The Final Day to Santiago

Yesterday morning we set out at 6:30 a.m. to walk what was traditionally pilgrims ´last leg´ to Santiago, a distance of 40 kilometers. A hotel reservation and the desire to finish drove us on. Some notable highlights of of final day included:

The first day in four where the sun came out and stayed out all day. It was glorious after the steady downpours!

A Spanish woman eating the largest meat boccadillo we had every seen, washed down with beer and two espressos.

A sense of poignancy walking 10 of the last 20 kilometers with a huge group (100 to 150 people) of deaf and hard of hearing adults (some with multiple disabilities). They were supported by a dedicated group of volunteers so they could walk at least part of the Camino. Someone we met today said they walked in later yesterday. Wendy knew that waving her hands was the deaf sign for applause. She and I were a big hit with the deaf and hard of hearing walkers as we waved our hands as they went by us at lunch today!

We walked into the plaza where Santiago Cathedral is located at about 4:30 p.m. We Both of us were pretty tired after 40 kilometers and our feet ached. It was surreal to finish in the square which was filled with tourists taking pictures. For both of us, arriving was less important than the process of the journey that took us 455 kilometers together through approximately 60% of the Camino Frances.

Once we arrived in Santiago, both wondered what to do next. A woman approached us who had finished her walk yesterday. She said she felt just as stunned when she walked in at 40 kilomters the day before. She recommended getting some rest and coming back to the square tomorrow to see the cathedral and get our compostella(certificate of completion).

This morning after a great sleep and brunch we cabbed it back to the square. Santiago Cathedral is impressive, but we both agreed that Burgos cathedral is more magnificent. We lined up with other pilgrims and received our certificates of completion which are printed in Latin. While Wendy´s name is the same, my Latin name is ¨Jacobam¨.

After getting our certificates for completing our pilgrimage, we visited Santiago Cathedral and watched part of the Sunday mass. It was interesting to experience the mass and the church interior at the same time.

Now that we have finished our journey, we become tourists for the next five days. We will spend the next few days exploring Santiago. On Wednesday we will take the train to Bilbao and spend Thursday checking out the Guggenhim Museum. On Friday, fingers crossed that the volcanic ash cloud does not interfere, we will fly home via Munich.

We look forward to returning to family, friends, and our pets. We look forward to sharing our adventures with you accompanied by a reasonable number of pictures!

All our best wishes,
Jim and Wendy