Day 25 - Santiago at last !!!

Day 25 - SANTIAGO (11 kms from LAVACOLLA)

 I can't believe this day has come!!!  What an amazing journey it's been!  I tape up my feet for the very last time.

Monte de Gozo, the hill on which ancient pilgrims surely cheered hysterically, as it provided their first glimpse of the Cathedral's spires. Now the spires are blocked by trees and high-rise buildings, so it was less exciting for us. Personally, I'll have arrived once I'm standing in front of the cathedral. 

Our first glimpse of Santiago

Santiago de Compostella, I love you!

Three happy, happy pilgrims.  It's been about the journey, but that doesn't mean the destination can't be delicious.

With Bob and his daughter Christiana, who joined him in Sarria to walk the last 100 kms.

 

The botafumeiro (Smoking Boot), filled with burning incense and swung from one side of the cathedral to the other. In medieval times, the botafumeiro was used to clear the smell of disease-ridden pilgrims, but is now used in dramatic and spectacular fashion during Pilgrim's Mass. Not a dry eye in the house.

With Liz (brilliant girl from England, teaching in Hong Kong) and Karen from Nova Scotia.

Another thing I never thought I'd eat..... BBQ squid.... They are often served cooked in their own black ink, which is why I haven't tried them thus far... But this was delicious (no ink in sight!)

Cathedral at night (obviously enhanced by a few celebratory drinks)....

Unable to contain their excitement. Meike and Julia.

Oops. A little blurry.

Um, no... I'm not wearing white socks. That is my Camino Tan.

Can you see the pilgrim?  This was an absolute fluke apparently -- some locals saw us taking this photo and had no idea this existed... It was 'discovered' when the City installed a light fixture on the side of cathedral and lo and behold... A pilgrim appeared!

 Catching a gorgeous sunset while enjoying a free opera concert underneath one of the Cathedral's porticoes. This was my last night (of three) in Santiago. 

In total... ** drumroll **    700 kms walked!!!!

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FINISTERRE

My Camino de Santiago officially finished, I took a bus to Finisterre. I unfortunately didn't make it to the beach to burn my boots (or my much-in-need-of-fumigation socks), but I did have a few moments of solitude at the ''End of the Earth'' to reflect upon my journey. No major changes -- one less toenail, better-toned leg muscles, a few blisters and friends made along the way.... They say your real Camino begins once you stop walking, and that growth is manifested more deeply over time rather than felt immediately afterwards. Only time will tell, but time will never erase the amazing memories that have been created along this road. Namaste.

My baby boot, to remind me how much I wanted to start walking when I was a baby. It was my ''Shut up and walk'' token. And attached is my mémère's medallion that she used to pin to my aunt's shirt whenever they used to travel, for safety. Mémère was with me every step of the way.

Wow, I love this photo!  My parents have both biked over 500 kms in support of my Camino. Thank you Mom and Dad; you really are the best parents one could hope for!  

To Greece I go, to soak my poor feet in the Mediterranean!  xxx

Day 22 to Day 24 - Portomarin to Lavacolla

Day 22 - PORTOMARIN to PALAIS DEL REY (27 kms)

'A boring day today', we are told. 'You won't take your camera out'... They were right!  The entire day was spent walking beside tall cornfields over which no one could see. I somehow managed to snap these shots of Meike and Julia without any crowds in the background.  Despite the lack of scenery and relative boredom, the energy in the air was palpable. We're getting close to Santiago!

Just a quick warning, I've decided to post a few photos of the blisters on my left foot (I forgot to take pics of my right). There's a bit of an ick factor here, but for any of you who might be interested in walking the Camino, you might just have to suck it up. I will never pooh-pooh anyone's blisters ever again, no matter how small; I know how painful they are. Note the padding below my big toe is swelled up with fluid and a new white blister has formed between my big toe and 'index' toe. My wrapped-up little toe, however, is doing quite well -- I cut off what was left of the nail a few days ago and it's healing quite nicely. The challenge is to keep all this stuff from getting infected. 

The old blister on my Achilles heel is looking great; the new blister beside it is looking really gross, ain't it?

Alright, now that I've made you all lose the contents of your stomach, have a great evening everyone!  I am off to drink that bottle of wine and celebrate with my German girls!

Day 23 - PALAIS DEL REY to RIBADISO (27 kms)

The author of my guidebook wrote that it would be a relatively flat day today. Shame on his math teacher! A 400-meter climb followed by a 400-meter descent does not equal 0 elevation. Nonetheless, a good day.

Another lovely Roman bridge I get to photograph before crossing over

YES!!  We are within 50 kms!!  Cheers and hugs of happiness all around!
Seriously?  We were ecstatic.

Starting to see a lot of eucalyptus trees along the way... supposedly adding a wonderful smell (my nose is still clogged) and freshness to the air.

Our albergue in Ribadiso is a charming and clever reconstruction of an old pilgrims' hospital, with an adjoining bar and restaurant, which we took full advantage of.

The converted barn in which we spent most of the night consuming fabulous Spanish tapas and mediocre (but perfectly drinkable) red wine

Oops, here's another one! My right foot this time. This is kinda fun, why didn't I gross you guys out with pictures of my feet before?

Pimientos del Padron, another regional specialty. These medium-spicy peppers are cooked in olive oil and served hot with salt. Delicious! They did not cause digestive issues, but we nonetheless relied on 'Pimiento Power' to power us up any hills for the remaining days. It did help clear my sinuses also. Once I discovered it, I helped myself to this dish at least once a day on the Camino, sometimes twice. Pimiento Power!

Day 24 - RIBADISO to LAVACOLLA (34 kms - OMG !!!! )

Due to a communications/bad signage/map reading error, we ended up walking more than 10 extra kms today. It's quite discouraging when you think you've finally arrived at home base, only to be told that the only hotel is fully booked. We had to go another 10 kms over the 24 we had just walked. I cried. Softly, to myself, but I cried nonetheless. My feet were killing me. However, this did bring us 10 kms closer to Santiago than planned, which made the following day (the last day!) much shorter and easier. But what a slog this day was! 

More beautiful eucalyptus trees

Highway to Santiago

Even dogs can be pilgrims. Note the Santiago seashell and the Camino pin on her hankie.

YAY !!   20 kms to go !!

With Julia and Meike. My German girls.

Another reason I was nicknamed Little Hobbit. I picked at blackberry bushes constantly!  They can be found lining the Camino road for the entire 800 kms, and they are so sweet and juicy.  Just remember not to pick the bottom ones...

We're all feeling tired during those extra 10 kms, but Meike was having some serious Achilles' tendon issues..... She was so strong and tough throughout the Camino.

Thanks for reading!  My arrival in Santiago is next --Yay!

Day 18 to Day 21 - Pieros to Sarria

Mom and Dad have decided to match each kilometer that I'll walk by biking; they've accumulated over 200 kms so far, although I haven't actually calculated how many kms I've walked thus far in my journey. Very cool feeling to have this kind of support from home!  How cute are they??  xx

Day 18 - PIEROS to LA PORTELA 
(20 kms with stiff uphill and downhill)

A great view of cloud-shrouded Villafranca del Bierzo

Check out Villafranca's castle

What a slog uphill -- this awesome path through the mountains was called the Camino Duro -- ''The Hard Way''. There was a much easier but less beautiful option, following the flat highway down below. But guess which way I picked! The steep walk downhill gave me 4 new blisters and made my knees swell up like soufflés. Easily one of the Top 3 toughest days on the Camino.

Day 19 - LA PORTELA to O'CEBREIRO 

(18 kms with major altitude gain)

Last night, I finally got sick of the constant pain and ripped my toenail off!  It was just too much to handle every day, and I was surprised by how much less pain I was in when walking around without it! Yay!

Today marks the day that I arrive in a new area of Spain, a region called Galicia. This area has a Celtic past, which is felt in its heritage and heard in its folk music. Today, I'm walking with my two German girls, Julia and Meike, yay!

Coming up through Galicia, on my way to the town of O'Cebreiro. One of my German girls is climbing up the path. Such hard work and such a beautiful, hot day!

Almost there!

O'Cebreiro is the first village you encounter once you enter Galicia, and what a little village it is!  Perched over a high mountain pass, you get 360-degree views over its stunning surroundings. 

This ancient church in O'Cebreiro was founded in 836 and is supposedly the oldest church on the entire Camino. Due to the town's precarious position, it gets hit with nasty weather on a regular basis and so, to minimize damage, the church was built embedded into the ground, its base sunken down a few feet.

A typical Galician house called palloza, built hobbit-style with a thatched roof. There are a few of these stone igloos left in the town. The Galician people lived in these homes from 'Celtic' times -- 1,500 years ago -- right up until the 1960s.

Meike and Julia with the iron-stick pilgrim. We worked hard over the past few days to get here!

The thatched hut of the 'grocery' store, where we bought an excellent bottle of red wine for 1.80 euros, some much-needed chocolate and a ton of Compeeds (Europe's solution for blisters).

Say hello to my supper. Yep, pulpo (octopus) is Galicia's regional dish and I simply had to try it. As tasty (and chewy) as it was, I could not bring myself to eat the 2 curly tentacle ends. But I finished my plate like a big girl.

Awesome 360-degree sunset with Meike and Julia. My German girls. I have been nicknamed 'Little Hobbit' on account of my lack of height (relative to them), my curly hair and the fact that I'm constantly raiding the blackberry bushes along the trail.

O'Cebreiro sunset

Day 20 - O'CEBREIRO to TRIACASTELA (22 kms)

Wow. Setting off again before sunrise, catching the mountain tops peeking through the clouds.

Day 21 - TRIACASTELA to SARRIA (18 kms)

One thing I haven't been mentioning on my blog is the phenomenal amount of cow dung one must walk through on the Camino. It's not just trekking on the trails; nearly every village you encounter (every 6-7 kms) is a farming village, made up of countless barns and manure stockpiles. The smell is incredible. And you cannot avoid stepping in cow patties. You can try, but you will fail. In some cases, it's not clear whether it's a flattened cow patty or a stone from which the road is built. You just trek on through and make sure you don't slip.

Oh man. Today, I woke up with a giant head cold -- my eyes feel nearly swollen shut. Not a great time to be up and about, but I've got good company to distract me. Another good thing: with my nose clogged up, I can't smell the cow shit.

Day 22 - SARRIA to PORTOMARIN (24 kms)

Today, Julia, Meike & I start walking from Sarria, which is just over 100 kms from Santiago. The last stretch! I am feeling quite sick and having a hard time fitting my feet into my shoes, they are so swollen and blistered and taped up. As long as I keep infection away from my toenail-less toe, I'll be good.  Ultreia! (Onward!) 

Technically, in order to get your Pilgrim's Credential, you only need to walk from Sarria to Santiago and not actually do the entire Camino. This proximity to Santiago encourages busloads of tourists to walk only a few hours of the Camino before jumping back on again.... Cheesy souvenir stands line the roads.... A literal highway of bodies moving like ants along the trails... Being elbowed out of the way by schoolkids and tourists carrying tiny little, weightless daybags. Argh. Breathe in, stay calm, patience, namaste. Everyone must do the Camino in their own way. 

A sweet little shelter for pilgrims, thoughtfully put together by the farm owner. Note the fresh pears waiting to be eaten and the tacked-up note, inviting us to help ourselves and to rest our feet.  ; )

Arriving in Portomarin. You can see the old Roman bridge waaaay down below and the new bridge I had to cross on foot!  Oooooh, I did not like that.  It was HIGH!

Thanks for reading!