SANTIAGO DE LA COMPOSTELA

Sep 4

DAY 31: 22 km to Santiago de Compostela. Total 655 kilometers!

The restaurant next to the pension opens at 7:30 am just for us pilgrims to get our morning coffee and bread. I walk to Pedrouzo in the dark and find Peter and Siegfried. They were very glad to stay in a hotel and they had a great dinner. Today is our last day and we will walk together to the Santiago de la Compostela Cathedral - our final destination! It’s a lot of ups and downs. We are impatient with it, and I’m so ready to take a walk without my backpack!

Shortly before we get to Santiago, I notice some cool stone work and look in through a gate. An older gentleman invites us in. He is a stonemason and has carved an array of fascinating pieces. He is surrounded by his life’s work and at seventy-something is still working and loving it. I could spend hours here watching him work, but the cathedral is calling us.

Photos are compliments of Peter: The final photo left to right is: Jacque, Peter, Genieve, myself and Siegfried.

It’s another 30 minutes Santiago de Compostela! We get to the cathedral, drop our packs and are elated! Every day there is a mass at noon just for the pilgrims - to absolve us of our sins. We’ll attend that tomorrow. Today, we go to the Camino office, show our Pilgrim passports and get a certificate showing that we officially completed our journey! It feels like a formality that reminds me that it’s about the journey and not the destination. To celebrate, I walk around town enjoying this charming sense of being in a very old place.

On Sunday we attend the mass for pilgrims. I get there early because it’s packed, and end up attending two masses. I’m going to heaven for sure. After mass, I’m ready for a break from all the people, so I take a nice walk to a park and visit the Auditorio do Galicia. This museum is featuring an exhibit of over 200 high fashion photographs, by Manuel Outumuro, spanning two decades. I’m the only person here and it’s free!

Sunday night, Peter, Siegfried and I have our last meal together. They have been great company and Peter invites me to walk the Camino in Germany next May. (European Camino Routes)

Monday, I take an all-day train to Madrid. I enjoy the great architecture but the cigarette smoke is suffocating. Most of my time is spent visiting museums where there is, at least, no smoke. The Prado ends up feeling depressing to me with its many religious paintings depicting suffering. I get it - the Catholic Church was the main employer of artists so they had to, or wanted to, depict suffering - which I am qualified to recognize with my religious upbringing… complete with Catholic grade school and high school. But…time to move on and find a modern art museum!

I already wish I was back on the Primitivo. I feel more alone in this city full of people than I ever felt on the trail. I miss the comradery and deep conversations about personal journeys. The trail gave me space to tap into my inner voice and hear what it is that I really want at this moment in my life.

What I Discovered About Myself:

On a work level, I have realized that as much as I’ve loved all the volunteers who have contributed to my farm, and the great connections we have shared, it is time to hire employees who will gain institutional memory. While the way it’s been working was fulfilling, it’s also exhausting to constantly train new people… only to have them quickly move on. I’m looking forward to a new chapter where I establish consistency, and an easier work flow, with regular employees.
What is life changing for me, on a personal level, is my new desire to travel in the way I have experienced this past month. Walking across a country gave me the opportunity to have an intimate connection with the land, and traveling solo gave me the opportunity to be open and present for heartfelt connections.

What I Learned About Adventure Travel:

Spain is beautiful and has really really good coffee.
It always works out. Someone or something always shows up when you need it.
Let go of what you don’t need. It’s possible to travel really light.
You meet some great people when travelling.
There is a great sense of camaraderie on the Camino. You have great in-depth heart-felt conversations with people you hardly know.
I like connecting with people through shared travel experiences.
I really like being in nature, taking pictures and noticing architecture.
I’m hooked! I hope to walk the 400 km Camino trail across Germany next May, and every year afterwards do a different part of the trail.