Ribadiso-Amenal 15 1/2 miles

I’m full of mixed emotions tonight. Tomorrow we reach Santiago. Today was our last long walk. We only have 10 miles left to go.

In four days, I return home. In six days, I’ll be back teaching a class at Bodhi’s homeschool co-op and making my Friday run to Wegmans. I am excited about these things. I cannot wait to see my family; I have missed them terribly. I look forward to not having to walk a gazillion miles every day. I look forward to my feet not hurting. I look forward to taking a bath, oh my god. And sleeping in my own bed.

But this has been such a wonderful adventure and I will miss so many things. I will miss fresh-squeezed orange juice available at every bar and restaurant. I will miss the simplicity of walking the Camino. I will miss beautiful Spain. I will miss hearing and saying, “Buen Camino” dozens of times a day. I will miss all of this physical activity. Walking seven hours a day every day changes your body and I like it.

Tomorrow, when we get to Santiago, I may or may not wait in line to get my Compostela. It would be nice to have but it’s not worth standing in line a long time for. What I’d rather do is find a seat at a cafe and watch other pilgrims finish their Camino and see the emotions wash over them as they realize all they have accomplished. I suspect I’ll be a puddle.Read more