This is a photo of the altar in the cathedral. In the middle is a statue of St. James. People are allowed to go behind the statue and give him a hug and thank him for a safe journey. The remains of the real St. James are buried beneath this statue.
The next section below is photos from our trip to Finesterre. Some pilgrims continue their walk from Santiago to the coast...but we chose to take a taxi! :) For those hiking it is another ~3 days (~50 miles, 80 km).
This place has special meaning for peregrinos and there are lots of small shrines and momentos from pilgrims. It has been a tradition to burn clothes and/or shoes at this place. That sounds wonderful (as I'd like to never see them again) but it's not exactly environmentally friendly...and we still need them for our continued travels.
Market day in Santiago!
