Day Thirteen - Final Day in Santiago

Today is Easter Monday and our last full day in Santiago. After a welcome sleep-in, we went again to the Santiago Cathedral, where we saw St. James' tomb, and we had a closer look at the amazing and intricate carvings and sculptures in the cathedral. The cathedral itself is incredible, with huge sculptures coated in gold leaf and dozens of small chapels separate to the main hall.

After looking around the cathedral, we went on a guided tour to learn more, which included walking up the 106 steps leading to the actual roof. The view from the top was absolutely amazing, and we were able to see all around Santiago. The tour guide gave us an explanation of the varying styles of architecture, ranging from Romanesque to Baroque, with some fancy Gothic styling in a few areas. The roof and the towers around the roof were incredible, brilliant examples of architecture. After this tour, we went out for a coffee, and then back to the cathedral for a mass. We went to this mass to see the botafumeiro (a famous thurible in the Santiago cathedral, this current one has been in use since 1851) that swings north to south within the cathedral. Seeing it swing whilst being just under its path was pretty awesome, as it swings so high and fast, attached to the roof with a pulley system, installed in 1604. After the mass, we went out for some souvenir shopping and lunch (we actually found an English speaking waiter, and lunch was really good), and then we went back to the hotel in order to pack for our early flight the next morning. Tomorrow we fly to Barcelona, our final overseas destination.

Adios