Santiago de Compostela rest day #1

We had a restless night with people coming and going during the night - late in from partying and early out to catch their flights home. Many months ago we had decided to treat ourselves to a night at the Parador (the old pilgrim hospital now converted to a 5 star hotel right on the Plaza del Obradoiro, next to the Cathedral.), so we dropped our bags here before our roof top tour of the Cathedral. We were in our group of 7 plus some randoms. Unfortunately the tour was only in Spanish, but luckily the views and incredible aspects of the Cathedral were worth it. It was Tammy’s birthday today so we had a special coffee and cake to celebrate, before we headed to our next tour. This time of the Portico of Glory (this was an English audio tour). The "Door of Glory" is the triple portal at the main entrance to the Cathedral through which pilgrims traditionally arrived. It was sculpted in the 12th century by Master Mateo. It is considered to be the finest beauty of the Cathedral and it would be easy to spend ages gazing and studying its beauty. The Portico is at the entrance to the Cathedral but has a barrier between it and the main body of the church. The 12pm pilgrim Mass was just ending while we were there. We could not believe our luck when we once again saw the Botafumeiro censer in action. The barriers were opened so we could watch - what a Blessing. We then met up with Anthony’s cousin, Barbara and Steve for a Tapas lunch, to catch up on life in Joburg and their Camino - it was a great catch up. We then checked into our fancy hotel and chilled for a few hours before meeting our friends for a drink and further celebrations for Tammy over a special dinner at the Parador - plenty of laughter, wine and reflection of our time spent together. After dinner we popped out onto the Plaza to appreciate the night lighting of the Cathedral. There were some local guitarists and singers all having a jolly time with all the locals joining in the singing - a lot of fun and a lovely way to end the day.Read more