Spent today in Santiago de Campostella. Tradition has it that St. James, the brother if St. John, son of Zebedee, and one of the 12 Apostles preached in Spain. After returning to Jerusalem he was beheaded by Herod. His body was returned to Spain by his disciples and forgotten about for over 800 years. In the middle ages a hermit saw stars in a field (campo = field Stella = star) and rediscovered the tomb of the Apostle St. James. The site became a major pilgrimage destination. Thousands hiked the 500 miles from France to Santiago de Campostella every year during the middle ages. Recently there has be a renewal of interest in the pilgrimage. Today they expect 200,000 or more pilgrims per year.
Our pilgrims arrived in the drizzling rain. I hadn't packed a pancho or raincoat. Poor George. I made him a poncho out of a ziplock bag. We got a tour of the city, the cathedral, and saw the tomb of St. James. The cathedral is known for a ginormous incenser that stands about 6 feet tall, take 6-8 grown men to operate, and swings from ceiling to ceiling at speeds of 50 miles per hour. I so totally wanted to see it in action. I even more want to take it home with me but I'm sure I'd over the 50lbs baggage limit for the flight home.
We went to Mass. It was in Spanish. I'm still disappointed I didn't get to see the incenser in action. It's such a different experience to be the "outsider" at Mass to not be able to understand the language, homily, or the readings. We've been to several international masses now. I'm consistently struck by how beautiful the singing at mass is in different cultures. I'm not an ultra trad. but America your music is atrocious.
After mass we had time to wander the city. We had lunch. I ate octopus. We had fun trying to order in Spanish. Some of the young people used the free time to pick up gifts for people back home. The rainy weather made sampling European coffee a more than pleasant experience. In the court yard behind the cathedral a large group of brasilians broke into song and dance. I was hoping more of our youth would jump in. But I think they are shy. I myself must refrain because I killed a 300 person dance/drum circle in Sydney when I jumped in. It was really beginning to feel like world youth day. Hopefully by the time we get to the vigil our youth won't be so shy.
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