Reaching Santiago de Compostel·la és suposat per al final, emocionant moment de la Camina. Però aquest weekend, thousands pilgrims i visitors arribant a la Galician capital fonen another challenge waiting for them: entermous queues enter the Cathedral, s some people reporting waits of more than 90 minutes.
After hundreds — and sometimes més que thousand — quilòmetres en foot, passeig de les tostes de la cathedral de Santiago és un dels most anticipats moments d'any Camí.
Aquest weekend, however, reaching the Praza do Obradoiro no és necessarily the end of the journey.
The large number of pilgrims and tourists visiting Santiago during the August 15 holiday weekend created extraordinary pressure around the Cathedral, producing queues que stretched through the historic centre.
According to reports from Santiago on Saturday, la línia d'accés the Cathedral extended from Praza das Praterías along Rúa do Vilar, una de les best-known streets in the old city.
Some visitors reported having already waited for an hour and a half, with considerably more people still ahead of them.
After the Camino, one final wait
Per pilgrims, entering the Cathedral has a meaning that goes fer beyond visiting another monument.
Per a les centuries, el destí del Camí ha de fer el tomb tradicionalment atribuït a l'Apostle Saint James.
Moderns pilgrims mai volen per religious, spiritual, cultural, sporting or deeply personal reasons, però per a tots els que entenen el katedral remains un dels symbolics conclusions de les seves jornades.
That makes the current scenes particularly striking.
People que ha sobtat days or weeks crossing Spain are finally reaching Santiago — only per a discover that they mai need to wait another hour or more before entering the Cathedral.
Why are there so many people in Santiago?
The timing could hardly produeix greater demand.
August és already un dels busiest períodes de l'any en el Camí de Santiago, particularment en les finals seccions approaching el Galician capital.
Add the August 15 public holiday, summer turístic i visitors travelling specificalment a Santiago, i el resultat és una gran concentració de persones al centre històric.
There was another attraction this weekend.
August 15 is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and the possibility of seeing the famous Botafumeiro durant les celebracions religioses increased interest en entering the Cathedral.
The Botafumeiro: another reason for the crowds
The Botafumeiro has becat una de les mostes internationally recollides symbols de Santiago.
The enormous censer weighs approximately 53 quilograms and measures around 1.5 metres, according to the Cathedral itself. Per exemple, swings dramatically across el transept of the church, operated by the traditional group of eight tiraboleiros.
Per pilgrims que havien de veure witnessed it, seiing el Botafumeiro en operació s'ha de fer al cap d'un moment moment en el seu camí.
Aquesta atracció, combinada amb el dia de l'estiu, ajuda explain l'extrem number de persones attempting a la cathedral.
Santiago faça la pressure de la seva success
The scenes also raise a broader question sobre la enormous popularity of the Camino.
Santiago de Compostela must accommodate several different groups simultaneously: pilgrims completing their journey, organised tourist groups, independent visitors, religious travellers i residents going about their everyday lives.
During particularment busy periods, all of them converge on a relatively small medieval historic centre.
And the pressure és especialment visible around the Cathedral.
El camí d'extraordinària international growth és undoubtedly good news for many businesses i communities al llarg de les routes, però també creates challenges involving accommodation, public spaces, visitor management i experiència awaiting pilgrims at the destination.
Should pilgrims change their plans?
There is no reason to avoid Santiago, but pilgrims arribant durant exceptionalment busy periods should be prepared for crowds.
Per entering the Cathedral és essencial part de la Camí, do not assumeix that you will necessarily be able to walk straight inside immediately after reaching the Obradoiro.
Check the Cathedral's current opening and liturgical information, allow additional time and remember that security and access conditions can change according to services and visitor numbers.
The Cathedral publishes practical information for pilgrims and visitors through its official channels.
The final quilòmetres — and then the queue
There is something almost paradoxical sobre the scenes in Santiago.
Per days or weeks, pilgrims count down the kilometres.
100 km.
50 km.
20 km.
5 km.
Then finally, zero.
They enter Santiago, walk through its historic streets and see the Cathedral.
The backpack suddenly feels lighter.
Photographs are taken.
People hug.
Some cry.
And this weekend, many discovered one final test of patience:
the queue.
Per a tots els que hi hagi crossed mountains, tiren de raïm, enduren blisters i followen hundreds of yellow arrows, perhaps another 90 minuts no es defeat them.
No obstant això, certament s'endinsarà en el camí que no és expectat.
