Day 33. Santiago day 2

I spent most of the morning planning out the rest of my stay in Spain. Walked to the train station and bought tickets from here to Madrid on Monday morning and fron Madrid to Bilbao on Thursday. Came back and sat on the front steps of the Albergue (not allowed in the rooms from 9:30-1:00), using the Internet to book hotel rooms--a hostel for Madrid, a real hotel for Bilbao. Booked a half day tour of Toledo from Madrid. Wasn't able to book a bus tour of Fonisterre in the morning, but ran into someone in the afternoon who happily signed me up.

Then I set out to be a tourist. I toured the Cathedral and discovered that I have had enough of churches for right now. I skipped the Cathedral museum. They are repairing the front of the Cathedral and I think some of the traditional pilgrim stopping points were in the area being repaired.

I was amused by all the little cherubs playing around the organ pipes. I wonder who decided that angels should be represented by naked babies. And I wonder if this picture of baby angels has been comforting through the years to parents who have had babies die. I don't believe people become Angels after death, but if you thought so, maybe baby angels would be a comforting idea. 

Gold, gold, and more gold. I'm tired of it for now. 

A closer look at the botafumero that they swing. 

Probably the most interesting thing that I saw was the bishop, a full hour after the pilgrim's mass was over, chatting with a pair of pilgrims. I don't know who they were or what they were talking about but it felt like the man must have a pastors heart to be so engaged with individuals. 

Everywhere I go I am running into people who recognize me and remember me from earlier in the trip. "You made it!  We wondered about you. When did you get here?"