Salceda to Santiago de Compostela

Waking up at 4am this morning I knew that there was no way I'd get back to sleep. The prospect of getting to Santiago today was too prominent in my mind to permit any sleep.

Wary of disturbing other people sleeping, I waited until 5am before getting up and removing my gear to the common area, and having a light breakfast. Els was moving shortly after 6am, and by 6.30am we were both ready to hit the track for Santiago.

The first couple of hours of the day were spent walking in darkness, and apart for a couple of short rain bursts, was relatively uneventful. A couple of days ago I commented on the frequent placement of waymarkers between Sarria and Santiago, and this morning I was grateful for them. When walking through the dark, it is my greatest concern that I take a wrong turn and have to retrace my steps.

I came to realise this morning that the early bird, not only catches the worm, but also catches the spider webs. Unfortunately, this typically isn't until I'm virtually just about to walk through it. As a person who has a fear of spiders, this must have looked strange to Els as I frantically attempted to dodge them (mostly unsuccessfully).

Passing O Pedrouzo shortly after 8am, we were joined by about 30 other pilgrims also making their way to Santiago. Thankfully the early morning light started to remove the veil of darkness, and arriving at O Amenal decided to stop for a rest and coffee.

As the morning progressed, the trail was filled with more people, and I could feel a growing sense of excitement among the pilgrims I spoke with. For myself, I was ready to make the day my last on the Camino, and felt as if I picked up a gear in order to make this a reality. At the same time, with every step I could also feel the blister on my left heel, which had been gradually growing in recent days. The Compeed has done well, but I'm looking forward to resting my feet when I get to Santiago.

By midday I had reached the outskirts of Santiago, and now would be the relatively uneventful walk through the city to the cathedral and Pilgrim's Office for my compostela. I noticed that unlike people in other towns I'd passed through, people here didn't seem interested in acknowledging Camino pilgrims.

Upon reaching the centre of Santiago, the sheer number of pilgrims was quite amazing to see, and October is considered to be off-peak. My feet were sore, and I couldn't wait to collect my compostela, then get to my hotel and take my shoes off.

I think that I will reflect more on this journey in coming days than I will today, as for now I just feel like I need to rest and recover for a day or two.

I've achieved what I hoped to with this journey, and wouldn't change much of it. I've met some really interesting people, and despite one day of continuous rain, the walking conditions have been very good. My body is a bit sore, but has stood up to the challenge.

I will post one more entry in coming days to reflect on the end of my Camino, but for now need to rest.

Steps: 42,000
Distance: 28.1km
Distance walked from St-Jean: 400.6kmBaca selengkapnya