The Song in My Head: Show Me The Way - Peter Frampton
Word of the day: Hermano
Today’s (Random) Craving/Memory: Spicy Edemame
Total Steps: 45,803 steps
Total Walking Distance: 25.1 miles / 40.4 kilometers
⏰ Wake Up: 7:00am
💤 Sleep: 3:30am
Today is the last day of the Camino de Santiago.
Woke up at 7:30am. Went out to the lobby and packed up, ate a banana and met two other Americans from Georgia as I was getting ready to leave.
Got on the road solo. Ate my last kiwi, and also got a napolitana chocolate from a cafe.
This morning was very peaceful yet crowded. This was the most amount of people I have seen in a day throughout the whole Camino. Crowds on crowds of people, all walking very slow so I was weaving through to pass them.
This final stretch, was a mix of emotions.
I was constantly greeted by people on the side of the trail playing bagpipes, the cello, piano, etc. So awesome.
And there were so many places to stop and get a stamp. However, the lines were so long with the tourist pilgrims trying to get a stamp so I didn’t bother to stop.
Today’s walk however, did go by very fast.
I made my way into Santiago and began to approach the city center. I started to bump into people I’ve met throughout the whole distance of the Camino; some faces I haven’t even seen since the first day.
I bumped into Benjamin, Abbie, Nicolò, and Laura as well.
Then I walked around the corner and turned to face the cathedral.
It was a surreal moment.
I walked into the middle of the space and layed down against my backpack, looking up and admiring its beauty.
And the vibes were high.
Bagpipes playing, people crying, hugging, laying on the ground.
My Camino was finished.
I laid there for about 45minutes. Just thinking. Reflecting.
Reflecting on what it was I was walking for.
Not others, but myself.
I felt at ease.
I ate one more kiwi, and made one last sandwich. It was delightful.
Took some pictures, and took one last good look at the cathedral before heading off with my group. I would return multiple times later in the day to lay and look at the cathedral.
I left to go get my certificate of completion, and then got food with my friends.
In celebration, I had the drink my mom had been raving about since her Camino experience.
A cerveza con limón.
It was delicious. Thanks mom.
I then played one last game of kombio with my friends, I won.
Ate good, then I went to my albergue, 4km out of town, dropped my backpack, and came back. It was raining. Santiago would be experiencing a rainstorm for the next 5 days.
I met up with the friends, who were getting friendship bracelets. I opted out, for rarely do things on my wrist last for more than a week.
We then went to Pub Momo, and Abbie and I played a game of pool. She won because I scratched when I hit the 8 ball in. Felt good to play though.
Then we went to mass.
They swung the botafumeiro. A rare ritual of the Camino with a swinging thurible in the church to cleanse the air when pilgrims arrive.
I was in awe.
We finished mass, and all 13 of us now, went on our way to dinner at this outdoor restaurant buffet. It was very expensive, and Abbie and I wanted sushi.
So after we sat down and I got a beer, I killed it and we left the group to go to sushi.
Parted ways, yes, but we did what we really wanted.
And the sushi was so good. All you can eat buffet, and I ate so much.
Abbie and I had a really good chat about life too, and how we felt when we arrived. The sense of relief, and the sense of confusion and still unanswered questions.
We finished dinner, and met back up with the group. They were at another bar having a beer. We started talking about animal selfies. Nicolò had been taking some of the funniest animal selfies I had ever seen on the Camino. We were laughing so hard at them. The hardest I’ve laughed in a long, long time.
We then finished up and headed home. They were tired and wanted to go to bed.
I had an itch in me to stay out and celebrate.
Then we passed by my friend Ludovico and his other friends, who were going back to Pub Momo to party.
I split and went to join them.
They were all Italian guys, and they would turn out to be some of the funniest guys I’ve met.
We partied at the club until about 2:30am, making all sorts of weird dance moves, and then left.
On our walk home, there was this really weird guy under the influence that was walking with us, calling us hermano and acting all weird. We were laughing with him.
We parted ways as their Albergue was closer in town, and I continued the rest of my walk home by myself.
I got into my Albergue room, and there were two guys from Spain sleeping there too, that were still awake talking. Super funny.
Chatted with them for a good hour, then went to sleep.
Today was an ending, and a new beginning.
A sense of relief, but the turning of a new page.
Tomorrow I will take a rest day, and the following day I will begin my walk to Muxía, and then to Finisterre, the End of The World.
That is where I will officially end my Camino.
Journals will not continue, and today will be my final journal.
Thanks for tagging along. ❤️
See y’all around,
David