Day 7 We Conquered the Camino

We were all looking forward to completing our cycling adventure today. We cycle 27 km from Padron to Santiago de Compostela. We had a similar breakfast of meat, cheese, bread, fruit, yoghurt and coffee. We got on the road and out of town easily today. We had lots of short climbs and enjoyed the little hamlets we cycled through. We were focussed and didn't stop for coffee today.

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The final stage of your Camino takes you through a series of Galician hamlets with traditional cottages and barns as well as
the imposing sanctuary of Nossa Señora da Escravitute. Enjoy the forest trail then head up to Milladoiro for your first glimpse
of Santiago and its cathedral towers. Drop down to the valley to cross the River Sar before one last ascent that brings you into
the city centre, following the medieval streets to the cathedral, where all pilgrims converge. Be sure to visit the Oficina del
Peregrino with your stamped Credencial in order to claim your compostela. Then treat yourself and head to one of the many
restaurants on Rua do Franco, serving delicious Galician seafood accompanied by local wines. Today has more ascent than
descent, so you totally deserve it!

Today was all about completing this adventure with our amazing friends, Joanne and Andrew. We have had so much fun, we have shared lots of laughs together, sampled incredible local & traditional cuisine, captured incredible sights and supported each other through the daily challenges (cobblestones, sore butts, steep hill climbs and descents, navigating and a few of my falls). I was emotional as we arrived at the hotel to get our last stamp. What an accomplishment. We stored our bikes and paniers, got our padded bike shorts off 😏 and then walked to the center of the city Square at the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela for the completion of our cycling pilgrimage. This was emotional for me too, especially seeing all the other pilgrims celebrating. We took our pictures and then walked to the official office to get registered for our completion certificates called compostelas. We took a photo with them and the tears flowed again!! The release of what we accomplished together is catching up to me🤗. There were already 1141 pilgrims that had gone through to get certificates by the time we got ours. We walked to the the Rua do Franco Street where we saw and smelled some delicious looking tapas. It was a great choice and we enjoyed more unique dishes. Following lunch we headed back for check-in time at our hotel. After cleaning up and stretching, Joanne and I went shopping where I was able to buy a handmade portugal lace table runner set and a little dish and bracelet from Porcelana Sargadelos. We arranged a meet up for drinks and dinner with Keith and Mary to celebrate together. We enjoyed sharing about travel, family, retirement, career, our local political systems and other topics through dinner and the dessert & fresh fruit we shared back at our hotel. They are a lovely couple and they and us extended invitations to come stay in Canada and/or with them in the UK.
This was a special day having completed 284.6 km over 7 days and making memories with special friends. We are grateful 🙏 for these opportunities.Weiterlesen