It’s the final day of the Camino coming into Santiago, just 14 kilometres today from Lestado into Santiago de Compostela. I wanted to get there nice and early because I had some people that I was meeting once I reach Santiago. And the lady in the hotel where I was staying was very kind to give me breakfast at 7:00; so, I was on the road by about 7:20. I aimed to get there by midday and in fact, I got there by 11:00.

It was a really nice walk and so surprising because it felt like a country walk to almost within 1 1/2 kilometres of the cathedral. It’s a very different entry into Santiago when compared to the Frances. And during the walk, I think about four kilometres out, I stopped for a coffee and and met some other pilgrims that I’d met along the way. Then the final couple of kilometres into Santiago was delightful. There were hardly any other pilgrims in sight until I got near the main square. And then, of course, the square was packed with pilgrims.

I was wondering how I would feel coming into Santiago for the fourth time. The first time is always a very emotional time, I think, and exciting. I just felt a lot calmer this time because, certainly, my understanding of the Camino and the way I enjoy Camino is that I enjoy the journey. I try to enjoy every day of the journey. And coming in to Santiago is really not the goal, it’s just the kind of end point of that particular Camino before you start onto something else. And so, it was a very calm sort of content feeling as I came into the square and met up with a few people that I knew that I had met along the way.

My feet were very glad of the fact that they will now get a rest, and I look forward to having a day off and meeting up with some other pilgrims for lunch. We have been keeping in touch on WhatsApp, and so we’re going to have a nice lunch together and a farewell drink in the evening. And it’s an opportunity to try and find all the things that I sent forward to Santiago. So, I dropped in to the the post office and they had a tube for me there. And then tomorrow, l drop in to Ivar’s storage facility and pick up a couple more things there. These are things that I mailed forward from Seville that I didn’t need during the Camino and also one tube with some things that I decided I didn’t need part way through and nailed that forward. So it’s a little bit like Christmas opening up all these mailing tubes to see what’s left. And tomorrow morning, of course, I’ll go along to the Pilgrim’s office and get my Compostela, which is always a nice feeling.