The Compostela

I'm not sure if it was the anticipation or the nap I had the day before. I was up at 5:30 in the morning and decided there was no point killing time until they served breakfast at 8 a.m. The proprietors had set out some fruit on plates the night before. As quietly as I could, I went downstairs with my packed bag and had a banana and a kiwi. I took the orange for later.

I had the streets all to myself as I walked out the door. I didn't see another form moving through the shadows until I was back in the city of Padron, about 1 km from the hotel.

Once I was clear of traffic and established on a path, I switched my headlamp from an alternating red and green, to a spotlight. It was very helpful and worth carrying for the previous 34 days. There really wasn't much to see until I hit the outskirts of town. Florists were working with their own headlamps to put flowers on the graves in the churchyards. Some of the headstones had battery powered candles or real candles to commemorate the Day of the Dead.

The fog held on until well after 9:00 in the morning. Just prior to then, I stepped into a cafe to get a cup of coffee and something to eat to supplement the fruit from the hotel. I wasn't there for more than 10 minutes. By the time my eggs arrived, there were a dozen other Camino travelers in the cafe with me.

As the crowds grew the charm of the Camino diminished. The hours and hours on end that I spent in solitude or with just a few people were the best. Between the bicycles whizzing by and the groups, speaking loudly, playing music, and creating dense clouds of cigarette smoke, some of the magic of the Camino seemed to evaporate. I completely understand that their experiences are their own. It simply felt as if their Camino experience was intruding into mine. Now I felt as though I needed to race to Santiago so I could have some private time on the trail. I didn't want to finish with any negative energy after basking in so much positivity over the preceding 30-plus days.

Thirty minutes later I ran into three young ladies from Poland and everything quickly got better. They all lived in England and had met at the Polish Club. Their names were Ella, Kasia, and Agnieszka. Respectively, they work as a stylist, an eyeglass store employee, and a teacher. They were all instantly likable and we probably spent two hours walking together.

Of particular interest to me was a thesis paper that Agnieszka had written about the Jewish uprising in the Warsaw ghetto in World War II.  I hope she remembers to send me some of it. I'm sure it'll make very interesting reading. The inhabitants of that ghetto actually held out for 63 days against the German forces.

All of the three were interesting and delightful. On top of that, they were all funny. The time flew by as did the miles. Any negativity I might have felt leaving the cafe had completely evaporated. The Camino magic was back.

We were now all approaching the final destination. The markers counting down the kilometers seemed to appear more frequently, and count down more quickly. I don't want to spoil anyone else's Portuguese Camino experience so I won't give an exact distance marker. But as one particular marker came into view, the trail turned left and there in front of me was the city of Santiago with the cathedral spires in sight.

There was a boisterous crowd approaching from behind so I stepped up my pace. It turns out I carved a full minute off my miles. I managed to stay ahead of them and in my own happy space.

The trail entered from the south of the city and it wasn't the most scenic area. Having entered from the east on the last Camino there were photo ops in front of welcoming signs. There was none of that on this trail.

Like day and night, as I crossed the last intersection, I entered the older part of the city. The streets were narrow and filled with restaurants and souvenir shops. People with backpacks, and others just touring, mingled at the sidewalk tables. There were no additional markings to follow, but it was fairly obvious the direction to be taken. Still, as I entered the plaza I was a little surprised by the entry point.

I didn't pause in front of the cathedral at this time. I wanted to get to the office where I would get my certificate of completion. That took no time at all. They scanned the QR code I had acquired online and I waited no more than three minutes for one of the clerks to review my credentials. I was impressed by how much attention she paid to all the places I had stopped along the way since leaving Lisbon. It is hard for me to imagine that someone would try to falsify a set of papers to acquire another piece of paper. There is no monetary value in acquiring a Compostela. It is all about earning it.

Once I had my certificate in hand, I returned to the plaza to take my pictures. I was much more relaxed and I think the smile on my face bears that out.

The clerk at the office reported that only 700 people had completed the day before. The numbers are definitely dropping off as the season ends. Many of the restaurants in town are already closed until the spring or are severely limiting hours.

I checked into my hotel, which was no more than six minutes from the Cathedral. The hotel is nothing special. My room is above the road. I'm hoping for a quiet night, but I have my ear plugs.

Once cleaned up, I returned to the same restaurant I visited after completing my last Camino back in May. I already knew what I wanted on the menu. I had peppers and paella along with some local wine. It did not disappoint. But I don't think I'll do another Camino that finishes in Santiago to have the same meal for a third time. 

Now my project for the evening involves repacking my bags. I no longer need the pack I used every day for the last month. That will get buried in my bigger bag, and I will get ready for the short trip by air to Barcelona tomorrow. One pair of my shoes was completely worn out again. Those will stay in Santiago.

The remaining pair will get me home, and then they will have outlived their usefulness as well. In all, I traveled more than 400 miles without a single blister or any other physical issue. I've already ordered my next pair of Altra Lone Peak 6s. They will be waiting for me when I get home.

I'll spend more time on reflection tomorrow once the impressions wash over me. Without hesitation, I can say it was an excellent experience despite some of the challenges. Once again, it was the people I met along the way who made it truly special. Mud is mud and rain is rain, but having the time to connect with someone is unique.