This is THE day! We cannot believe we have finished the final kilometers of our Camino.
The weather was good for walking, not too warm and with a little breeze. Best of all, although the trail was through eucalyptus forests, we walked under gnarly, old oak trees which provided excellent shade. There were other pilgrims around, bu far fewer than we were expecting at this point. Sometimes, when we were on our own for awhile without seeing other pilgrims, we were certain we had missed a Camino marker.
Enroute we stopped for a break at Lavacolla which is the place pilgrims of old would have a good scrubbing before continuing on to Santiago.
There were more climbs today than stated in the guide books…. Finally, when we reached Monte do Gozo ( Mount of Joy) which is 5 km from Santiago, the guide book did say “last climb”. From there we could see the steeples of the cathedral. For many this was an emotional few moments. We both felt disbelief that we were almost at Santiago. It is interesting that ancient pilgrims were expected to continue their pilgrimage barefoot from here on.
There is a large monument on Monte de Gozo called ” the Pope’s monument”. It was built to commemorate Pope John II speaking to youth on this spot at an international youth conference. Many dislike the monument considering it too modern. Actually, the four bronze panels at the base are very nice depicting St. James, Pope John, pilgrims and youth. The top is a bit odd.
By the time we once again climbed, yet another hill into the old town of Santiago, we were weary. At the gates, we could hear the gaita gallego being played. We were being piped into the main square!. What a grand surprise!! Our fatigue fell away.
There was a free outdoor concert with the Santiago Municipal Concert Band on the steps of the cathedral in the evening. While Delana saved our spot on the stairs, Rod conjured up a picnic supper. What a perfect close to our first day in Santiago and the end of our walk.
We are treating ourselves and staying at one of the paradors, The Hostal dos Reis Catolicos. Our room opens onto the Praza do Obradoiro and is directly across from the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela. Until bedtime we were serenaded with the happy sounds of Galician melodies.
Tomorrow we officially end our Camino, after receiving our Compostela certificates. We will continue the blog for a few more days as Saturday we go to Finisterre, ” the end of the earth” in Medieval Times.