Overnight - Hotel Virxe da Cerca
The final day.
I think by now I've accepted that this thing is soon going to end and I'm at peace with that. Doesn't mean I'm very happy about it. Just that I'm at peace with it. Today is all about getting to that square outside the Cathedral and drawing the curtain on my pilgrim life.
Kim and I left A Rua just on dawn with a view to possibly making the famed noon pilgrims mass at the Cathedral. As the morning wore on, and with various recuperative stops, I think we'd resigned ourselves to missing it and settling for tomorrow instead.
The walk itself was again unexpectedly pleasant with long stretches through the woods. Even the section past Santiago airport was fine, unlike that less than satisfying trudge into Burgos past that town's airport all those days ago.
The final few kilometres through the outskirts of Santiago were full of anticipation. Perhaps because it was later in the morning, the crowds were less than I’d thought they would be. But there were still plenty of backpacks (or - more accurately - daypacks) ahead into the distance so there were zero chances of getting lost.
Finally we made it to the edge of the old town, then it was down through narrow laneways housing souvenir and tattoo shops with the occasional bar.
And then the short tunnel leading into the square came into view. On the way through it, I warmly greeted some Camino buddies from a few days ago who had now finished and were heading back to their accommodation.
Down through the tunnel and out into the light and there it was. The extraordinary edifice of the Cathedral (even surpassing that in Leon) was to our left, and pilgrims were resting on their backpacks or hugging and high-fiving all over the large square.
Arriving there really was a special moment.
After a while, a few of us agreed to catch up later, and I stayed in the square for over three hours watching the passing parade of new and familiar faces. It had it all. Chanting and flag waving from proud groups of identically dressed walkers, champagne bottles popping, boots tossed in the air, and all manner of selfies. There was even a marriage proposal which - judging from the sustained applause and the smile on the face of the beaming female recipient - seemed to have been accepted.
A contemplative Swiss woman who I'd met while sitting there after she had arrived earlier in the day said to me that it was only an hour or two between being a pilgrim and being a tourist (she had changed from her walking clothes and looked as if she was on a simple day trip to Santiago). I quite liked being a pilgrim so the comment prompted me to extend my stay there for a time with my boots on and resting on my backpack.
The rest of the afternoon was spent at the very impressive (pre-booked) hotel Virxe da Cerca - my most luxurious accommodation of the journey - on the edge of the old town. Then it was off to get the compostela at the pilgrims’ office, where the wait was short and the handwriting of the volunteer behind the counter exceptional. I paid extra to get the optional certificate of distance, and a handy tube to keep them both in.
The night closed with a final dinner and drinks with my beloved Camino buddies, interspersed with a short tour of some very interesting parts of Santiago, guided by a former local who was staying at one of the albergues.
And then it was over.
After maybe a half drink too many, I wandered tentatively back to the hotel, anxious about how my head might feel in the morning.
Weather - Yet another spectacular day in Spain, although the wind picked up quite strongly while I was loitering outside the Cathedral, and it worked to cool things quite a bit.
Health - I finished the walk nursing my lone blister, which was getting rather annoying. But, physically, everything else was fine. Given this was the final day, though, my mental health was suffering a little. But it’s OK.
Food - Pot of tea and yoghurt etc; Can Coke Zero; Gelato; Pastries and baguette; Dinner at Santiago (burger, chips, drinks); Drinks at Santiago bar
Expenses - Accommodation - 75.00; Food/Drink 44.20; Other (Optional distance compostela - 2.00; Tube to hold certificates - 3.00) Total - 124.20
Walking time - 5 hours, 10 minutes (start 6:45am, arrive at Cathedral 12:05pm)
Brierley distance - 21.6km (total 780.2km!!!)
Daily Steps - 31,467
Total Camino steps - 1,240,007!!!
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