Day 9 Train Wreck July 24

Day 9 - Train Wreck July 24

There was a tragic train wreck in Santiago tonight. I didn't hear about it until I got home from work and sat down to eat my supper around 10 pm. The death count is still rising, and many people have been taken to the hospital, critically injured. My heart goes out to the dead and wounded and their families. this is a great time of sorrow for those who have lost loved ones a time of sorrow and pain and heal for those who are wounded and their families, and a time of mixed emotions for those who survived or were uninsured. I will be keeping them all in my thoughts and prayers as I go through my days an as I walk the Camino. My heart is heavier than it was, but of one thing I am certain there will be joy again. Joy and sorrow appear to be related and sometimes even keep company with one another in side of me.

The nights festivities for Santiago's feast day have been canceled. Tonight's activities are the crown jewel of the secular festivities with a digital projection on the Cathedral, which in past year couple of years have been amazing, a symbolic burning of the Cathedral and a big fireworks show. I am sure the Mass major Mass in the morning will have the tragedy in it's message and prayers for the people involved.

I worked nine hours today. The office was jammed all day with a line down the stairs out of the patio and down the street from 9 this morning until 9  tonight. I worked from 9 until 2 and then back from 5 until 9. So, needless to say I was knackered by the time I started home. I thought, it's only 9, the big show doesn't start until 11:30, I' just take my usual way home across the main plaza in front of the Cathedral. Then I noticed it had started to sprinkle. I thought that is not a good omen. At the time I was just thinking about fireworks and people sitting out of doors in the rain.

I had to go through a police line to get into the plaza, they were searching bags, etc. Then I started walking and and before too long I was jam packed into a huge crowd of people that could not move forward. I felt a little uncomfortable, but also realized I was not going to get across that Plaza, even though a nice Spanish lad said just get behind us strong boys and you'll be ok. I finally decided to turn around and find another way home.

Then I spent a half hour or so playing Dora Explorer sin mochilla trying to find a way home around all of the roped off and barricaded streets. I had already heard that the plaza is crazy jam packed for this show and that you have to be there way early because at some point the Police, when they feel there are enough people inside, close off entry to prevent it becoming dangerous. Then if you go out to pee, or for any other reason, you can't get back in. I decided this did not sound like my idea of a good time, maybe sometime more than twenty nine years ago, but not today. I was thinking of going up to the park to watch because it has a pretty good view of the Cathedral. What do you want to bet I wasn't the only person in Santiago that thought of this. Anyway by the time I got off work, I just wanted to go home and get comfy.

And so I did. I heated up my left over pimientos de padron, cut up some queso, tore off a piece of bread, grabbed the olives a peach and a yogurt, and sat down for supper. I turned on the TV to see if they were going to broadcast the festivities on the Santiago station. That's when I heard about the train wreck. Then while I was reading Facebook, one of my friends, who was in the plaza, posted that they had cancelled the event because of the train wreck.

I wasn't planning to see it. I didn't get to see some of the things I did want to see yesterday and today, because it was to busy at work to get out. One of the things I wanted to see yesterday was the Narigudos, which I think is a Sesame Street type puppet show. And today I wanted to see the Xigantes which are people with big heads and upper bodies made of paper and glue (like we used to do with balloons) and painted bright colors. They dance around and do funny stuff. Kids live it an so, of course, it appeals to me. But, what I like about Santiago is the general feeling of excitement, of being in a very old city full of music. The main events aren't what sold me on this place. It is the enthusiasm and emotion of the Pilgrims, and how nice they are even after walking a very long way and then standing in line for hours. It's the children. You see more children up close here because they walk a lot. They are not always encased in automobiles going from one organized activity to another.

I have seen some of the most adorable children coming to get their Compestelas. The youngest was four and she had done her Camino on a bicicleta. We had there young people come up the stairs with Mario, one of the Voluntarios, they had a flight in two hours and had been waiting in line. We got them their Compostelas and off they went. We had three other young people, probably fifteen years old, who had lost their group and wanted to get their Compostelas so they could go find their group. They asked the people in the front if they could go ahead of them. In neither instance did the people in the front of the line balk or complain. I was wasn't amazed, but I did make a mental note.

I awoke late this morning and it was raining. Somehow it seems fitting. There are 77 dead and 143 injured. I was on this train arriving from Madrid at 20:45 ten days ago. It will take me some time to process my feelings about this, sadness, grief, relief, wondering, etc.