The Camino de Santiago is is a network of pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. The scallop shell is a symbol of the Camino, it's lines representing the different routes that pilgrims travel from all over the world. By the 1980's there were only about a couple of hundred registered pilgrims a year. Currently that number has swelled to about 200,000 pilgrims a year. The different routes are mostly through Spain, France and Portugal, all with varying distances. I think the longest distance is about 500 miles. I am rather excited because I am going to walk the Camino but alas, I shall only be a segment hiker. I think the segment that I will be walking will be about five blocks.
It all started with our arrival in Santiago de Compostela. We met Lucia Freitas, a young chef who now owns a couple of restaurants, including a Michelin starred restaurant. We were going to eat at Lume (not her Michelin restaurant) but first we were going to follow Lucia through the market as she shopped for her restaurants.
Lucia Freitas 
Scallop shells come in all shapes and materials
While we were in the market, we stopped to gather our strength at a wine shop where we had some cheese plates and crackers to go along with wine.
Following is pictures of all of the courses we had at Lume. I think we might have been there for about three/four hours. I'm sorry I don't remember what all of these courses were.
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| I remember what these were - nasty sea urchins. Some people really liked them, let's just say they were not my favorite. |
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| Finally dessert! |
After that many course lunch, we went over to the Cathedral where the pilgrims finish their pilgrimages. It is a place of great emotion as these pilgrims have been walking, sometimes for weeks at a time. There is a nightly mass for the pilgrims and I was especially excited to go. Not for any religious purpose but because there is a giant incense ball that hangs from the ceiling and they start swinging it back and forth from one nave to another. This ball is huge. The day before we got there, though, one of the chains that held it up had broken, so there was to be no ball swinging. Oh well....
Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela 
There was a museum in the cathedral - lots and lots of gold 
The altar
People were already in place for the 7:30 mass
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