Day 34 – Buen Camino from Santiago de Compostela

O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela, 19Km

The final day of the Camino is a mixture of emotions ranging from sheer relief that it’s over to the joy of completion and everything in between and beyond. The following day is the hangover, the emptiness and the loss of Camino friends and the daily routine. You want to walk but there’s nowhere left to go.

I overslept yesterday morning and didn’t leave O Pedrouzo until after 8am but there was no danger of being left behind. The path was thick with pilgrims, many on the final day of their 100Km walk, day packs swinging from their clean shirts and the rest of the luggage entrusted to the courier. I had a room in a Pensión and had to squeeze through the entrance which was jammed with huge suitcases awaiting transportation. I don’t think baggage transfers were an option in 2016.

The Camino provides. I placed my faith on the Camino for breakfast and it was soon amply repaid with fresh orange juice, croissant and coffee. What luxury these Frances people enjoy.

The ubiquitous yellow arrows led me through the last of the eucalyptus trees and eventually into Santiago’s Plaza del Obradoiro, the main square in front of the Cathedral. The clock struck 12:00 as I arrived. You can’t help taking a little gulp as you stand there among the crowds of happy pilgrims celebrating their Camino. I walked every step of the way and now the long walk from my home is over.

Sanne came to meet me. We walked together for the first couple of days in Spain before she raced ahead. It was so nice to be met at the finish and by someone who was there at the beginning. We had a celebration drink and then I had a bath and watched with interest as little bits of debris floated to the surface.

I collected my Compostela from the pilgrim office. I don’t know why I bothered because the Camino is more than a piece of paper at the end but it only took 10 minutes. All very efficient and sustainable, assuming the paper is from the eucalyptus trees.

Next I went to see the Pórtico de la Gloria, the magnificent Romanesque portal carved in 1188. It’s one of the greatest works of medieval sculpture in Europe. Until a few years ago pilgrims entered the cathedral through the main entrance and passed through the Portico, touching the Tree of Jesse on one of the marble columns. It’s an experience no one ever forgot. The whole thing has now been restored and there is a hefty admission charge to see it. I paid up and got a slot at 5:30pm. What they’ve done is a travesty. The whole point of the Pórtico is for pilgrims to pass through it as they enter the cathedral. Nowadays everyone enters through a side door and the Pórtico is fenced off. None of the pilgrims even know it’s there. They need to reopen the front doors so pilgrims can once again experience the Pórtico as it was intended.

In the evening I had a quick beer with a few of the Norte people and then went back to my hotel to search all my stuff for bed bugs. None found, surprisingly as I have quite a few bites.

It has been my intention for awhile to return to Santiago on this, the 10th anniversary of my first Camino, but this time following the Norte rather than the Frances. I also decided that it would be my last pilgrimage walk. What a treasure trove of memories I’ve accumulated over these past ten years across Europe and in Japan. And what wonderful people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting along the way. It’s been a privilege to undertake these walks and I’m immensely grateful to have the health and resources to do them.

These blogs have always been a bit of fun and not to be taken too seriously. So a big thank you to everyone who’s followed them. I deeply appreciate all your comments and to those who were unable to penetrate the WordPress comment system, I know you’re with me. Buen Camino from Santiago de Compostela.