Day 41 Santiago (written)

We made it! Arrived in Santiago at 1:00 pm after a steady, pleasant 5-hour walk. The past few nights I’ve been wide awake at about 2:00 am, then read a bit before falling asleep again, usually by 3:30. The 6:00 alarm wakes me up to prepare for the day’s walk. At 2:00 am last night the thunder, lightning, and torrential rain was so loud and severe that I wondered if anyone would even attempt to walk through it. But, at 7:00 am, the rain had subsided, and the skies, once again started to open up.
By 9:00, the sun was coming out, and despite the large crowds, especially with pilgrims joining us from other routes, there was a quiet sense of peace and purpose among all of us. One criticism the Camino has acquired these past few years, is that it is becoming too commercialized, and certainly there are shops everywhere selling tourists trinkets, but it was easy for us to avoid them. The first part of today’s walk was puddly, muddy as we navigated through the dense eucalyptus trees. Even though it was raining the lingering rain water from the night before prompted some to wear raincoats. As we got closer to Santiago, looking for the cathedral, the asphalt path was welcoming as we took our time to savour these last few steps of our journey.
I had expected the Cathedral to be evident from a distance, but that was not the case. We went up and down through the city before eventually reaching Praza Obradoiro Cathedral among the hundreds of pilgrims who were there with us. We were grateful we had reached our destination, free from injury, unlike many others. After a half hour of savouring our accomplishment with others around us, we tracked down our hotel, showered, napped, then went back to the Cathedral square to get our Compostela, the certificate that goes to those who have completed the journey. We had been told that there may be as much as a three- hour lineup to get it, but we had ours in 20 minutes. After that, we toured the Cathedral, Cathy lit a few candles, then we returned to our hotel, just before, true to form, we evaded another thunder and lightning storm.
As I ponder the lessons from this journey, there is the challenge of trying to find the specific words that accurately reflect my feelings, bearing in mind that these journeys are highly personal, and that what one person gets out of it is not the same as another. In fact, that’s the beauty of this experience-we can tailor it to our own needs. Many of those who have come multiple times have indicated that the allure of this trip is the peace and calm it leaves you with afterwards, while others others have commented on the fact that it’s impossible to explain it to someone who hasn’t been here. From my perspective, any journey requires taking a first step, often the most difficult one to take. For those os us who are on the Camino, the first step was taken at whatever point we decided to start. However, at that point, the journey only really starts. Continuing that journey requires stamina and there is a new word associated with that challenge that I’ve learned from this experience- “Ultreia.” Ultreia, derived from the Latin word “ultra,” meaning “beyond” or “farther “ is a rallying cry for the pilgrims. The journey may require you to push yourself beyond what what you thought you could do, it may require you to seek help along the way from other pilgrims, or it may require you to adapt your journey to suit your reality. At the end, it is a spiritual journey in the sense that it challenges the power of the human spirit. Also, the power of journey lies in the stories and experiences we have shared and continue to share with one another, without moralizing or judging, recognizing that everyone’s journey has merit. And we do not need to be in Spain to experience that.
Today, we are planning to visit Santiago, taking in the museums and history this city has to offer. Ten minutes ago, Cathy looked outside and commented,”It looks like a beautiful day.” Five seconds ago, she said, “It’s pouring out there, now what are we going to do?” Ultreia!Les mer