Well, another year has passed since I walked into the city of Santiago de Compostela with a group of pilgrims from Canada. Eight of us made the journey, from Ponferrada to Santiago, lead by our peregrino guide SUE KENNEY. It was not the entire Camino, not by a long shot. But it was still a life-changing incredible journey. One I’ll never forget.
As we approached the city of Santiago de Compostela everything seemed to ramp up, including the graffiti. Perhaps people were becoming desperate to describe their feelings, encourage others to the end. The shrines were more prevalent, the joviality of strangers more persistent. The electricity in the air was so vibrant it had a colour of its own.
The weather was no great shakes, but nobody seemed to care.
The last day is the day the pilgrims get to see the HILL OF JOY or MONTE DO GOZO…where, on a clear day, they would get their first glimpse of the 3 spires of the famous cathedral in Santiago de Compostela where the bones of St. James are said to rest. The monument there is seen below, along with a random shot of balloons I found stuck in a tree just on the city’s outskirts, a dancing star, and the red city sign at the limits. That sign now, if you were to Google it, is completely covered with graffiti and assorted items weaved into and stuck on the fencing. It’s almost unrecognizable. I’m not sure if they regularly restore it back to bare, or if it was brand new when we came upon it in 2014.
Another interesting sign we discovered was the fence that surrounded the airport at the city’s outskirts. Pilgrims walk alongside this fence for a while prior to following the path back into the woods. They have made the fence itself a shrine.
Each pilgrim, our group included, weaves a cross into the fencing while they’re passing. Some leave crosses on chains, or elaborately decorate their wooden crosses with brightly coloured cloth fabrics. It’s really quite breathtaking to see.
KEVIN CRAIG 