Santiago de Compostela

We arrived in Santiago on May 31st, 9 days earlier than when we estimated we'd arrive, and went straight to the Pilgrim mass at the renowned Cathedral that probably does not have the remains of St James, but one of the locals from the same time period. The cathedral was packed with smelly and elated pilgrims (us included) and the incensed from the bottafumeria ("smoke belcher") was put to good use, to our delight. We ran into our friends, Jaime and Claire, from England, and shared a prolonged lunch with them and other Camino pals at a local restaurant in the old part of the city.

The Camino has been tough, and, generally, good for me. I've been able to do some introspecting and I've set a deadline by which to finish the full first draft of the ya sci fi book I've been working on for forever. It felt great to pick a date (Sept 1). I'm a fairly goal oriented person so am feeling very motivated by this.

It's interesting to know that I don't have to wake up early and set off on a 15 to 20 miles journey with a 20lbs pack on my back. Pilgrimage is a straightforward way to live, and there's something about the simplicity of it that makes it compelling. While we aren't part of that group of pilgrims that complete the Camino only to turn around and do it all again, in reverse, the idea of doing another way, perhaps in France, at some point in the future (once our feet have healed) is not out of the question.Read more