also burning the clothes that carried the plague! Of course, those who were selling clothes in the squares and plazas made a killing!
After that, a stop for coffee, and then de-bunking at the new place for the night, followed by a wonderful pilgrim dinner at Casa Manolo near the Plaza Cervantes!
Tomorrow, I leave for Madrid, and probably won´t be able to blog until I get back to the States on Sat. evening! Thank you, again, for the prayers and support!
Bien Camino!
Pilgrim peace, Brett
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