Stage 31 – the day my Camino ended.

Start: 5:40, 15 ºC, rain

End: 11:00

Distance: 27.2/768.0 Km

Stayed at Hotel Rua Villar

OST: Radio Baccano, Gianna Nannini+Jovanotti

Today was the final stage of my second Camino Frances.

I woke up early and started walking. You know the drill.

The entry into Santiago de Compostela is completely anticlimatic.
Between “normal” turists and turigrinos, the streets are flooded with pedestrians, making the last few blocks quite intense.

The harsh, harsh reality: the arrival in Santiago is the worst part of the Camino.

You make your way through the crowds, turn the corner and…

TA-DAAAN!

The placa de la Catedral. That’s it. No welcome committee, no hugs, nothing.
If you are lucky, some of the peregrinos you befriended will be there by chance and celebrate with you.

I had this luck, especially because of my “ULTREIA!!!” of the previous days. I met Angelo again in a bar just outside SdC – thanks Angelo! – and made sure to welcome other peregrinos the day after (Hi, Annette!).

Finally I had a justification for getting my concha.

My second concha of this camino – my first one, really.

I spent far too long in SdC. I wanted to rest, but my spirit had a different opinion.

My change of scheduled meant that, despite a couple of rest days in Leon and SdC, I had enough time before my return flight for… La Fisterrana.

I had previously written off this extra distance… back when I was hopeless and injured.
And now… and now… I couldn’t wait.

I still needed a full day of rest, though.
I managed to join the holy mass with the blessing for the peregrinos. Pensioners and tourists had taken over most seats. I chose to stand, to better enjoy the “holy smokes” blessing – the incense anciently utilized to cover the pilgrims’ smell!

Well… I was in pain. My legs had given everything I had in the last few days.

Not injured, but I needed to rest.

Other than that, it was a matter of going through the motions: visit the Compostela office, take your number, hear “congratulations for doing something this big” from the guy signing off your piece of paper… and have lunch somewhere in SdC.

Happy.

Happy.

It turns out SdC has a panoramic wheel. I was a bit embarassed, but it was worth it.

Even thinking about it today, more than 2 years later, I am so happy thinking about making it to SdC.

Angelo told me “it’s amazing you did it, the other guys (who??) didn’t give you a chance”.
It makes sense: as long as I was in step with “my shift” I had been injured. It’s only when I found my step and my stages that I blossomed.

It all goes into “learn to listen to your body”.

And indeed, listening to my body has been one of the greatest gifts of the Camino.

And now, what to do? The end of a Camino is heavily anticlimatic: I don’t think most pilgrims are psychologically prepared for the shock of making it to the Catedral to find… nothing, nothing at all.

Turn the corner, here’s the end; two more blocks, here’s the bus for the airport.

I was fully convinced to go ahead with the Fisterrana. I could comfortably do it – especially after a day of rest.

Next: to the Ocean!

Next stage: Stage 32: Santiago de Compostela – Negreira