It had to be the quickest 20km I had done, the last day was over in a blink of an eye. The best thing is, we beat the rain!
We had to be out of the albergue by 0800h, and due to some early risers, we were out the door by 0715h.
The route is initially through woodlands and my head torch went into low battery mode. But having done this section three times now, I was pretty much in autopilot.
We all decided to start this morning walking alone, it is always a difficult day getting into Santiago. At ‘Bar 15km’ we gathered for breakfast, then made our ascent up to the airport.
Walking through the familiar eucalyptus woods, past the runway and down into San Paio, calling into the bar for a drink – it wasn’t even 1000h, but it is Santiago day after all!
We moved on getting to the 10km marker, the first time I’ve seen it in day light. I’ve always started from Lavacolla on my last day.
The Hill that I remember was merely a mound for these Basque Country legs, and the long stretch to Monte do Gozo flew by. I made a point of going to the pilgrim statues that overlook the city – I had missed them on my previous Caminos.
The last 5km was littered with tourigrinos, getting in the way. The now familiar streets zoomed by, and the spires of the cathedral came into view. The bagpipes were playing as we passed under the arch into the square.
Even on my fourth visit, the cathedral still had me in awe. I shuck my travelling companions hands and gazed at the cathedral. Once getting our compostelas and a few celebratory drinks, we booked into our respective digs.
As is the Camino we bumped into old faces, and we arranged to have dinner together. Jenny from Colombia, Hugo from Mexico, Ricardo from Spain, Karina from the states, Elliot, John, Judyta and I.
Afterwords we went to a local bar for drinks and a game of pool. A great end to the day.
Stu's Camino 