Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela was, and is, the endpoint of the pilgramage road (although some pilgrims did, and do, go on to Finisterra to see where the boat carrying his body made land). It was one of the first tourist destination spots in Europe, and reminds me a bit of Disneyland. Every shop within blocks of the cathedral catered to tourism, supplying food, drink, or souvenirs. Carts were set up in the square before the cathedral, selling pilgrim's staves, scallop shells, rosaries, and @%$#@@%@$# toy bagpipes. And busksters were stationed at set places around the cathedral, with beggars sitting beside each open cathedral door.

We showed up later than expected on Friday, having been delayed by a mechanical problem with the bus, and Saturday, our last full day together, was pretty full. We showed up for breakfast in concert dress, then had a short warmup and rehearsal for the first performance of the day. Then we walked over to the cathedral and were led into the library to see the Codex Calixtinus, the actual Codex, not a facsimile of it. Incredibly, the priest carried it in his bare hands, and turned the pages with his bare fingers, and even allowed Marcel to touch it and to flip through the pages bare-fingered. We sang several songs directly from the original manuscript (or at least, those of us who were close enough to see it did - the rest sang from memory, or from our books).

After that, we went back to the cathedral and sang for the Pilgrim's Mass at noon. Very full, with a dozen co-celebrants, and a sweet-voiced soprano nun as cantor. And after mass they swung the Botafumeira for us. Two men carried it in on a pole, they opened it and spooned in incense over the hot coals, then tied it (securely!) to the end of the rope hanging from the dome. Then eight men took their positions at the end of the rope and started it swinging the length of the transcept, spewing smoke and sparks directly over our heads. I was debating the seemliness of digging out my camera and taking a snapshot during a church service, when one of the priests whipped a camera out of his cassock and took a shot.

That afternoon we had a final rehearsal in the refectory of the Bishop's Palace, next door to the cathedral, and did our final concert of the tour there at 9 that evening.