May 28, 2015 Day 33 - O Pedrouza --> Santiago - approx 18 K
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! We arrived at the Cathedral in Santiago at approx. 12:00 noon. Our journey officially ended at the Pilgrim's office where we received our Compostela certifying that we had completed the walk.
The day started out with self-serve breakfast at the little pension where we stayed in O Pedrouza. Had a great view of hazy mountains out the window.
Got on the road by 7:00 am, full of anticipation since this was the culmination of the walk - reaching Santiago. The Camino was full of other pilgrims - you could almost feel the electricity in the air.
After about 45 minutes, we came upon John & Suzanne and Simon & Millie at a roadside cafe having breakfast. Stopped to visit and firm up plans in Santiago. Suzanne is walking today. It is understandably very important to her to complete the walk into Santiago.
Most of the day was similar to the past few days. Wooded paths, interspersed with dirt paths alongside farmlands. The biggest surprise was that there were several climbs along the way. We all agree that the Brierly guidebook we rely on primarily does not adequately warn of the climbs the last few days. Decided that he must of gotten tired or petered out the last few days with regard to his reporting.
Coming into Santiago is somewhat reminiscent of Burgos, in that you walk for what seems like forever through industrial areas of the city. Finally, we reached the old part of the city and descended towards the Cathedral. They were just beginning the 12:00 noon mass as we arrived. Had to wind our way around the outside of the Cathedral to the other side to find the street where the official Pilgrim's office is located. Then, stood in line for over an hour to receive the official Compostela, signifying we had competed our Camino walk.
By this time we were beyond hungry, so stopped for lunch before hunting for the hotel. I had scrambled eggs with mushrooms and Galician cheese, and Donna had one of those mixta salads she is becoming addicted to. Thus fortified, we started the hunt for the street on which our hotel was located. While only 300 meters from the Cathedral, it took several kind locals to steer us in the right direction before we finally arrived. What a treat! We essentially have a two bedroom suite and a tub to soak in to boot. Like everywhere else we have stayed in Spain, everything is very clean and spacious. The windows in my room open up to a lovely view of the Cathedral. And the cost of this little haven - approx. $60. Could not have asked for a better place to land at the end of our Camino.
After resting and re-grouping, Donna and I walked over to take a look at the Cathedral (Donna's other mission was ice cream reconnaissance). Unfortunately, most of the outside is shrouded in scaffolding as part of a cleaning / renovation project. Still, it was quite impressive. We went inside and the Cathedral itself is huge, with many side chapels and interesting artwork. There is this tiny stone stair passageway where you can climb behind the altar and "hug" the saint. Although I am not even sure who he is, I went ahead and gave a little hug anyway - can't hurt.
We ran into Marion, Krys, etc and visited for a while, before meeting up with John & Suzanne a and Simon & Millie for dinner. The whole group ended up together for the evening. We are all going to get together for 12:00 noon mass tomorrow, then most of them are heading for Finestere on Saturday.
One of the fun things about being in Santiago is seeing the "cast of characters" everywhere you look. We keep seeing pilgrims we first saw at the beginning of the walk. Or, some we actually walked with. We saw John the Korean that I sat next to at dinner the other night in Ribidisu, and he gave us a big hug to celebrate the completion of our first Camino. Dan, from San Francisco. We saw this one guy from Germany that was on the trail with us for weeks on end, but would never say hello. I took his picture on the square as a memento.
At dinner, Marion noted that she was a little disappointed that she didn't feel this overwhelming emotion upon entering Santiago. Some sort of spiritual high. I observed that we were so tired and hungry as we trudged in looking for where to go, and then hunting for the pilgrim's office, then foraging for food, and finally looking for the hotel....this evening we were finally able to relax with friends and revel in the accomplishment. I think the best word to describe my emotions is "content". This is more the type of situation where you continue to process and learn from the lessons long after the physical journey ends.
I thought of one final thing I wanted to share, before I conclude this Camino. Often, while walking (or biking) for hours on end, I will engage in a practice of saying individual prayers of blessings on people whose names come to mind. That includes just about everyone who has been a part of my life, including readers of my blog. You.
Continued blessings on you all.
Buen Camino!
Kim
