The day started early, way too early for me. At 5:30 am, my next door neighbours noisily packed up and hit the trail! Who does that? Maybe they wanted to make it to Santiago and get one of the 10 free breakfasts offered at the Parador de Santiago de Compostela. This beautifully restored building was established in 1499 as a Royal hospital to care for pilgrims. http://www.parador.es/en/blog/ten-free-meals-pilgrims-way-st-james
A very early start
After the early morning commotion, I could not get back to sleep and so, at 6 am, I got up and started to pack for my last day of walking. By the time I was ready to go, it was 7:15; this was the earliest start I’d gotten. The full moon was up and it was beautiful, but oh so dark! I had to use my phone’s flashlight for the first half hour or so. Unlike other days, I didn’t take as many photos. I was sad that the Camino would be ending.
After walking for about 2 hours, I arrived in Lavacolla. This is the place where pilgrims used to wash themselves before heading into Santiago. In the days before hostels and hotels, sanitary conditions left a lot to be desired. So, the pilgrims would stop at this spot to bathe and change into clean clothes so they would presentable as they walked into the cathedral. There are all kinds of clothing items strung on laundry lines here.
Getting closer
Half an hour later, I made my first stop (those socks needed changing every couple of hours, even after a full week of walking). I had a delicious cup of authentic Spanish hot chocolate. If you’ve never had this delicacy and you’re a chocolate lover, you must try it! The chocolate is so thick that you can stand a churro in it. It’s not too sweet, and it’s super creamy and rich.
On the outskirts of Santiago, I saw the monument built to honour Pope John Paul II. The monument itself is very large and modern; not my type of art, but it certainly gets your attention. There were a few hundred people gathered here when I arrived. Most were wearing orange vests. I thought this was odd and I asked why they were gathered. It was a fundraising walk for Alzheimers. Oh wow. My dad died of Alzheimer’s disease. This made emotional and I decided to spend a little extra time here, listening to speeches and just being surrounded by the wonderful vibe.
Santiago de Compostela
As I walked away from Lavacolla, I saw Santiago de Compostela in the distance. I was nearly there! I crossed the overpass where, a week earlier, I’d seen pilgrims crossing. Mind you, they crossed at 7:20 am. Not this pilgrim! It was about 11 am when I made my way across. I was very surprised by the poor condition of the sidewalk. For some reason, there were holes and cracks everywhere. And the sidewalk was made of wood, not concrete. I actually had to watch my step because I’m a bit of a klutz and the last thing I needed was to twist an ankle in the last couple of kilometres.
The walk into the city was long and a little tedious. Maybe it was because I’d gotten used to enjoying the beautiful Galician countryside and I was not ready for the city views. By this point, my sadness had given way to excitement and I wanted to get to the cathedral. I had messaged Lourdes earlier when I was 10 km and then 5 km away to give her an update. She said that she’d meet me when I arrived. I wasn’t sure how she would do this, but I didn’t give it much thought. So, I kept on walking. I had run across Gregorio and José earlier in the day and I walked with them into the city.
And then, there it was, the cathedral appeared! Such a beautiful church. I heard someone call my name. Lourdes had found me among the throngs of pilgrims! What a great surprise. We walked together for the last kilometer or so. It was very emotional; the crowds were getting bigger, the excitement in the air was palpable. I could feel that this really was a very special experience.
I did it
What a wonderful feeling. After seven days of walking, making new friends, enjoying the sights, and dealing with blisters I arrived at the Cathedral. This was an unforgettable experience. To think that I was so happy and peaceful for the whole week while living out of a backpack. I took each day as it came. I enjoyed all the little moments. I walked slower than I’ve ever walked and I still arrived on Saturday. As I reached the Cathedral, I realized that I want to do another Camino. Maybe the Portugal one. Something to look into.
Once we reached the cathedral, we took a few pictures and I decided to go to the pilgrim’s office to get my accreditation. My thinking was that most pilgrims would be at mass and the line ups would not be an issue. Ah, how wrong I was! It took us about an hour and a half to get to the front of the line! And the pilgrim’s office is kind of sneaky; they have several different places where they direct pilgrims. So, at first I thought, “this is great, there are very few people here!” Nope! There were many of us there. But, it was still fun, even if I was tired and sweaty. With my accreditation in hand, we headed out for a bite to eat. What a feast. We had lunch not far from the cathedral, but away from the main touristy area. Such great food and wine. The perfect meal to celebrate the end of the Camino.
Since the Holy Door is open this year, I wanted to walk through it. And I did. At which point, I was stopped by a security guard. Backpacks are not allowed and there’s no place to store them! Really?? You have a city full of pilgrims and you don’t allow backpacks? I know. I know. Security is a huge issue nowadays, but I was still disappointed. As a matter of fact, for the first time ever I saw armed guards all around the cathedral. A sad, and sobering sight.
The rest of the day was spent dealing with regular vacation details: calling the car rental agency, finding out that I was late in picking up the rental. It didn’t take long to get back to reality! But, it didn’t matter because I was on such a high. That night, we partied! Lourdes’ brother Santi and her hubby Antonio joined us and we headed out. What a party! Four bars/restaurants and several drinks later, I crawled into bed at 2:30 am! It was such a perfect way to end my Camino.
