I made it!

I dragged my exhausted butt to Santiago de Compostela! I did it!

I arrived about 3:15 on 10/10. I was so tired and achy I chose to skip the cathedral to shower and rest before taking in the Cathedral de Santiago.

The day was kind of a microcosm of the whole walk. The morning was cool, wet, misty. I had to walk about 1k to join up with the yellow markers. The path was sandy and wet with a felled tree we either walked under or around. There were stony climbs and steep descents. There were small towns, pop-up vendors, wooded paths, and a long slog uphill once getting to town, navigating around kids clogging the streets near every-block bus stops. There were narrow windy roads and aggressive drivers, people nodding their well-wishes, and cafes with cakes.

Once getting into Santiago historical district, the way narrowed and like water through a pipe, more and more pilgrims flowed upward toward the Cathedral. I kind of fought to get out so I could skip the crowd and get to my hotel.

Taking MB S’ suggestion, my mantra was something like “I receive miracle after miracle.”
And a rest stop appeared when I needed it, or a rest room. A young man said to me, “enjoy the last part of this” and I did. I started to cry on the outskirts of the city, then had to focus on one leg in front of the other up another long hill, enjoying it. At a rest on someone’s stone bench in their driveway, two of the ladies from yesterday’s picture passed, turned to say, “buen camino”, and we both said, Hey! I know you. They got my contact info and invited me to dinner. What a miracle! Another place I stopped to admire a bridge and 2 young ladies offered to take my picture. Later, when I was at the cathedral just crying and crying, they came over to comfort and connect and they showed me where the pilgrim office is, where I register as a walker and get the Compostella certificate.

So I was able to have drinks and dinner to celebrate with some great people. Yay! I did most of this alone, walking slower than everyone I conversed with, and was so blessed with company at the end.Read more