The Way of St. James #81, 24th September 2021

This was the last day of my journey. Today, I would reach Santiago. But after the two short days, there were almost 27km still to go. I rose early and was on the road immediately. My lodgings would not do breakfast until 08:00, and I wanted to get to Santiago as early as possible. I was on my way at 06:30. It was still dark, and I was relying on the moon. But my luck was in, and soon I heard another walker coming behind me. Another early starter was coming up behind me, and they had a headlight. As they came up to me, I was glad to benefit from their light in showing the way. It would not do to trip over a tree root on the last day.

I went through Santa Irene and O Pino. At O Pedrouzo, it was time to stop for breakfast. With every directions stone, I was counting down the kilometres. By breakfast time, I was less than 20km from Santiago.

After O Pedrouzo, the route comes into busier territory. It skirts around the northern end of Santiago airport, with the noise of planes reminding me that this is near the end. After the airport at Labascolla, the route has one more rise to conquer. I headed up the slope towards Monte de Gozo. And once over that hill, I caught my first sight of Santiago itself in the distance.

But there was still a distance to go. The route descends to reach the main road into the city. At the city boundary is a sign where it is clear that many walkers have ditched the unnecessary items that they no longer need. What happened to environmental awareness?

The road continues on into the city. I kept waiting to see the spires of the cathedral, but they remained hidden. The route enters the old city and winds through narrow streets. Eventually, it goes down a small slope, through an arch, and there it was, the plaza in front of the cathedral.

I went straight on to the pilgrim centre. I wanted to register my arrival and to get my certificate, and while I could register, the centre had a backlog of people, and was not taking any additional people that day. I would have to come back on the morrow.

I had lunch with my walking companion of the day. It is hard to describe the emotions on reaching a destination that has been an objective for some years. All I could do was return to the plaza, and sit and watch as other pilgrims came in, I could see that they shared the mix of emotions that I felt on reaching Santiago.

Finally, after such a long time, my journey is over. I would have a few days to enjoy Santiago, but for now, the feeling of having completed this journey was dominant. I visited the cathedral, which is magnificent. In the crypt below are the relics of St. James. How much of the story of Santiago is true, and how much is legend, is anyone’s guess, but it is testimony to the power of faith that this place has taken on the significance that it has.

My accommodation was outside the city centre, and I went out eventually to the B&B where I would stay.

And at the end of all that, my step count for the day was 50,444