Santiago

I must start this blog entry from yesterday morning when I left Arco de Pino, the last day of walking, a mere 20km. I left just before 7am as I wanted to get to the Church before noon so I could go to Mass. It was dark, and would be for about an hour and a quarter and I walked alone. Several amazing things happened this day - the moon was full, or nearly, and my path was lit by moonlight. The first part of the walk was through a forest of eucalyptyse (sp) trees and in the moonlight, they were utterly beautiful. I felt absolutely no pain anywhere. I saw, for the last time, the sun rise in the mountains of Galecia, a fine morning mist settled in the valley. I did not walk alone for long as I kept meeting other Pilgrims I knew. We spoke a few words, walked together for a bit, but moved at our own pace, in our own thoughts. I contemplated the end of the journey and the last day I would walk and marvelled at how far I have come.
There is a hill just before Santiago called the ¨hill of tears¨ or ¨hill of Joy¨ which is about 5km from the centre of the City. From the top, you can see the city and just make out the tops of the two steeples of the Cathedral. When I stood there, I kept thinking of the medieval pilgrims who had walked for months, or even years to reach their destination and I understood why it was named so.
I walked the last 10km or so with Sylvie from Quebec and Samantha from Ireland, two women I have met recently. Winding our way through the modern part of the city and then into the old part with the signature cobbled narrow streets, I had a feeling of urgency....I wanted to get there, I desperately wanted to see the Cathedral. I was uprepared for the emotion I felt when I walked down through the portal into the square. The magnificence of the Cathedral is awe-some and I wept when I saw it. It was another beautiful sunny day, not a cloud and just the right temperature. I couldn´t take my eyes off the cathedral and looked up, tears of joy in my eyes. Joy, because of the sheer magnitude of the building; Joy, because I had completed something I set out to do. I felt such emotion and and a burst of energy unlike the usual exhaustion at the end of the walk.
We got there about 5 past noon and did not go into the church. Instead, we stayed and took some photos of ourselves in front of the church and then went and had something to eat and drink at one of the cafes. We all felt a little numb and didn´t quite know how to express our feelings. I checked into my hotel, had a shower and went back into the square to meet and greet the many fellow pilgrims who had arrived the day before. It was a lot of hugging and congratulating each other, photos, laughter, and exclamations: "we did it"!!! We all agreed to meet in the square at 7pm that evening and make dinner plans, like we did every night for the past few weeks.
I had decided to treat myself to a night at the Parador, a five star hotel right on the square. The history is that it was always a place for Pilgrims to stay and it has now been transformed into a luxury hotel. I cannot describe the beauty of it adequately. I could not believe they let me in in my bedraggled, sweaty, state and did my best to cover any signs of bed bug bites as I entered the building. After I checked in, the porter asked me if he could take my¨"bag" to which I replied: "I´ve carried this pack nearly 800kms, and don´t mind carrying it a few more meters!" I have a huge room overlooking one of the gardens with a water fountain. It is completely over the top and I must say I felt only slightly guilty as I settled myself in.
I went to the office where I was to receive my compostella - a document written in latin to say I had completed the Camino de Santiago. Even my name was written in Latin and the young man was impressed that I had started my journey from St. Jean PDP. When he looked at my passport with all the stamps I had received over the past 5 weeks, he said I had come a long, long way and congratulated me sincerely. I know it´s only a piece of paper, but I felt very proud at that moment.
We all met in the square as planned and there was more celebrating, hugging, congratulating, and photos. There must have been 40 people who had all had some kind of contact over the past few weeks. It was very emotional and moving, especially to realize that most of us will not see each other again. We decided to have dinner at a hotel around the corner - a beautiful monastary that has been turned into a hotel and served, what was for most of us, our last Pilgrim meal.
Later, we met at one of the cafe bars and continued to drink toasts to each other and say goodbye to some people who were moving on the next day. At midnight, there were a few stragglers who wished me a happy birthday and I think I finally got back to my hotel around 1am where I poured myself a long, hot, bubble bath. Delicious!
This morning I woke up and met Sylvie and Samantha, also staying at the Parador, for breakfast. I ate caviar and drank champagne on my 50th birthday! It was beautifully extravagant! Later, I went to the church and sat in the splendor of the Cathedral for a while before Mass began. At the beginning, they list all the countries that the Pilgrims had come from and who had received their Compostellas the day before. The organ played magnificently and a nun sang so beautifully...very moving...more tears. If you know anything about the church you may know that there is a huge incense burner that is hoisted from the ceiling of the church. At the end of Mass, the priests stand on either side and swing it from side to side on a thick rope, frankencense buring and filling the church with its sweet scent. I love the smell of that incense and it was a spectacular sight to see.
My friend Arlene took me out for a birthday lunch of salad, clams, and roasted pimentos (my favourite spanish dish) and we walked around the city all afternoon, stopping for a beer and doing our laundry! She is a good friend and I will go and see her in Bristol at some point before I return home.
Tonight, whoever is left will meet again in the square and we will decide where to go for dinner. I´m hoping to drink white wine and eat Pulpo, a specialty of Galecia.
Tomorrow I will go to Finisterra and then make travel plans for Barcelona for a couple of days before going back to Liverpool. I am starting to feel that my Camino has come to an end but am realizing, perhaps it is only the beginning. I feel a great sense of peace. The past couple of years have been so difficult and painful and I  have felt enormous loss and grief in so many ways. But I have survived and have come out the other side stronger, richer, and more at peace with myself. I still don´t know what I will do with my life and I don´t know exactly what the message for my Camino is yet, but I know it will come to me when the time is right. My only job is to make sure I am listening so I will hear the message.