Last night everyone was upgraded from a normal hotel room to apartments here at the Gran Hotel Los Abetos, one of the finest hotels in Santiago. Leisurely breakfast this morning with a 9 AM departure for the cathedral for a tour and Mass.
This is the ending point for the El Camino. So the courtyard in front of the Cathedral always has Pilgrims who have just arrived from their long tracks from all over Europe to finally reach this point, the tomb of Saint James. The first church was built here in AD 829!
We took part in the Pilgrim Mass. Saw the relics of St. James, the Apostle, in the high altar, following the centuries old tradition of climbing the stairs behind the altar to kiss the shells that rest on the golden statue of St. James. He is the patron saint of Spain and known as “Saint James the Moor Slayer“ because of his supernatural assistance against the Muslim Moors.
Free time this afternoon. Dinner on own at a wide variety of excellent restaurants throughout the city. The seafood here is exceptional! You will see this in my video. Overnight in Santiago de Compostela.