Thoughts from my Camino Frances Journey- Day 34 (Day 9 of Part 2)
Date: June 15, 2025 Sunday
Where did I begin today?
Santiago de Compostela (Hotel Montes room 307)
Where will I stay this evening?
Santiago de Compostela (Hotel Montes room 101)
How far have I come?
N/A
English Mass at the Pilgrim Office chapel
Getting ready for the Cathedral rooftop tour
I went down to breakfast around 9:30am. Saw Diane & Doug, Jill, and Londa who were also staying in Hotel Montes. Since today was Sunday, I decided to attend English mass held at the Pilgrim’s office. The service started at 10:30am but had I to leave early because I had booked the Cathedral rooftop tour at 11am.
First view of the roof
Cloister
Such a cool view
Overlooking the cloister
Heard the bells ring several times during the tour
It was surprisingly easy to walk around
The rooftop tour was incredible! Amazing experience being so close to the towers, walking on the roof, and the views of the city below. Everyone got an audio guide but it was only in Spanish so I understood maybe three out of every ten words. The Cathedral is massive and it really made me think about how long a structure like this would take to build. Looking down at the hundreds of pilgrims arriving in the plaza was also a unique perspective to take in. This tour was a definite highlight for me.
Looking down to where I sat for mass
The sound of ringing bells
Looking down at the roof from the bell tower
Looking down at other rooftops below
Another inside look at the high alter
It was very windy on the roof
Inside the bell tower
Praza do Obradoiro from above, lots of pilgrims
Afterwards, I went back to the hotel, did a bit more shopping, then met Jill, Londa, Blakely, Becca, and Jen for lunch at 1pm. The weather was nice so we sat on a patio and ate paella and salad. Then Blakely and I needed to return to Hotel Montes. We had to check out of our room, but we had booked one more night in the same hotel since we were both leaving Santiago tomorrow morning. It ended up being Diane & Doug’s suite, we happened to see them checking out. I did my last bit of shopping and found gifts/t-shirts for everyone on my list.
Final meal with Jill & Londa
Unique Camino t-shirt designs
Frozen lemon cocktail
At 5pm I met Becca, Jen, and Blakely at Restaurant Marie Miner back patio. Becca had texted me earlier that day saying she thought they served Queimada here. Met Pablo who makes the drinks and ordered a fresh lemon cocktail that was delicious. He confirmed they served Queimada but it was more of a show and suggested doing it after dinner. Like many restaurants in Spain though, dinner service didn’t start until 8pm. We thought about just staying here for a couple hours since the vibe was nice, but Becca was tired and no waiter ever came by to take our refill order so we decided to leave and come back later for dinner.
Golden hour at the Cathedral
My Compostela
I wandered around the streets and went to back to Praza do Obradoiro with my Compostela to get photo with it in front of the Cathedral. While there, I chatted with two sisters who walked the Portuguese Camino from Tui. They were super friendly and asked me to take a photo of them with their Polaroid camera which I did.
Grilled artichokes
Salmon and beef
Scallop focaccia
Our last supper
The girls and I went back to the restaurant at 8pm and sat inside for dinner. The menu looked very nice and we thought it was worth it to splurge a bit on our final meal in Santiago de Compostela. We ordered grilled artichokes, scallop focaccia, beef ribs with potatoes, and salmon on rice. Pablo came to our table after dinner for the Queimada show. It was very cool looking when he poured the flaming liquid from the clay punch bowl into the little cups. The drink smelled sugary and tasted like a strong hot toddy with rum. I only had a few sips but the ceremony was the main thing I wanted to experience so I was still satisfied. Pablo was very entertaining also.
Queimada time
The pouring of liquid flames looked so cool
Pablo preparing the Queimada
Definitely couldn’t finish my whole drink
Blakely and I said goodbye to Becca and Jen before returning to Hotel Montes. We both packed and showered and wished each other safe travels before saying goodnight. I went to bed near midnight and heard Blakely leave around 4am before getting a few more hours of sleep.
Diane & Doug’s old room
Hotel Montes room 101
