To Madrid

Sunday afternoon we left Santiago for Madrid on the 2:50 train. Before leaving, I spent the morning walking through the medieval streets one last time and also watching arriving pilgrims. Later Dad and I took a tour in English of the cathedral's rooftop.

A group of young Spanish pilgrims reach Obradoiro Plaza. Often groups sing or chant as they enter this space & then drop their backpacks in a heap before taking pictures. 

Another group, which included kids thru adults, were all dressed in green T-shirts and arrived singing to celebrate their Camino journey.

Our guide for the rooftop tour, Laura, tells us about the history of the cathedral's architecture. She describes it as Romanesque "dressed" in Baroque, a more ornate style that the cathedral's builders patterned after the Vatican.

Granite tile steps made it easier for guards during the Middle Ages to walk around the roof and watch out over the city.

This cross atop a ram sculpture was where medieval pilgrims burned their clothes before they entered the cathedral. The burning not only got rid of smelly garments but also served symbolically as a cleansing of the soul & the beginning of a "new life." The cross most likely was located on the ground rather than the roof, which would have been more difficult for pilgrims to reach.

The back view of St. James -- he looks out over Obradoiro Plaza

The cathedral's two west towers are being cleaned of lichen and grime accumulated over the centuries. The tower to the right is already done. Our tour group agreed that the original moss covered granite had more character, and we liked it better than the cleaned up version.

On our way to Santiago's train station we bumped into guide Laura. She was walking her boyfriend to the station where he was traveling to Madrid too. Laura has an art history background and is originally from Granada.

A rail with shells & St. James' crosses at the train station.

Our hostel in Madrid wasn't far from Gran Via, a popular avenue for locals & tourists that has lots of high end stores, hotels, and restaurants. It's quite different than Santiago's cobbled medieval streets we wandered along earlier in the day. Another change was Madrid's weather -- we arrived in a heat wave (over 100 degrees) -- much hotter than Galicia's cooler temperatures.