Amenal-Santiago 10 miles

We kicked off at around 7:30 this morning and started getting signs from the universe that things were going to be awesome.

It started with a kitteh who showed up while we were having breakfast and perched on my lap the whole time, purring her little heart out. Oh sure, she was using her charms to get some food out of me but it was the first kitteh I got to pet in almost two weeks and it was heavenly.

Then, at about mile two, we were afforded a stunning sunrise. We haven’t had many of those because it’s been cloudy most mornings, so this felt quite special.

As we got closer to Santiago, we were able to see the city. From about 4 km we could see the spires of the cathedral. We then walked the longest 4 kilometers of our lives. It took forever.

As we got even closer, we realized that the locals just don’t give a shit. We were practically speed-walking with less than 1 km to go and this family of four felt it was their prerogative to spread out across the entire alley and crawl. I wanted to scream, “MOVE OUT THE FUCKIN WAY!” but that really would not be honoring the spirit of the Camino. So I had to settle for an under-the-breath, “Jesus fucking Christ,” which is totally okay with the Pope.

There was a guy with bagpipes as we entered the tunnel to the plaza of the cathedral and some stairs down and then we were there. And it was over. The longest walk either of us has ever taken was done. Thirty-five days and nearly 500 miles for Laura, and two weeks and 170 miles for me.

After we took pictures of the cathedral behind us, Laura laid down on the ground to rest. I was afraid to do this because I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get back up. But eventually I decided she looked quite comfy so I joined her. We hung out like that for half an hour or so and watched others come into the square, which was delightful.

One of our Camino friends told us the Compostela office moved very quickly so we headed over to get our documents. They’re pretty fricking cool. One even has my name in Latin on it. One details how far I walked, which is farther than what I thought it was based on the Camino app I’ve been using. So yay me. I’ve decided to count every mile, even though I cabbed some of them because what the fuck ever.

On our way to our hotel, we stopped at The Pilgrim House, which is like a welcome center, and donated our poles. Both of us bought ours in Spain because we didn’t want to have to check any luggage and they aren’t allowed on board most flights. I have poles at home that I like much better and, to be honest, like my sneakers, I’d prefer to never see my Camino poles ever again. And now I definitely won’t.

Tomorrow I head to Madrid for one night and Laura stays here and waits for her husband. They will spend an additional week in Spain. I bought a ticket to a flamenco show for tomorrow evening, the earliest show they have because I cannot guarantee how long I will be functional.

For the very last time, Buen Camino!Read more