October 18, 2022. We arrive in Santiago!
We arose from our little Pension with anticipation. After a croissant and coffee we were energized to hit the road. Soon we were on the broad dirt camino through the woods and farms, with little cafes and churches scattered along the way. The weather was perfect with nearly clear skies and pleasant temperature. It wasn’t so busy on the way today as I think some people had left very early to get to the Pilgrim mass at the Cathedral at noon, but that would have meant an hour of walking in the dark, which did not appeal to us. For our two hour stop we found a big pipe along the roadside to stop and have an orange and granola bar. By three hours we were past the Santiago airport and passing through little surrounding towns.
At the four hour mark, we stopped at a little cafe ourselves ( we call this second breakfast) and I had orange juice and we share a Santiago tart, which is made of almond and a little sweet. We were fully re-energized to make the rest of the way into Santiago.
We entered the urban area, passing traffic circles, restaurants and large businesses. Santiago is a big modern city with an ancient and well preserved old town.
Just before entering the old town, we ran into our Australian friend, Meredith who had retrieved my hat and walked the rest of the way with her. As we entered the narrow streets of Santiago, we also ran into experienced travel partners Girard of France and Helen of Vancouver. Though they are not life partners, they meet every year to do a different Camino!
Now we were only a 100 meters from the main plaza of the Cathedral. We walked through a tunnel with bagpipes playing and emerged into the giant plaza where hundreds of people were celebrating their arrival!
After some celebrating ourselves, we found our way through the old town to our hotel and got settled before getting a beautiful celebration meal . Because the portions are large we can afford to order only one salad, one fish dish and a dessert and still have enough to eat, and the meal remains affordable.
As we walked along the road we began to run into all of our dear friends from the Camino del Nortel
We walked over to the Campostela office to get our official certification. Though it’s manned by church officials, it’s very modern with the need to submit information by QR code. Eventually there are 12 desks, each manned by a priest who completes the certificate with a carefully inscribed name in pen and ink.
Thank you all for following our challenge, and sharing the highs and the lows. We are glad to say we may be a bit sore, but we are safe and sound.
thanks so much for sharing your experiences!
Enjoyed having you “along” for the ride.
Congratulations!!
Thanks, Paul and Marlene, hope to see you soon in Grand Rapids.
It’s been wonderful to follow the twists and turns of your pilgrimage, Eric and Alice. Thank you!
Michael, I’ve thought about you frequently during our walk, especially knowing how much this type of walk would appeal to you.
Remarkable! Congrats on completion of your journey, still married, sharing a fine accomplishment, and fit as fiddles! I admire you both.
Thanks, Tom, won’t be long before I’m back in Michigan.
Congratulations, pilgrims! What a special lifetime experience. Celebration time,
Thanks, Gary, this is definitely a long distance challenge that could easily have been one of the ones you chose to take on.
Congratulations! You did it! That is an amazing accomplishment. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Sarah and Greg
You saw and heard the Bagpipes!! Hooray!
Yes, we did!