End of the Road

Jane & Charlotte:

Well we got here!  We were totally exhausted upon our arrival yesterday afternoon.  The last day of walking was not really any different from all the many, many preceding days, but in fact it felt different -- longer and more wearisome.  It was almost as if our bodies knew it was the last day of walking, but instead of being enervated they just objected.

We arrived in front of the cathedral in the mizzling rain, queued at the Pilgrims´office to get our compostela and checked into the Parador Hotel -- bliss! Sleep -- bliss!  Bath -  bliss!  One glass of cava -- zonk!

Today was a better, but more emotional day as we went to the pilgrims´mass and met some of the people we had met along The Way.  We were both surprised at how emotionally teary we felt.  We were not the only ones like this - quite a few people were quietly weeping at different times.  Everybody had been on their own journey for their own reasons and now it has perhaps ended, perhaps continues, perhaps begins.

Some folks we have met along The Way are continuing to the coast - to Finisterre (once believed to be the actual end of the world).  We have no desire whatsoever to continue walking.  In fact a mooch round the shops was just delightful.

In one of our early blogs we gave you five words from each of us that described how we felt about The Camino Way at that time.  We have now individually determined on five words each that describe what the Way has meant to us at its end.  Here they are:

Charlotte: painful, indescribable, unique, arduous and over.
Jane: exhausting, adventurous, transient,emotional and confirmatory.

Are we different, better, nicer people after having completed this 500 mile (did you get that? 500 mile!!!!!) pilgrimage?  Well, you´ll have to let us know.  We look the same.


This way to Santiago!

The oh-so-necessary coffee and cake break.

"I am sure this is still the way."

4.7 kilometres from the cathedral -- might as well have been 10.7!!

What a facade!! -- I mean the cathedral.

Euphoria!

Well -- would we advise any of you to do this trip?  We are not sure -- it has been very strange.  NOT like walking in the Lakes or the Dales -- a little like the West Highland Way but with more towns and more deserted villages and six times longer.

We have learnt an auful lot:

about packing

Camino fashion

wild flowers

making and leaving friends

climbing out of top bunks

Spanish landscape

Spanish weather

impromptu laundry

the lingo

how much we miss and love our family and friends.

This is our last blog from Spain and we want to really, really sincerely thank you for bothering to read it and to leave comments, texts and emails. Thank you.

There has been a delightful, easy little greeting that all pilgrims use that can mean "hello", "goodbye", "go carefully", "enjoy yourself" -- almost anything you like.  We must have heard it and said it 1,000 times so we say as our farewell to you all:

"Buen Camino!"