Day 37: To Santiago!

The Way.
In a logical sense, today was like any of the other 37 days I have been walking from Saint-Jean-Pied-du-Port France to Santiago. Just another 20-kilometer (12 mile) day of my 800k (500 mile) journey. A little shorter than most, a walk-through villages and cities, through fields, on paths and roads, leading to a destination.
Below, I’ve posted photos of what I saw during the last 20k. They say little about what I experienced excepting the photos of my Camino family I met along the way. I started the day walking with Traci from San Diego that was practically sprinting knowing her husband had flown over and would be meeting her when she walked into Santiago.
Thank you, Dorothy, for accompanying me for the first 11 days of my Camino adventure and the travel days in Paris and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port France. It was great just spending time with you. What really made the Camino such a memorable experience was so much more than the walk and the Spanish countryside. What makes the Camino so special is the connections you make along the trail. There are too many to mention them all, but hank you Rebekah from Australia. Dorothy and I met her in St-Jean-Pied-de-Port over a month ago and she made it a point to greet me as I walked into the Santiago Plaza. Thank you, Cecilia, Bryan & Marta & George, Linda, Collin and (Irish) Emma. Thank you, Sally Jo, Kelly, Alice & Aurelie. Terry, (Amish) Emma and Jack. Thank you, Peter, Jono, Escher and their family. Thank you, Klaus, Elena, Victor, Lauren, Katarina & Julia, Karen, Ingegerd, Nayhouy, Mike & Barb, Natalie, Mina, Eva, Sudah, Sunny, and so, so many more.
As humans, we are driven often more by emotions and feelings than logic. At least for me, that is definitely the case, and I would consider that a good thing. Therefore, today was so much more.
The Camino, “The Way” is more than just a really long walk from France through Spain. Some believe it’s some magic meridian lines along the route that give healing powers. Christian’s have walked the route for over 1000 years to show devotion to St James the Apostle. Many say the route was walked long before that. All I know is it is a unique experience. I believe that beyond the infrastructure (albergues, yellow arrows (everywhere) and well-maintained pathways), it’s the people like those mentioned above that choose to walk the walk. Perhaps because of the shared experiences and pain, connections are quickly formed. The people are virtually never judgmental, kindness is omnipresent. It’s the way I want to be. It’s the way I want the world to be. I want us all to be seeking the same destination.

That being said, today I walked into Santiago.
This journey has ended.
I will carry my memories of the quiet moments, the wonderful moments walking with my sister and the many wonderful people that enriched my journey with me. Always.
I believe carrying these experiences will help me enrich those around me.
My feet are tired. My heart is full.
The journey continues.

Postscript…
I started the Camino on May 12th, 2023, from St Jean Pied de Port France and walked into main Cathedral square of Santiago de Compostela Spain on the early afternoon of June, 17th 2023.
According to my Fitbit I walked:
37 Days
1,370,946 Steps
956. Kilometers
597. Miles

And…
Those statistics are a relatively insignificant part of the journey.Okumaya devam et