We started out our first full day in Santiago de Compostela with a trip on the Tourist Train. It was like a hop-on-hop-off but downsized to fit into the tiny and crowded streets. Before that happened, I went down to the breakfast buffet to see how good it was, or in this case was not. As I was standing up to finish a vaguely familiar woman came up to me and asked me if I was Mr. Leip. That cinched it, this was Mrs. Peraza the mother of two of my former students. Her husband came over and we chatted. They were very complimentary of my job as a teacher and we had a good laugh about the old times. She and her husband were in town to attend her graduation ceremony. She will be receiving a masters in creative writing! Good for her. I brought a hard boiled egg and a yogurt to Leslie for her breakfast and when she was done we donned our jackets and took off for the Cathedral. We took the path suggested earlier by the night clerk. This path passed a small lake and through t he local university campus. As we were nearing the Cathedral we saw the tourist train pass us by. We caught up to it as it was parking and we immediately bought two tickets and took off for a tour of the town. We listened to the narration as we passed by the many paths of the Camino de Santiago. Traditionally the path that a pilgrim took was from his front door to the cathedral. This has evolved to a set of 9 different paths favored by different groups. There is the English path coming in from the north and two Portuguese paths coming in from the south, the French path, the Primitive path, the Finistere path and a couple more. There is now a 10th path that is 1,100,000 mm long, it is dubbed the Leip Path and it winds its way from our hotel to the cathedral.
Mr. and Mrs. Peraza said such nice things to me
Leaving the hotel
We are surrounded by the campus of the University de Santiago de Compostela. As such we see students and art pieces everywhere
The geese are awake and ready to get into the pond
A cute little stream
Fall is in the air and there are a variety of leaves that have already fallen
Fall strawberries are getting started
The first of many chapels and churches
A gothic church right next to the big square
A nice belltower
Our first glimpse
A planted section next to the walkway
The plaza is filled with a mix of tourists and pilgrims
Many pilgrims have "found" walking sticks
A group of squinters
Another rustic stick
A full pack of gear
Detail on the facade
A newly renovated part of the English Path
Approaching the campus we see more art
The campus has many peaceful spots
An elementary school was a beehive of activity
A series of graceful arches
Looking up to a platform and statue
Another of the many churches we passed
Quite the dandy
Great
A market area up on the top of this wall
An odd place for a Michelin restaurant
We passed this priest heading downhill
Not only are there churches, there are monasteries and convents too
Dedicated to a blind pilgrim
The pilgrims really stand out
These folks have completed their trek
Some were worse for wear with bandages and slings
