Camino Portugues–Senda Litoral

I forgot how beautiful this last stage to Santiago is. There is quite a bit of elevation gain but it is fairly gradual; it didn't seem to bother us pilgrims on this exciting day. The section through the city was shorter than I remembered. There was more nature and forest paths compared to what my head told me to expect.

There were lots of "Ah, I remember this!" moments, and several times that I pulled out my phone to take a photo I realized that I had captured the same image previously. It made me curious about my photographer's eye and what it is naturally drawn to. I briefly thought about trying to photograph the day differently but I was too excited to get to Santiago.
The morning sun was again glorious. The air was cool and the breeze was strong. Most pilgrims were in jackets and coats. A storm is building and it looks like everyone is prepared for it.

The coffee situation was tricky. I knew not many cafes would be open as early as I was walking, and I don't remember many stops on this stage. I unfortunately drank one of the Nespresso coffee pods at my farmhouse albergue before leaving. I know some people love the simplicity of those machines but it simply isn't as good as an espresso shot. I'm such a coffee snob...

I was actually surprised that there were more cafes than I expected to find on this stage. There were queues of people in the ones that were open and queues of pilgrims outside the ones that were closed, wanting to be first in line when the doors opened. I just kept walking by.
There was one cafe I knew would be open. We visited there and had memories of the staff teasing the girls as well as dressing Jamie and I up in traditional pilgrim attire and posing us for photos. When I arrived at that turn off I decided not to revisit the restaurant. Sometimes memories should be left as they are, and I didn't want any new experience to spoil what we already treasure.

Thankfully I found another cafe tucked around a corner that was the perfect spot for a rest, a croissant, and a caffeine recharge.

Another great memory was coming to an underpass that was full of graffiti messages to other pilgrims. When we saw it one of us said, "Oh wow! Wouldn't it be great to find our names left here... Oh My Gosh! Look! Here we are!" Our friends Ilaria and Francesco were a day or two ahead of us and had left the four of us a message of encouragement on the wall.
I didn't really expect to find our names still there - and they weren't - time and paint had covered them up and now there were new greetings to other pilgrims in their place. However, the good will of that initial gesture still filled me with joy and got me skipping up the Way.

A subject that isn't as joyful are the student groups. Everyone has their opinions about these groups on the Camino. Typically I'm a fan. What better thing could high school kids be doing? But there have to be some boundaries in place to also make it a good experience for other pilgrims. The group of students shadowing our days have had no such guardrails or guidance. I was told there were 150 of them, which I think was an exaggeration, but it felt that way. They traveled in buses and were dropped off to walk portions of stages having no awareness of other pilgrims - blocking the path, playing music on speakers, overwhelming rest stops. I've experienced some really great student groups on previous Caminos, but this group was not one of them. I don't blame the kids but the leaders who didn't seem to be guiding them. The energy on the Camino is affected by ill will towards each other and many pilgrims talked with me about how frustrated they were with this situation.

It's so exciting when you come over a rise and see the first glimpse of the cathedral spires. This year I also noticed a giant Ferris Wheel in Alameda Park. I don't know if there is a carnival in town, but it is certainly a circus. Tourists and Pilgrims flock into the Plaza do Obradoiro to stand in front of the Santiago Cathedral. We all want our pictures taken to signify where we are and what we've accomplished. There are lots of celebrations and emotions. This year it caught up with me and I let the tears come.

Having finished four Caminos I've got a bit of a routine in this city. I have a favorite cafe, a favorite bar (that serves a plate full of "Rabid tiger mussels'' that are a spicy celebration in your mouth), and even a favorite little pizza joint. Today I added a favorite barber shop to the list.

There are also the things you do to wrap up your pilgrimage - go to the Pilgrim's office to obtain your Compostela (a certificate of completion with your name in Latin) and a certificate that states when and where you walked and how far you journeyed.

I attended the Pilgrim's Mass in the Cathedral. You have to arrive early to get a seat and a big security guard keeps making the announcement - "It is time for the service. No more walking around. No more photos. Photos are prohibited. Moving is prohibited." Try to tell that to the pilgrims who have done nothing but move and take pictures for the past several weeks and just received two certificates to prove it.

My Spanish is awful, which is really deplorable since I've spent so much time in Spain, so it is difficult for me to understand much of the content during the Mass. I go out of respect and admiration. I know when to stand, sit and kneel by watching others. I know not to go forward for communion as I'm not Catholic. I keep hoping I'll get to see them swing the giant botafumeiro, but in the six or seven times I've gone they've kept it tied up.

After the service I walked down to the tomb of the Apostle. The line of spectators then moves behind the altar to hug the sculpture of Saint James from behind. I do so, thanking him for having been the inspiration for such great paths through the Iberian peninsula. I don't feel emotional inside the cathedral, as I did outside. It's hard to think that the presence of God is somehow more present in this building made by men (though it is aspectacular building) than it is in all of the living nature we just passed through. If you want to experience awe, take a walk. I certainly made this pilgrimage for spiritual reasons, but it wasn't to visit a grave.

My bonus story is that I got to meet up with an Irish Pilgrim that I've been following on Instagram. She recently completed the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon, like our family did two years ago. She is carrying the ashes of her mother in a fulfillment of a promise she made to her before she died of cancer. It was an honor to hear her story firsthand and to reflect on grieving on the Camino as well as finding new reasons to fully live.

I walk again tomorrow morning, but only for about a half hour or so to the bus terminal. From there I'll have a five hour bus ride to Oviedo where Bonnie will meet me so we can walk the Primitivo Camino together.

Thank you to the readers who made this writing effort worthwhile. It was helpful for me to process each day. I hope you found some value in it too.

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