Santiago de Compostela

The pilgrimage mass in Santiago was an experience. An hour before it started, the cathedral began to fill with pilgrims. The church interior was also quite impressive and opulent. The altar was adorned with gold, and above the central aisle hung a huge silver incense burner that, if enough donations were collected from pilgrim groups, would be swung over the heads of the faithful by several church servants on a thick rope. There was much to admire: the opulence of the church and people from all over the world expressing their faith, humility, or amazement in various ways. Pretty soon, a nun came into play who obviously had control of everything and resolutely prepared everything for the worship service. She also fervently rehearsed some hymns in advance with the church visitors so that the actual worship service would have the necessary resonance and opulence. They obviously wanted to be absolutely sure. Some "ushers" regulated the flow of visitors and made sure that no one stood where they shouldn't, that quiet was maintained, and that everyone behaved and dressed appropriately. Nothing was left to chance here. It started promptly at 12:00. Several groups of pilgrims were personally welcomed, and the pastor began the Mass. The little nun sang angelically and had everything under control, conducting the congregation and ensuring that the Mass proceeded with dignity. We even had the pleasure of experiencing the huge incense burner in action. In this case, a thick rope to which it was attached was pulled down by six church servants with all their strength over and over again. The burner flew back and forth from one end of the central aisle to the other. Obviously, there were enough donations to stage this spectacle. It was indeed quite impressive. After the end of the Mass, the masses rushed back to the square. Now we had experienced the highlight of our trip and continued to explore the city in our flip-flops. We already missed our Berlin girls. We hadn't met them yet and started to worry a little bit, but shortly afterwards we received an SMS: everyone arrived safely. Very nice. Now we just needed Claude with his Nadine and Therese... but we didn't see them anymore. What a pity. We walked through the city and strolled through a huge department store: El Corte Ingles. Monika really wanted a summer dress. Somehow, we felt like a little bit of femininity after 12 days in hiking gear. We searched and found nothing. One hideousness exceeded the next. We settled for the minimalist solution in the form of nail polish and lipstick. At least. That had to be enough to feel feminine again. So we strolled back with our bag. I kept turning around... somehow I always felt like I had forgotten something... of course... the backpack. It had become a part of us by now, and we were no longer used to taking a single step without it. It's amazing how you can get used to 7 kilos on your back. Back in the center, we treated ourselves to a coffee and planned the evening. Our "running app" confirmed that we had covered 8 km... in flip-flops. Wow... a whole new feeling of life. By chance, we "stumbled" upon two of our Berlin girls. The greeting was big, and we arranged to meet for a glass of wine in the evening. Monika and I wanted to eat again in the tapas bar we knew. We had the nightcap with the girls. Such a nice group with great dynamics and excellent cohesion. The farewell was very heartfelt. Take care, girls. It was nice to meet you. We walked back through bustling streets to our hotel. One thing was clear: there would be no sleep before 1:00. Good night, Santiago.