The “pilgrimage” that is the Camino de Santiago is not to the town itself, or even the Cathedral, but to the tomb of St. James.  My first stop then, after getting cleaned up, was to visit it with Lee.  Europe boasts impressive cathedrals, and I had visited several on my walk, in Pamplona, Burgos, and  Leon.  But the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela seems to dwarf all of them in size.  It’s hard to believe now, but except for Rome, and Jerusalem, this was the holiest site in all of Christendom in the early Middle Ages.  Yet few Christians, outside of the pilgrims who come each year, probably have ever heard about it.

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

The cathedral was in the midst of a massive renovation while we were there.  I had known about that beforehand.  Our movements in it were limited, therefore, beyond visiting the tomb.  We also were not able to participate in a Pilgrim’s Mass there, with its celebrated swinging of the botafumeiro, a large thurible suspended from the roof of the church. I also knew that and would have to settle for seeing it on Youtube.

Having made my visit, thus officially completing my pilgrimage, I decided to try the Pilgrim Office to see if I could get my compostela. I had read reports of long lines there and was resigned to waiting in them.  Late afternoon proved to be a good time, however, and I only had to wait about 20 minutes before being assigned to one of the clerks.

The Pilgrim Office in Santiago

The Pilgrim Office is an interesting place, one which an American might describe as a cross between the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Internal Revenue Service.  It had a modern system of numbers and lights to show which clerk was available, like I’ve experienced when trying to get my driver’s license renewed.  The lady to which I was assigned took my credencial book.  I let her know I was interested in getting the Compostela. 

She went through each page noting the stamps and dates,  Occasionally, she would look up something on her computer screen,, perhaps checking the stamp from where it originated?  I couldn’t tell.  The guy next to me was being questioned strongly by his clerk.  Apparently, the stamps and dates indicated that he had walked 150 km in a single day.  He argued that he does that, about 90 miles, regularly!   I doubted his story and the clerks did as well, but I guess they have little incentive to deny him a certificate.

Meanwhile, I was getting a little nervous about my own lady clerk, asking no questions but continuing to scrutinize my book, like it was a tax return.  A certain paranoia begins to emerge in these circumstances. Did I fail on some technicality, for example, forget to get a stamp dated?  Would she tell me I must go back to Logrono or Burgos and start over from there?

Finally, she said the magic words.  The  Compostela is awarded to those who walk at least 100 km for religious or spiritual reasons.  The Latin on it has the phrase “pietatis causa.”  The English translation is “with Christian sentiment.”  I would get the Compostela.  She wanted to know if I also wanted a “certificate of distance,” for which I was eligible.  I said, “Yes.”

I filled out a sheet giving my name, country of origin, age, and place where I started.  I glanced at the information provided by other pilgrims whose names were on the top page, noting to myself that I was the only American, the only one who had started in St. Jean, and at 74 the oldest by far.  I confessed I took some guilty pleasure and pride in all those things.

My Compostela, Credencial, and Certificate of Distance

The clerk painstakingly wrote my name in Latin  and the date on both certificates right in front of me.  I guess that one of the qualifications for these jobs is good handwriting — it’s almost calligraphy.  She handed me both and it was difficult for me to hide my emotion in that moment.

The next day Lee and I went to the noon Pilgrim Mass, now celebrated in the Church of San Francisco.  While not in the Cathedral and no botafumeiro, it was moving just the same.  Afterwards, we drove to Finisterre and ate a late lunch there.  The next day, we drove to the Madrid airport for our return trip home.

Some pilgrims have reported a sense of ambivalence about having completed the Camino, a happiness about getting to Santiago mixed with a sadness that the walk has to end.  They report being motivated to start their next walking adventure.  Certainly, the world offers many other caminos and great walking trails to satisfy them.

I had no such desire.   However, I did resonate with those feelings in one important sense.  When I look back on having walked the Camino, it’s less the completion of it that gives me satisfaction.  It’s more the many unique encounters — with the trail, with the people I met, and with myself.  It’s the stories it gave me along the way.  For this reason, I recommend it to one and all highly.

Buen Camino.

Bob