Santiago redux

Main altar in the cathedral

Slept in this morning and didn’t walk anywhere more than 100 meters. We found a great little cafe next to our hotel and had bacon and eggs and cafe con leche. Returned to the cathedral for a mass in English at 10:00, in a nice little side chapel, celebrated by a priest from Tanzania. We wandered around the cathedral museum, then we saw something very unusual: a charcoal brazier in the courtyard next to where the sacristy for the cathedral is. It was unlikely the priests were going to barbecue, but just as  unlikely the botafumeiro, which flew the last two days was going to fly three in a row.

Will it stay or will it go?

We skipped out of the side entrance in the museum and found a place to watch the noon pilgrims’ mass, and sure enough, the botafumeiro flew again!

Sorry for the video quality!

Back in the museum, I saw this wooden carving of St. Sebastian, and I thought “this guy should be the patron saint of Washington bureaucrats!”

“Are we done here? I have another meeting to attend.”

Then there was this great painting of St. James as Santiago Matamoros: notice the Moor in the foreground, having a very bad day.

Pilgrim saint with attitude, and sword

Finally, we made our way to the top of the cathedral museum, so I can show you what the square is like when the rain just threatens, but does not pour:

 

One thought on “Santiago redux”

  1. Now that sounds like a wonderful day, especially when compared to some of your more exhausting, rainy, muddy, and lack of food days!

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