Breathing, Crying, Blinking, Eating, Running, and walking are actions that come naturally to most people. It’s simple, something we don’t think about or consider on a daily basis. Yet, when everything around you is foreign, those things become precious. They are reassurances. You know how to breathe falling asleep. You can chew your food without a problem. The Camino was simply walking, but the way was precious and taught us many things.

During the final stretch, a few of our members went ahead of the group to find a place to meet up. On the way, we passed by the airport fence, which was littered with hundreds of wooden crosses. The sheer mass of humanity that passes by on the Camino affected us all.

We met up at small church and waited for the group to walk into Santiago together. After a couple of group photos next to a modern Camino sculpture, we began our final few kilometers into the city.

The Camino de Santiago, as stated in our blogs before hand, is a pilgrimage, a walk from one area to the Compostela. Such a simple and natural concept: walking. However, the pondering, struggling, and discovery in the trek are what make the ending so sweet. Upon arrival at the Compostela, when you hear the bagpipes playing and emerge from the tunnel, a sensation of victory soaks your soul. Everyone’s story of travel maybe different, but when you reach the main plaza, your triumph stands as one.

With 1,800 square meters of stained-glass windows, the Santa María de León Cathedral, León’s famous gothic cathedral, has been a personal favorite of ours. Built on a tenth-century foundation, the current gothic style church was begun in the early thirteenth century. 

A local woman —  who coincidentally had a role in the film The Way — told us an intriguing legend about the church. During the original construction of the cathedral, laborers worked during the day, but upon returning the next morning they would discover their previous days work was ruined. After days of frustration they discovered a giant mole was to blame for the destruction. Naturally, to fix the problem, the laborers set a massive bear trap in the cathedral and the mole was caught. After killing the mole, the locals took its skin and hung it at the door of San Juan. More recently, the skin was tested and proven to be turtle skin, but the legend is still a fantastic piece of folklore for the city of León.

Beyond this fanciful legend the church is replete with remarkable stories and images — including what appears to be a statue of Saint Luke with sunglasses! However the most striking feature of the church remains the stained glass. At every turn your eyes are drawn to these magnificent sights featuring stories from the Bible and depictions of prominent saints. Old Testament figures dominate the north wall with New Testament on the south wall. Due to Spain’s geographical position, the sun will shine continuously through the south windows. The metaphorical significance highlights Jesus’ arrival in the New Testament, becoming the savior of the world. The north windows stay dark to show the desire for a long-awaited messiah.