• The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela with the blue scaffolding

• The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

• The City Hall, opposite the Cathedral, on the Praza do Obradoiro (The Workers Plaza) where pilgrims gather at the end of their journey

• The final destination of the pilgrims

• The beginning of a sequence showing a pilgrim (raised arms with walking staff) completing his pilgrimage, finding, and greeting his family

• The mother taking a photo of the father and young son

• The mother taking a photo of the father and young son

• Bicyclists do the pilgrimage

• Equestrians do the pilgrimage

• MANY people do the pilgrimage. That is our parador in the background.

• The entrance to our parador, formerly the Hospital of the Catholic Monarchs. The hospital was founded to treat pilgrims who required care for their infirmities at the end of their pilgrimages.

• This is one of four interior courtyards in the parador.

• Another interior courtyard

• Parador hallways

• Parador hallway

• Parador stairwell

• Parador meeting room

• Another meeting room

• Parador banquet room

• Libredon, the restaurant at the parador where we had dinner our first night. This room was formerly the morgue of the hospital. Bon apetit!

• Walking toward Praza de Fonseca

• Central to Praza das Praterías (Silversmth's Square) is a fountain with a sculpture of a woman atop the tomb of St. James and holding a star, a symbol of the city.

• These stairs lead to the south entrance of the Cathedral. The scallop shell is the symbol of the way of St. James, is widely used to mark the path for pilgrims, and is worn as a necklace by pilgrims.

• The south façade of the Cathedral

• South transcept of the Cathedral

• Confessionals

• Looking up into the dome of the Cathedral

• Saint James

• Saint James

• Saint James

• The remains of Saint James

• The Botafumeiro (incense burner) at rest. It is used once a month during mass, when it is lit and swung back and forth across the sanctuary.

• The Botafumeiro in use during a mass we attended. The eight tiraboleiros at the lower left are pulling the rope that swings the Botafumiero. The Botafumeiro was originally employed to sweeten the Cathedral air from the stench of unbathed pilgrims who slept in the balconies.

• The north façade of the Cathedral

• The Monastery of San Martín is located across the square north of the Cathedral and is now primarily a museum of religious art.

• The Praza do Obradoiro with the Museum of the Cathedral on the left

• A photo looking south from an upper floor of the Museum of the Cathedral

• Praza de Fonseca

• Looking back at the Cathedral from the Rua do Franco

• The University Library, on the right, as seen from an upper floor of the Cathedral Museum

• Courtyard of the University Library with statue of Alfonso III de Fonseca

• Statue of Alfonso III de Fonseca

• The university district where we had a delicious lunch of tapas for the price of two beers.

• This Galician beer was very good.

• We successfully avoided dining at this establishment throughout our travels in Spain and Portugal.

• Travelers with the Two Marys

• Ramon Maria Del Valle-Inclán, Spanish dramatist and novelist - Sculptor: Cesar Lombera

• Flowers on the wall of the deteriorating Santa Susana Church

• The Cathedral at night

• The parador at night