Day 36 - Santiago de Compostela at last - 8k

Leaving Monte de Gozo on a beautiful perfect morning

Let's traipse guys ;)

It’s a surreal feeling as we approach Santiago, walking the last few miles was a doddle and suddenly we’re in the Cathedral Square. We’ve made it! Group hug…

We're there it's hard to believe it but it's real we ARE HERE!

I've only ever been this ecstatic since - Not Before ;)

Off to the Pilgrim Office to register for Mass but most importantly to be interviewed for my Compostela. It’s a formality in the end but I put ‘Religious and others’ as my reasons for completing the Pilgrimage just in case they think about not giving me my certificate if I put Spiritual. Once registered, they read out the numbers of each nationality and their start point on the Camino in The Cathedral during the service but it’s in Latin so you’ve got to have your wits about you. Unfortunately they didn’t have the huge incense burner going today but it’s amazing just experiencing the Mass and there’s so many familiar faces, Andrej from the Czech Republic amongst others. Everyone is in celebratory mood with hand shakes and hugs all around.

Ola Emilio!!!

Hola Pepe You Legend

Catedral

Hey Emilio!

The next few days all roll into one huge celebration, eating out during the day, crazy nights out, meeting people I haven’t seen in weeks, sent off with a mission to explore Santiago for the ingredients for our wine and cheese party, shopping trips for souvenirs, plans for a day out to the end of the world at Finisterre, finalising travel plans.

Yves, German Girl, their friend?

I met up with Yves from France, he’s on the steps of the Cathedral with THAT German girl who I was worried would have perished on the mountain, what a relief I won’t have to worry about whether I should have done more to help her for years now. Luis and Charo! We get to say our goodbyes properly and I hope my Spanish did our farewell justice, simpatico.

This was meant to be but don't make me cry, adios Luis y Charo I will miss you

Santiago by night

A little squiffy but never been happier than I was in these days until now

We’re planning a reunion dinner on our last night so I give Cathy the nod on Facebook, she was five days behind us when we reached Santiago so it’s doubtful she’ll make it but you never know. The Bus trip to Finisterre made me realise I was missing out not walking there through some wonderful looking countryside but I didn’t mind, my knee was actually worse now I’d stopped the daily grind and I don’t regret ending my Pilgrimage at Santiago (especially as four weeks after arriving home it’s still my most obvious souvenir of the trip ;-)

My timing was impeccable as usual, we’d walked around the sea front and the street inland but come back to where we started to find somewhere to stay, backs and feet were unused to carrying rucksacks for long periods by now already and walking into the Bar to take the weight off and ask for rooms I thought I recognised the woman sat down there on the internet. Oh my

Mes Amies Quebecuoises - Gilles and Helenne

it’s Helenne and Gilles from Canada who I haven’t seen since 5k before Pamplona in Trinidad de Arre on my third day. The coincidences were everywhere. We met up with Harry and worked out an evening plan, Harry tells me that Astrid is here as well but I’m not getting my hopes up, I’ve made that mistake before.. "Astrid's here? Yeah yeah right! You're joking!" I daren't believe it...

The end of the world - The western most point in Europe - Finisterre Lighthouse

The Last Yellow Arrow?

We rock guys! Sorry terrible pun...

It’s a bittersweet feeling knowing that the journey is over. We spent a while looking out from the tip of Europe towards America although I’m not sure how good an idea swigging a bottle of red wine on the rocks was, at least unlike some people I could mention, we didn’t have three bottles each, light a fire and have a party. Hello, two Spanish pilgrims from weeks ago, there are reunions happening all over the place.

Jorge and friend where we are reunited and several times thereafter in Santiago

I see Stephen from Kentucky who tells me all about getting ‘leached’ after wandering around in the river after one of his sandals. This is wonderful, ok I’ve cheated and caught the bus to get here but otherwise I’d never have seen all my friends again. Jong Hee is here too what a surprise. The meal together is great as my French Canadian friends are there with their Camino companions too so we can catch up a bit. We started the Camino together and got to see each other again right at the end of the world.

We’re sat round tables outside a bar enjoying one of our last nights in Spain, yards from the Beach, when who should arrive but Astrid. It was fabulous to see Astrid again, we hugged, that one went straight into my top three hugs of all time. I was able to sneakily give her the note I’d written all those weeks ago when we were looking for paper to write peoples email addresses on before she had to leave to get to her Albergue in case they closed. Astrid reappeared, it was hard to remember what I’d written because it was so long ago but I managed to tell her now what a positive impact she’d had on my Camino and me. I’d wanted to spend some of it with her but that just isn’t how it worked out in the end. We all got pretty toasted until late but I remember Jess said some of the nicest things anyone has ever said about me, I nearly got a big head. I’ll always treasure that night.

Back to Santiago and there’s just Jess and me left, we’ve both got Hotels in different parts of town but meet to go to Mass again as Otmar should be there and our reunion dinner is tonight. Claudia from my first few days, oh what a nice surprise, Andrej is there too and knows her, what a small world the Camino is. We get to see the monks sending the huge incense burner up towards the roof by pulling together on ropes, what a spectacle.

Cathy is too far away to make it but has a never say never attitude judging by her message from a few days ago on the internet. We meet at 7:30 on the steps of the Cathedral and wait for Steffy and her boyfriend to arrive before setting off, my Canadian friends are there, Harry, Jess, Otmar, Stefan, Heinrich from Casa Marie not seen for a month until I bumped into him the day before, and his friend Gabriella from Australia.






The restaurant we’d wanted to eat at was closed so we traipse back through town to another and take half the place over immediately, tables being rearranged.

Harry pops off to the cashpoint and goes to the one near the Pilgrim Office only to bump into, Cathy! I thank Saint James for the amazing synchronicity and Cathy gets massive hugs all round and her pack is taken off her and a large wine is poured. The reunion dinner is complete.

Otmar - sent me several cd's of all his pictures what a lovely man

Get it down ya you bloody deserve it my friend

So um tipsy I manage to zip half of my new Camino fleece and my walking jacket up together

The drinking and bar crawling goes on until well past 2:00am interspersed with emotional goodbyes, how could I have thought an early night to prepare for my flight was on the cards? The Spanish are crazy, the bars are only getting more full as we leave and people are ordering food, I’m gonna miss all of this. Walk Jess through town towards her hotel and back hoping I don’t get dirty looks or complaints from the poor sod who is waiting to let me in back at mine. I don’t know about anyone else but I didn’t want that night to end or my Camino…