We woke early to get to the pilgrims blessing at the cathedral. It was a beautiful chilly morning and the service was nothing less than a production. We got there late (like we always do to church). Mom and I agreed that Catholicism was not for us and that we didn’t like the gatekeeping.
Regardless, the descent down the main road to Santiago was breathtaking. At the end of the service, the path down the middle of the pews rose up to reveal the chemin down through Le Puy.
Sadly, we could not leave with the rest of the pilgrims since we still needed to sort out our lost luggage. We ended up shopping at the local Decathlon and storing any unused items with a local service.
Finally, in spite of a difficult few days, we were on the road to Saint James, called Saint Jaques in French. Here, instead of saying “buen Camino,” most pilgrims greet each other by a simple “Bonjour!” Or by wishing “bon chemin!”