20km SANTIAGO!

The cathedral bells rang 4:00pm just as we arrived. At 4:24 we gave the apostle the traditional hug. We lit a few candles; not candles really but modified christmas lights that go on when you drop in a coin. We remembered those in need of special intentions, such as my sister-in-law MaryJo, who has been married to my brother Greg for 30 years as of today.

We walked through showers most of the day, but arrived in Santiago under sunny and warm skies. Good thing. I really didn't want to enter the cathedral in a dripping wet poncho.

We are now the proud owners of a registered "Compostela", which is issued by the Canonicus Deputatus pro Peregrinis and is written entirely in latin, so it must be official. I think it is kind of like a get-out-of-purgatory-free card. I'm actually going to lock in the indulgences by going to the Pilgrim Mass at noon tomorrow.

Compostelas are issued to those who make the pilgrimage to Santiago, although I think the standards have slipped some in the past few centuries. Now it can be obtained by anyone walking the last 100km on foot or horseback, or 200km by bike. Seems like different benefits should be conferred on those who walk further. Maybe give a compostela for each hundred kilometers walked, somthing like that. Oh well. We've got it and we feel like we earned it.