Sunday, April 1st

O Amenal - Santiago de Compostela

Today, I wake up at 8:00 am. Light rain is hitting the roof of the motorhome and I think, 'Please, not again!'

But when we set off after breakfast at 9:20 am, it is dry and eight degrees outside. It feels strange to start today. I'm happy to have completed the journey and walked 118 km. On the other hand, I don't want our trip to end. I think, 'Like a good book', where you want to know the ending but don't want to read the last chapter because then it will be over.'

Today, the Camino takes us through lots of greenery at first, dense forests, lots of moss, and numerous hills. From here on, the path is marked by old kilometer stones. The first stone we see today with a mileage indication shows only 13 km. In that moment, I actually think, 'Only'. It's strange. Five days ago, I would have considered 13 km on foot to be very long. Today, it feels like a hop, skip, and a jump.

At 10:00 am, we reach Santiago's outskirts. A stone sculpture marks this spot. After that, we circle around the local airport's runway. However, the path is still very rural and lined with lots of greenery. At 10:20 am, in front of a bar, we are stamped for the last time on our journey. I keep thinking today that while our journey is coming to an end, my own personal journey is just beginning!

The Camino still unexpectedly appears rural, so we pause at 11:15 am on a stone bench, surrounded by cats and cows. It is cool, gray, and slightly melancholic.

At 12:20 pm, we reach the monument at Monte do Gozo. From here, we can overlook the city. 5 km to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

At 12:50 pm, we reach Santiago's town sign.

'I don't really feel like celebrating though', Conny says. I feel the same way. I'm exhausted. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. And a little sad that our journey is ending today. However, my feet are looking forward to a day without hiking.

Now we have finally left behind the green and the rural. We pass by shops and bars, through pedestrian zones and through the old town, always following the small scallop shells.

At 1:40 pm, together with the local Easter parade, we reach the Cathedral. It feels unreal. We have spent so much time on the Camino, and suddenly, from one step to the next, we have arrived. We have reached our destination. However, the feeling of arrival doesn't really set in.

We look for the Pilgrim Office to apply for our certificates. We have to wait here for a while, and now my feet really want a change of shoes. At 2:50 pm, we have our certificates. When I hold them in my hands, I'm proud after all.

At 3:10 pm, we sit in front of red wine and mussels. 'We deserve this!', I think. While eating, Conny reads from the Pilgrim Guide: 'In the past, pilgrims would go into the sea to get the scallop shell. The shell that is not firmly anchored to the seabed, but drifts, and has become a symbol of freedom.' 'How fitting', I think. Because I have truly felt free many times in the past few days. Free from obligations and appointments; free from tasks and conventions; free from expectations and constraints, but also repeatedly free from orientation and security; free from safety and belonging. Freedom! I will definitely take that home with me.

After dinner, the Cathedral is open again and we finally get to hug the statue of Apostle James and thus complete our pilgrimage at 5:00 pm.

I'm exhausted and happy. I know I will come back. My journey is not yet over! Too many thoughts not yet fully thought, too many people not yet met, too many places not yet seen...