After a wonderful and refreshing night’s sleep, it was lovely to have a lie in this morning until 8am and to get up slowly and in the light!Yesterday was almost too full of different experiences and impressions. The walking was up and down, but easy enough, especially as it was a shorter day than the day before. It was also, after the first hour or so of relative solitude, busier and busier the further we walked. By lunchtime, we were only about 5km from our destination and Amanda spotted 2 good Camino friends in a cafe. And thank goodness we stopped to join them, as about 5 minutes later, the heavens opened. We sat it out for a while, but eventually felt we had outstayed our welcome and ventured out to walk the final stretch into the city together in the teeming rain.Gradually, the countryside turned into suburbs and light industrial buildings, the rain eased and the roads we walked along and crossed became bigger and busier, until we reached the much ‘zapped’ giant Santiago de Compostela sign - it seems that pilgrims, like sailors, have a penchant for covering significant items in stickers!The last couple of kilometres felt slow … perhaps because we were getting weary, perhaps because the anticipation was making everything seem like it was taking longer. A short diversion to our final albergue, in the former Seminario Menor, and we headed uphill again to the 0km marker and our ultimate destination of Santiago Cathedral. I’m still working out how I feel about that arrival - if I had been alone, I’m sure I would have gone straight to the Cathedral with my backpack and poles. As it was, I went unburdened.I’m also still trying to work out why I did this or what it means to me. Part of it was definitely about an opportunity presenting itself and taking it. Part of it was fulfilling a long held hope. Part of it was proving to myself that I could do it physically. Maybe the biggest part was quite simply finding out what would happen and opening myself up to possibility.Would I do it again? Absolutely! I’d love to walk the Camino Ingles some time. But maybe next year …!Perhaps in a few days, once things have settled in my mind, I will have had a chance to reflect on what I’ve learned and maybe I’ll post something more. But, for now, the pilgrim is signing off for a few days’ rest and tourism and wishing you - Buen Camino!
Day 5 was always going to be a challenge. After a lazy evening in the sunshine yesterday, we left the albergue as the sun was rising, knowing that we had 26km to cover before our last night’s rest. The morning was overcast but very pleasant as we continued on through fields and farms. A second breakfast of tortilla was followed by empanada for lunch - the cafes and bars were fewer and further between today and many were either closed or closing as we passed. In fact, although the map showed a long string of villages to pass through, we barely touched many of them. And then the Camino started to follow more closely the main road to Santiago … just as the rain set in. So this afternoon has been 13km of getting our heads down and just plodding.It seems extraordinary that tomorrow we will be in Santiago - I’ve only been walking for just short of 100km so far, but it feels like it will never end. I can only imagine how my friend is feeling as she contemplates the last 20km of nearly 800km since France.Today feels as though it has, in some ways, been the essence of pilgrimage - aching feet, miles to cover before bed and time both to think and not to think. The steady rhythm of my feet has got me here and has freed up my mind to travel here, there and everywhere.Tomorrow, we will finish our pilgrimages - and perhaps start to make sense of what we have achieved.
Another night in a dormitory meant another earlier start. Today we really did leave in the dark and headed straight into a stretch of path through the misty woods without even the moon to light the way - definitely one of those occasions when the multi-functionality of a mobile phone comes in very handy!An early stop for breakfast gave us time to wait for the sun to rise, although not for the mist to clear, and we were on our way again. After a relatively quiet day yesterday, having shaken off the crowds by avoiding the standard stopping places at each end of the day, the next set of crowds caught up with us as we started out and has led to a busy path at times. Walking as a pair has been a joy - someone to chat with when so inclined, but also stretches when the silence falls and we can each walk with our own thoughts. It’s noticeable that many of the larger groups walking together can be heard coming from some distance away … and it still seems very odd that some are stopping to pose for photo opportunities quite so frequently. Learning the tolerance to accept that what may be a spiritual pilgrimage for me can also be a backpacking holiday for others has been salutary. My version of this walk is just that - MY version - and others have as much right to do this their way as I have.And today has felt more like a holiday: the sun has shone, my feet and legs are continuing to hold up well and we’ve walked through very varied terrain - town, country and all the graduations in between. Another relatively short day of 16km or 10 miles has allowed for another early stop. So a welcome shower, change of clothes and a cold drink on a sunny terrace is just what I need! After all, this isn’t about punishing myself by walking further than is sensible or sticking to someone else’s idea of what the itinerary should look like. On His journey to Jerusalem, Jesus too stopped to refresh Himself and others along the way - time to pray (today in the church of S Juan de Furelos on the way into Melide), time to sit and talk with others over a meal or a drink, time to just be …
