We made it!!!

We made it all the way and received our official certificates (in latin) - while it was only 111 kms, we are all very proud of ourselves.  We walked through many, many small villages, past hundreds of farms, dodged around many a cow patty, wished hundreds of pilgrims Buen Camino - some several times as we passed them and they passed us and enjoyed the beauty of the countryside.  We arrived in Santiago de Compostela around 3:30 p.m. and quickly made our way to the Catherdral and then to the official office of records to request our certificates.  We needed to present our pilgrims passport - the requirement is to have at least 2 stamps per day of your walk.  Stamps can be obtained at hotels, pensions, aubergues, hostels, bars, cafes and churches along the route.  We had no problem, in fact the gentleman who assisted us had visited Toronto last year and told us several times how much he loved Toronto - such a small world...

our first view of Santiago de Compostela though still 3 kms to go...

The Catherdral of Santiago de Compostela

Four Canadian Pilgrims - weary but happy.

the view from our hotel room - you can see the top of the Catherdral.

We then visited the museum and stopped in at the Catherdral again and happened on a mass - we think it was the pilgrim's mass.  The surprise for us was that they launched the botafumeiro.  Here is some information that I found on the botafumeiro:
A dome above the crossing contains the pulley mechanism to swing the botafumeiro, which is a famous thurible found in this church. This thurible was created by the goldsmith José Losada in 1851. The Santiago de Compostela Botafumeiro is the largest censer in the world, weighing 80 kg and measuring 1.60 m in height. It is normally on exhibition in the library of the cathedral, but during certain important religious high days it is attached to the pulley mechanism, filled with 40 kg of charcoal and incense. In the Jubilee Years, whenever St James's Day falls on a Sunday, the Botafumeiro is also attached in all the Pilgrims' Masses. Eight red-robed tiraboleiros pull the ropes and bring it into a swinging motion almost to the roof of the transept, reaching speeds of 60 km/h and dispensing thick clouds of incense. One explanation of this custom, which originated more than 700 years ago—although incense has been used in Catholic ritual from the earliest times—is that it assisted in masking the stench emanating from hundreds of unwashed pilgrims.  (Wikipidea)

Just want to note that we did not smell!  but we feel very lucky to have seen the botafumeiro in action.