• Todd and Ann ZimmelCamino de SantiagoTraveler
    At 9:30am Ann and I made it to Santiago de Compostela!!
    Arrived with Birgitte and Emily from Denmark and got picturesOur friend Carla from Barcelona who we met on day 1 on the train to Pamplona met us in the squareWe hadn't seen much of each other since day 2 so it was great to see her againNice reunion and she was happy we made itGot a nice picture with herMore bagpipes in the squareWent to the pilgrims mass at noon and was fortunate enough to witness the botafumeiro being usedThe alter in the cathedral was the most beautiful one we've seen in Spain 🤩Afterwards we enjoyed chocolate churros and cafe con leche at a local cafeWe took a picture with our bags because it symbolized all we needed was in those bags2Went to the pilgrims office and got our Compostela and Certificate of Distance 👍We did a little souvenir shoppingMet with Mark from New Zealand for dinner and he was kind enough to pay 😊1Compare the kms from this picture from Day 2 in Roncesvalles to Santiago picWalked Mark to a pub that had the Rugby World Cup between Ireland & New Zealand. Go Kiwis!!Swinging of the botafumeiro in the cathedral at the end of noon mass. Doesn't happen every mass. 🤩

    We made it! Lavacolla to Santiago 10kms

    October 14, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    35 days, 779km, multiple blisters, amazing new friendships and an experience like none other.
    It was a beautiful day to walk into Santiago from Lavacolla, only 10km today. We walked with Birgitte and Emily from Denmark. They are a lovely mother and daughter that we only met a week ago but have made a great connection with. I cannot explain the feeling as we approached the city. It just didn’t seem real after all these days. The Cathedral didn’t come into view until we were almost there. What an impressive and breathtaking site. One of our very first friends we met on the Camino was Carla, a lovely young woman from Barcelona who we met on the train to Pamplona. We only walked with her the first few days but our connection with her was strong and we kept in touch though out our Camino. We only saw her one other time while walking. She arrived in Santiago a couple of days before us and she was in the square waiting for us as we walked in. It was so nice to see her again. We also met with Clair from France who we walked with for almost 3 weeks at the beginning of our Camino. She came into Santiago a few hours after us and we had a nice reunion with her. After arriving in Santiago we headed to the pilgrim office where we received our final stamp on our credentials and our Compostela and Certificate of Distance. Very special mementos for us. We then attended the Pilgrim mass in the Cathedral where we were treated to the swinging of the Botafumerio…. It doesn’t happen at every mass so we were blessed to be able to experience it.
    This evening we met up with Mark from New Zealand who we shared a nice afternoon with a few weeks ago. After dinner, Mark rushed off to a pub to catch a big rugby match between New Zealand and Ireland. I think he could be in for a fun night by the looks of the place.
    Our last day in the Camino is drawing to close and although we had our struggles along the way, it exceeded our expectations by far. Hard to believe we won’t have to wake up early and start walking in the morning…although something tells me Todd might still do so.    Read more