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Published: July 13th 2008
Three days down!!
Valentina, Teresa, Loreto, and me relaxing after our third day on the CaminoHello everyone!!
Well, I'm back in Houston already. I can't believe that it's all over. But I can't tell you all what an amazing experience it all was.
Mom arrived safely in Madrid where I picked her up 😊 We explored Madrid a little and started our way back to the Camino. It was so great to have her there with me. There are so many times when I travel and think, " man, I wish my family was here to see this." And for the first time, mom
was with me!! She and I joined back up with the crew that I had been walking with the whole time to continue on to Santiago.
The last 100 miles was all through the Spanish "state" of Galicia, and it was beautiful!! The trails wound through the woods and through tiny farming villages. It was such a welcome change after the long, flat, tree-less walking we had been doing for the week and a half before. Most of these last days in Galicia, the morning fog was so thick that it was hard to see the path. As we walked through rural Spain, I wondered what the small-town farmers
Pilgrim fashion
yes, even I wore sandals with socks. Everyone did it, I promise! think about all of these international people walking through their backyards. I bet they're used to us.
The landscape wasn't the only thing that changed as we entered Galicia...the Camino started getting really really crowded. Lots of high school field trips and even families with small children. One of the reasons for the huge surge in pilgrims was the 100 km mark. Once we were passed through Sarria, a city in Galicia, we only had 100 km to go, and the church decided long ago that in order to be an official pilgrim and receive your Pilgrim certificate/free pass out of Purgatory, you had to walk at least 100 km. We certainly got some oohs and ahhs when people heard that we had started 700 km back...that was nice 😊
After 29 days of walking, we made our grand entry in Santiago on a very rainy day (not a surprise because rainy days easily outnumber sunny days every year). We had to really rush to get to the Pilgrims' Mass at the huge cathedral at noon...but we made it. We listened as the priest read a long list of all the pilgrims that had arrived the day before.
Bob
This guy was on a 7 month journey from Holland to Santiago and BACK again!! Amazing. In the next two days that I spent in Santiago, I ran into all of the other pilgrims that we had interacted with throughout the whole journey...like a huge reunion of sorts.
Mom and I spent the remaining days of our time in Spain going on day trips to beach cities in Galicia...beautiful weather and delicious seafood. Nice to relax for a few days after walking 500 miles. Miraculously I had finished the whole walk without a single blister or sunburn...but on the last day while sightseeing on the coast (and wearing new shoes), I managed to get both a sunburn and blisters. Oh well...at least I didn't have any more walking to do after that.
So here I am in Houston, glad to be back in the US, but sad the the Camino is over 😞 I better start thinking about an adventure for next summer...
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Virginia
non-member comment
Kudos!
I am delighted to read your blog - I plan to walk myself next May. I see you wore sandals...if you have time or are inclined, I would love to "e-chat" and get your opinion on a few Camino matters. So, drop me an e-mail if you want to. It is really wonderful that your mother joined you at the end. I hope my spouse may find a way to join me for the end of my walk...we were in Peace Corps (Ukraine 2005-2007) and are now serving in AmeriCorps*VISTA positions in sunny Santa Fe, NM...Life is good and filled with so many delightful opportunities! "Ginn" Read my Journals: www.pulverpages.com I loo