Dia de Descanso - Santiago
Rest Day - Santiago
My rest day in Santiago was more relaxing than my previous rest days in Coimbra and Porto. Several people left the hostel early in the morning and after that disturbance, I was able to sleep for another couple of hours. Xenia, Yeji, and I had a late brunch before walking down to the cathedral. Unknowingly, we entered through the Porta Santa, which are special Holy Doors that only open during Holy Years. A Holy Years occurs when the Feast of the Apostle, July 25th, falls on a Sunday. This last happened in 2021. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis has declared 2022 to also be a Holy Year. Additionally, today was All Saints Day, which is considered a Holy Day in the Catholic Church and many people had gathered to visit on this day. Somewhere I heard that this entrance into the cathedral was meant only for those persons having walked the Camino de Santiago on a pilgrimage. Yet, the doors seemed open to anyone on this day, as most persons entering did not look like they had walked hundreds of miles to be there in their fancy clothes. According to tradition, pilgrims who walk to the Santiago de Compostela during a Holy Year can enter this special door and be forgiven of their sins after attending the Holy Mass and confessing their sins. This tradition started in the 12th Century by Pope Callixtus II and is a form of plenary indulgence. 
Inside the cathedral I saw a crowd of people seeking forgiveness of their sins by confessing to the priests in designated rooms. To accommodate the multitude of international persons, signs at the head of each line indicated the language to be spoken during the confession. Pushing past the crowds, I noticed a small set of stairs going down into a room below. Following a few people down these narrow stairs, I found myself standing before a gated chamber. 
In this room is believed to be the remains of Saint James, the Apostle of Jesus Christ. After pausing momentarily and considering the significance of this place, I returned to the main level and lit a candle for the waiter in Coimbra, who had asked that I do this small act for him once I arrived in Santiago. I then reunited with my friends and we decided to leave the cathedral before mass started. It was far too crowded at this time, likely because they were going to perform the ceremonial swinging of the Botafumeiro, a large metal container used for burning incense. 
Unfortunately, we missed this experience and made our way back to the hostel after exploring some souvenir shops. After we returned to the hostel, I noticed that the cleaning staff had already been downstairs to clean the rooms. My walking shoes that I had left by the back door, along with everyone else's shoes last night, were nowhere to be seen! I started to panic. I looked for them everywhere, even in the basement, which had signs saying "Staff Only - Keep Out". I looked down there anyway and found a pile of abandoned walking sticks, but no shoes. Yeji and Xenia helped me look all over the hostel several times. Still no shoes! The front desk was vacant despite signs saying it is staffed until 3 pm. Eventually someone returned to the front desk and I asked them about my missing shoes. The woman informed me that two pairs of shoes were left behind in the morning and they had taken them somewhere else to be disposed of later. They were "near" the trash can, so the cleaning staff assumed they were trash. Many people leave things behind at the hostels in Santiago because it is the end of the trail. Who wants to fly home with stinky shoes they may never wear again? She left to retrieve my shoes from their secondary location down the road and I was so relieved to have my shoes back when she returned. I was not looking forward to spending another Fall week in Spain with only my sandals to wear. I then took an afternoon nap, while Xenia was kind enough to go to laundromat and wash all of our clothes together. 
Later in the evening, we returned to the cathedral to attend the Pilgrims mass. It was a very similar experience to the one I had in Padrón, just two nights prior. Only this time, the priest emphasized the meaning of our pilgrimage and acknowledged the international diversity of persons arriving this day over the multiple routes of the Camino de Santiago. Germany was mentioned multiple times and the priest even spoke a little German. Xenia noticed that part! After mass, we looked around for a dinner spot. We eventually found an Asian restaurant that Yeji was excited to try. I had a bowl of ramen and I think the girls might have stolen my hard boiled eggs when I left to use the restroom. There was a lot of food to eat, so I wasn't concerned. Yeji approved of my technique using chop sticks.
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