Pedrouzo to Santiago

So here we are at the beginning of the trail.  Ready for our 17.2 day into the Compostela de Santiago.

Views of the trail (above)

Kind of a grumpy St James...probably like most of the new hikers feel.

These two little kittens were so funny playing.  They were about six weeks old.

This was the church at Lavacolla (lava means wash in Spanish) which supposedly has a river that the old time pilgrims bathed in before getting to Santiago.  We never saw the river.

We saw lots of variations of Camino attire.  The most bizarre one that we saw was not this long skirt but a girl wearing a pair of dress heels about 2 inches tall.  They looked like Mary Janes...part leather and part patent leather.  No surprise that she was limping.  

We ended up feeding three feral cats who were so scrawny and hungry.  We had an abundance of cheese and between the three young cats, I fed them about a pound of cheese.  They became pretty playful when they had a little food in their tummies.  I can't bear to see any animal hungry.  I suspect it must take real courage, when you are afraid of people (as these cats clearly were) to come and beg for food.  Neither Dennis, me, or any of our overindulged babies have ever been hungry  What a blessing.

This advertisement made both of us laugh.  He must be single and available.

This is the monument at Monte de Goza. According to Wikipedia "Monte do Gozo (Hill of Joy) is a hill in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. It is known for being the place where Christian pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) get their first views of the three spires of their destination, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. At 370 metres (1,210 ft), it is the pilgrims' last hill and last stop before reaching the cathedral, with about an hour's walk still to go, and by tradition is where they cry out in rapture at finally seeing the end of their path."

Below is what the sign said about the monument.

We were detoured from the normal route directly into the Compostela de Santiago.  We went through this park and it was beautiful.  Once you have seen the spires of the Cathedral, it seems a long way to get there.

 I can nver wait to say my prayers in the Cathedral but you are not allowed inside with backpacks or boots so we had to go to the hotel first but as soon as I was presentable, I went to the Cathedral.   This is the main altar The whole Cathedral is under renovation.  It is very beautiful and perhaps the most ornate of the Spanish Cathedrals.

Below is right outside the Cathedral.  A favorite place for photos.  We saw many limping feet today and felt blessed that we weren't among them.  Not to say, I escaped totally.  I carried a blister on both little toes and a blister under a callus on my right foot, paired with bunions and plantar facitis.  But nothing can dim the love I have for the Caminos.

The only photo available that isn't covered in mesh and workers.  What a blessing to have completed this walk...the Primitivo...hardest of the Caminos.