Day 39 continued….

Here are some more pictures from our walk to Santiago yesterday.

First breakfast

The trail is pretty clean. But we managed to pick up over 300 pieces of trash along the way today.

Lunch stop with HUGE sandwiches

We sat outside. And took off our shoes. And socks.

10 kilometer marker, 7 peregrinas, David’s bandana

Our Camino friends, Jed and Sandy, ended up a bit behind us. I really missed them the last couple days. It was sad to think about walking our final stage into Santiago without them.

I guess they felt the same way because they walked a couple double stages and started walking at 5AM to catch up and get to Santiago the same day as us.

Susan, Elisha, Elana, Becky, Lindsay, Rhonda and I stopped at a cafe right before Santiago to wait for them to catch up. Idle time can create interesting plans.

Wonderful Revolution is the name of Jed and Sandy’s YouTube channel.

A human pilgrim arrow perfectly executed

We came up with a genius plan to make sure they didn’t miss us with an arrow (and chant) they couldn’t miss.

The first of the Santiago signs as we reached the edge of town

Our pilgrim family together again and headed to Santiago

Derrick from Ireland, me, Rob from Netherlands, Giorgio from Italy and Becky

We were so happy to see these guys as we walked past side walk cafes on our way to the Cathedral of Santiago.

Derrick and Giorgio were at our table for the communal meal the night before our pilgrim friend David passed away in his sleep. We will always have a special bond with these two.

Pilgrimage complete! 800 kilometers, 500 miles, Spanish country sides, bustling cities, small hamlet villages, new friends from all over the world, the terrible loss of a pilgrim friend, the strength, determination and support of fellow pilgrims, reuniting with Susan (a friend from my first pilgrimage in 2016), sleeping in bunkbeds, communal meals, sore feet, hand washing clothes.

This has been an amazing 39 days. The Camino is a special thing that is impossible to describe. For me it is the perfect combination in spiritual, cultural and physical. It is hard, but not impossible. It is rich with history, each town we pass has its own unique story. It is full of like minded people, all walking to the same destination.

This pilgrimage is complete. I can’t imagine ever being finished. My Camino journey will continue. Lessons learned and friendships made will stay with me.