Santiago

I made it to Santiago! It was a beautiful misty morning walk with pockets of sunshine along the way. There was a gentle flow of pilgrims but not a big rush, which I was grateful for. I was surprised by two horses that appeared along a stone wall and was happy to give them my banana as a treat.

I made it to the Cathedral and was ushered in with some bagpipe music. I walked the block down to the pilgrim office and got my Compostela. The man processing my credentials was really friendly and congratulatory. He was a volunteer from Florida who has walked 9 Caminos. He asked if I wanted the extra “distance certificate” to mark that I walked from Saint Jean and not just the final 100k to earn the Compostela. I said I didn’t walk every mile so I felt like I didn’t earn the distance certificate. He seemed surprised but didn’t press it.

When I was waiting to purchase a little packing tube that they sell at the pilgrim office to store your Compostela in safely, I changed my mind and found an opening in the line to go back and ask the man for my distance certificate. He said he was glad I came back and happily gave me the distance certificate saying I completed the Camino from Saint Jean. Even that little story feels like a moment of grace for myself. It’s not important that I didn’t walk every mile from Saint Jean to Santiago. It’s enough that I started in Saint Jean and I ended in Santiago and it was a pilgrimage to get here. I’m glad I didn’t get so caught up in the details that I denied myself the accomplishment of traveling a long ways, whether exclusively by foot or not.

Today felt joyful and celebratory. I feel proud of myself and grateful for the experience.

I decided to mail my hiking poles back to the US. The plane doesn’t let you bring them on board with your carry on. I was originally planning on leaving them behind, but I’ve grown fond of them and wanted to keep them as a memento. It felt like I was missing something for a full 10 minutes after I mailed them off.

I’m happy I decided to visit the ocean tomorrow as a fitting place to end my time in Spain and my time on the Camino.Read more