Day 12: Padron to Santiago de compostela: 16.5 miles

The final day.  I decided to start out early and on my own today so that I would have more time in Santiago.  I left the hotel at 5:30 AM and walked into Padron to find the path.  It was very dark, but I had a plan and my iphone flashlight.  I had done a bit of research last night and found a cafe about 2 miles up the path that opened at 6AM so my plan was to walk to the cafe and then wait for a few other pilgrims to show up so that I wouldn't be totally on my own.  This worked perfectly.  I was the second patron in the cafe, but soon a bunch of workmen arrived for their pre-work beers and then some pilgrims filtered in.  Wine and beer are as cheap as bottled water in Portugal and Spain and are basically treated like water and drunk at every meal.  No judgment here, just observing.  I got back out on the trail and walked for 2.5 hours in the dark by fields and streams and houses.  The sky was crystal clear and all of the stars were out.  I tried to take a picture of Orion.

If you blow this up you may be able to see it.  I'm not sure if that swoosh of light is a comet or some artifact from the flash.  I wasn't really afraid but I also had headlamp guy behind me, along with Connecticut guy and Chicago guy, so I new that I was OK.  Dawn started to break around 8AM and by then I was about 7 miles in, so that was great.  The morning passed quickly with more pilgrims joining the path as we passed through small  hamlets.

I think I spotted Santiago in the distance at about 12 miles.  The last 5 were slow as always but the climb was very gradual, so all in all it was an easier day than yesterday.  I reached Santigo at about 11AM and wound my way up to the cathedral.  It's a very modern, energetic city.

The streets got narrower and older as I approached the cathedral with lots of cool shops, bakeries and bars along the way.  When I finally reached the Cathedral I was very happy, but did not have the same feeling I had when Leighton and I visited the Vatican in Rome.  Now granted, we took a taxi to the Vatican, so perhaps I had more energy for religious awe, but this just didn't hit me emotionally in the same way.  I got in line to attend a mass and made it in, but there was no room to sit and I couldn't see anything, so I eventually wandered out and went in search of my compostela (document you get certifying that you completed the Camino).  I guess I realized that this really wasn't a "religious" experience for me, though it was spiritual.  This Camino was about the journey, not the destination.  Heck, I didn't even take a selfie!

I did have an excellent lunch at a cafe near the building where the pilgrims were coming to get their compostelas so it was fun to watch everyone hobble in.  

There were many tourists around the cathedral, with pilgrims here and there, so it didn't really feel like the end of a race or anything.  We all just showed up, stood in line to get our compostela, and headed out in our own directions.  I spent some of the afternoon with Jan from New Zealand.  She has invited me and Leighton to come stay with her in northern New Zealand whenever we can get there!  

So now I'm back at my "hotel" which was a monastery or nunnery I think.  It's in the main square, obviously very old, and renovated nicely to accommodate travelers.  

I'm sorry this last entry is kind of boring.  I think I need some time to sit with this experience in it's entirety before I have any insights into it.  But I did love it.  Being outside all day, walking through the countryside or along the ocean, made me feel very alive.  Thanks for following and for all of the supportive comments.  Lots of Love, Beth