October 2-3 Santiago de Compostela

It's unfortunate the weather has not cooperated – wind and rain making walking about a run from building to building. And the wind was so strong umbrellas were being blown apart – with many broken umbrellas at every garbage can. It is unfortunate because Santiago de Compostela is an incredibly beautiful city filled with so much history, and is sited as an UNESCO World Heritage. The old town is a maze of narrow cobbled streets and plazas, which are filled with tourists from bus tours that out-number the peregrinos who completed their pilgrimage. It is unfortunate that commercialism over powers the city's spiritual historical purpose, and the peregrinos are all but forgotten. And the intent of most peregrinos is to visit the cathedral and the noon mass is special for the pilgrims. However the line up to get in is filled with so many tourists and the wait is 1-2 hours to get in. Some peregrinos stood in line in the cold rain, but many did not. We were discouraged by the long lines each day, and the intimacy of a special blessing for peregrinos was lost.

Each day in Santiago we continued to meet other peregrinos we met along El Camino. These are sad moments were we wish each other well and say a final “buon camino”. See Pictures>>

October 1 Arca to Santiago (the end of El Camino)

The walk today continued through the forest and there were fewer little villages with cafes to stop at. Hence we continued onto Santiago, our final destination on El Camino. Unfortunately the weather was not very pleasant, with light rain, and just enough that required our backpack covers and umbrella. When we arrived in Santiago the weather got a little wetter and colder, and after we confirmed our accommodations we went to claim our prize – the the compastela (the certificate recognizing the completion of the pilgrimage). We met many of the peregrinos we walked with over the past few weeks and waited two hours to claim our certificate of completion. It is with sadness to end El Camino. We met so many people from so many countries, and we got to share a common goal – reaching Santiago. But this was a time for celebration for such a huge achievement, and to celebrate we bought champagne, and how good the moment felt and how great the champagne tasted! See Pictures>>