Day 36 – Santiago de Compostela 

As I woke up this morning, thinking about the last 20km I had to walk to arrive in Santiago,  an email notification sounded on my phone.  It was the weekly newsletter from Drew Kampion containing a random lyric by Bob Dylan.

Today’s verses were entitled “God Knows”.  I won’t quote it all here but the last stanza seemed to pull my Camino altogether.

    God knows there’s a heaven

    God knows it’s out of sight

    God knows we can get all the way from here to there

    Even if we’ve got to walk a million miles by candlelight.

As I sit here eating dinner in a little bar in the shadow of the Santiago cathedral, I realize I have found  more questions than answers along the way.  Like, Why are there people begging for change in the midst of such splendor as displayed in Santiago? And Why is it okay for trinkets and souvenir vendors to hawk their goods just steps from the Cathedral door? And the deeper questions like what’s it all mean to me?  I haven’t walked a million miles yet.

Over the past few weeks, I have met more people from more places and walks of life than any previous time in my entire life.  In terms distinct to their own situation they are all striving to improve themselves and/or the world.  This is very uplifting.

When I went in to the pilgrims office to receive my Compostela, I was asked if I would be going to the 7:30 Mass.  Not wanting to seem ungrateful I blurted out “Sure”. 

I haven’t been to a Catholic Mass since I was in high school.   I had no idea when to stand or sit,  and I didn’t understand the words in either Latin or Spanish. 

But the music was ethereal and made the whole experience worth while.

This character was part of the entertainment outside of the chapel.  He’d clack his wooden jaw together loudly and point to the donation basket below.
Buen Camino,

-jgp