When You Get to Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

The overwhelming majority of people walking around are pilgrims. They have huge backpacks with neon sleep mats and they clickety-clack with their walking sticks. There are sounds of bagpipes wailing from the buskers in the parks. The damp raininess lends a greenish tint to the vegetation and the buildings that somehow have tufts of wildflowers growing out of the stone on even the fourth or fifth floor. There are scallop shell symbols on the ground, on the walls, and on the signs. There are sounds of cheering in front of the cathedral, and also around the town as groups even sight the cathedral for the first time.

I think this is something akin to the Catholic version of Mecca. Maybe it would be similar for a Protestant Christian in Bethlehem, or at Golgotha. I can relate it to when I first saw the Eiffel Tower, perhaps.

It's also incredible because Santiago de Compostela has been a tourist destination for over a thousand years. Pilgrimage tourism literally built this city.

It has been a very interesting place to spend six days. I don't know if I will be able to return, or for how long, but I know that I would be curious to talk to more people, both locals and visitors, the next time. There is a common ground with nearly everyone here, but it would still be an interesting compilation of stories and trails to listen to what brought every individual along the Camino to end up in Santiago. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).