Day 13 - Santiago De Compostela

I'm not sure that I was prepared for my last day on the Camino.  For the past 15 days, it's been a constant ritual of Get up at 6:30, pack all your gear back into your pack the way you took it out (don't forget to fill your camelback water bladder first or you'll be taking everything out again), Make sure you don't miss anything and then see if you can find a place in Spain that is open for breakfast.  as I've probably noted before, breakfast is always toast (extra dry hard and crunch bread), some for of jam and 'Cafe con letche'.  When we can find someone who will actually make a real breakfast - we usually take advantage of it.  Today, our Pension (which translates roughly to - cheap

Brenda, Jim and Dave on the Camino

European hotel), had breakfast included.  So I had a couple of small croissants that I overheated in the microwave, some fruit juice and an apple I had purchased from a supermarket in a town a day or two before.  Dave was with us as he had stayed in the same place as we did - even on the same floor.  We left the room and headed down the path - looking for the yellow arrow to start our last leg.  Very early the path was covered over in trees and it almost made you feel like you were being guarded.  The same blanket of fog that we had seen for the past few days was present making the air cool to start the walk.  I

Me entering Santiago

like it like this as you don't get over heated.  I told Brenda and Jim that I wanted to walk with them into the square since they were kind enough to let me intrude on their second Camino experience.  For the most part, I've been going ahead and then finding us a place to stay, texting the information back to Jim when I've go it.  There have been times when I've arrived 2 hours ahead of them.  I kinda like this because there is no question as to who gets the first shower!  Today, Brenda booked a place for two nights in Santiago as we were warned that more than 600 people a day were starting to show up in Santiago.  I can't imagine what this is like in the height of summer.  Dave and I zipped out ahead and I had noted to Brenda and Jim that I would stop and wait for them somewhere around the 5 Km to go mark and we would walk in together.   The picture shows me entering Santiago at a small memorial statue for the Camino.  Previous to this we came upon a gaggle of Irish ladies who we had seen a number of times along the way.  Brenda, Jim and I had taken their picture for them

View of Santiago

in an eating establishment we wandered into on night.  Dave got ahead of them and then turned around  and asked if any of the ladies wanted to help me carry my pack.  You just gotta love those Eastern Canadians.  I manged to get a fist bump from all of them and they passed on the 'luck of the Irish' to me but not to my traveling mate, Dave.  We were also walking with Frank, who had caught up to us at the first place we stopped for a snack along the way.

Eventually, I got as close as I felt I should and stopped at another place to wait for Brenda and Jim to come by.  Dave and and Frank went ahead.  At the place I was waiting, I ran across my Polish friend from Edmonton, Bogenna.  Her and her sister had also stopped there for lunch.  It was nice to see them again.  Brenda and Jim caught up and also grabbed some lunch.  When we were done we began the final 5/6 Km's into Santiago.  This is a nice modern city in Spain.  Most of the way up to the old part (Cathedral and Square) was through this city.  You could tell that the residents were used to seeing people constantly streaming into the area.  I guess over time you would just grow numb to all the activity.  We walked slowly as Brenda was struggling with her bad knees and just the fatigue of all the walking we had been doing.  We stopped a number of times to ensure we were going the right way (one doesn't want to add any extra steps to the journey - especially at this stage of the trek).  We made one more stop about 800 meters before the square (had my GPS on my phone going so that I could tell) and had an ice cream.

Walking into the square was almost a surreal expereince.  I know it's only been 15 days or 300 Km's, but when you start, you just have no idea what it will be like when you get to the end.  Many people were asking, "What are we going to do tomorrow if we are not walking?"

The cathedral itself has been undergoing some repair/restoration for quite a while now.  It was amazing to be able to stand there and know that for over 1000 years, pilgrim's have made this journey and ended up in this same place.  We hung around in this area for a while and decided to head for our hotel.  I really do smell like a Pilgrim right about now - and standing out in the warm mid-day sun was just baking it in.


As we were on our way we noticed the the Pilgrim's office was not lined up at all - so we went in and waited to receive our Compostela (certificate of completion for the

Comitalum Blais

Camino).  The lady who checked my Camino Passport, asked me where I started and then proceeded to validate the I had received the appropriate number of 'stamps' each day.  I was very careful to ensure that I had enough and for every day.  Frank later told us that while he was getting his Compostela, he overheard two older ladies who had started in Saria getting rejected for receiving the Compostela because they had not gotten all of the required stamps.  I'll bet that was frustrating, but in a small way I am glad that it's thorough as it makes mine more valuable (hey - they don't just GIVE these things away).  The first Compostela, the lady had written my last name first and then my first name after that.  I described to her that she had them reversed, and after a short discussion with the other clerk next to her - we got it sorted out.  She rote me a new Compostela with my first name in Latin and then my last name.  I'm not sure why they don't do your last name in Latin also.  Bought a cardboard tube to bring it home with a chance of it not getting too squished. This was a very cool moment.  I'm done.  No, I'm OFFICIALLY done!

We went to our hotel and got our rooms.  Apparently I'll have enough change rooms tomorrow due to some mixup.  It's fine by me given some of the places I've stayed over the past couple weeks.

About 3 days ago, I came up with the idea to let people know that  we were going to meet in the square between the Parador hotel and the Cathedral at 6:00 PM and then just go out for dinner as a one last get together as a group.  We wandered around to find a place that could take us and I guess that we may have about 25 people.  One place said that they would so at least we had a place to go.  The first wave of people was about 26 as we all strolled into this place.  By the time the evening was going strong - there were over 35 people there.  The poor waitress (there was only one when we all arrived) was running her feet off.  You could see the owner calling people, trying to get someone to come in and help.  I think it was a

great way to get all of us together for the last time.  It got very loud and it seemed like most people had a great time.  A few of us wandered off for some dessert to another establishment.  I can guarantee you that the 'after party' was going strong at another location as well.

I wanted to begin to sum up my experience on the Camino tonight - but I'm just too tired to do it any justice.  I think I'll let it brew for a little while longer.  What I can tell you is that it has been a life changing experience and I will not soon forget the people who I had the privilege of spending time with along the way.

Someone paid me a very kind compliment today.  They said, "If there were more people like you in the world, it would be a better place".  I don't know if that's true.  But what I do know is - I've been changed forever through my interactions with these humble Pilgrims.

Buen Camino

Curt