Jakobsweg 2.0 Finale

29.07.18

I actually made it, I arrive in Santiago de Compostela on my birthday morning...

But before I enter, I went to the pilgrim monument and looked down at the illuminated city of Santiago de Compostela... simply enjoyed the moment for myself...

Then I went down towards Santiago in a very relaxed and happy mood, laughing, crying and dancing at the same time... I did it, I arrive in Santiago for the second time after 2015!!!

The last two days were not easy, these crowds along the way, even the crowds with a very strong tourist impression were annoying... always the big suitcases in the hostels, buses where "pilgrims" get off and almost everything is reserved in the accommodations... but that's exactly why I started very early today to avoid that, to enjoy my day and tomorrow...

Often I thought about giving up along the way, going home, I could have done it without a guilty conscience... but I wanted to be mentally and emotionally strong...

The wine is running out and Santiago is getting closer and suddenly I see the sign of Santiago for the first time!!! Now it's not far anymore and I stand in front of the cathedral...

I'm just enjoying every moment right now... thinking about the past weeks, thinking that the journey is now coming to an end... although the actual journey is yet to begin...

I was actually able to say thank you to the Way and give something back... because in 2015 it changed my life sustainably!!!

Suddenly the time came, I see part of the cathedral for the first time, now it's only a few minutes and I'm there... a few curves, a short climb and I'm standing in front of the small tunnel that leads to the square in front of the cathedral...

The square is almost empty, a great moment, I'm here and I can enjoy it quietly without the hustle and bustle that will start later... just sit down, lie down and experience this moment here and now!!!

It didn't take long for the first big youth groups, small groups and individual people to arrive... it's fantastic to see the joy breaking out in everyone, how everyone enjoys the moment. Somehow everyone is free, happy, relieved and above all happy... whether it's 100km, 500km, 800km or 1112 km... everyone deserves to arrive here... and everyone I saw was overwhelmed, often laughing and crying at the same time...

Later in the day, I met someone, how it happened is hardly believable...

In 2015, I had contact with her via Facebook when I was on my Camino, after I came back she started... in between we exchanged information about the Way and my experiences... she was from Hamburg, just like me back then, we had the same friends and went to the same club... as if that wasn't enough coincidences, she liked pictures of my Camino 2018 on Instagram this time, we found out that we had contact in 2015... we had never seen each other before or anything... she was on the Jakobsweg at the same time as me, just on a different route... in the following days we realized that we would both arrive on the 29th of July... somehow completely crazy and suddenly she was there, and we were happy to see each other...

We walked through Santiago in the evening, chatted, ate and agreed to go to Finisterre the next day...

I later went to a small concert... that was also a wonderful end to my day...