Go Big, Then Go Home
Saturday Sept 28th, 2019
Lavacolla to Santiago de Compostela
10km plus touring, 23,000 steps, Final walking day: #38
I planned to arrive in Santiago de Compostela (S de C) early, possibly even before the Pilgrim office opened, to get in line for my ticket. The ticket is simply a number which indicates your place in line to get your Compostela, the official document that certifies that you met the requirements for completing the Camino. Rumors had been flying among the pilgrims for the last few days that the office was being swamped with pilgrims, and that ticket numbers were limited, and that they stopped giving out tickets early in the day. We didn't know exactly what to believe, but for me, the rumors were enough to motivate me to arrive in Santiago with more than enough time to spare.
I packed up everything the night before and laid out my clothes for the morning so all I had to do was jump into my clothes and get going. I had a two hour walk ahead of me, and I wanted to arrive at the pilgrim office before it opened at 8:30 am. The alarm went off at 5:45 am. I did hear it. I woke up at 6:30. Aarrgghh. Oh well. I dressed quickly and got on the road.
It was full dark when I left Lavacolla. The stars were still shining, and the constellation Orion was low in the sky. The last 10 km are all asphalt, so it was easy to walk. They are also mostly lit by streetlamps. There were a few sections that were very, very dark but I had a small flashlight with me, and that was more than enough. My last day walking was the first time I used the flashlight. It was a small bike light, but very bright. I had it attached to my lumbar pack so it was with me at all times. The thought was that if I got into some sort of trouble on the road at any point, such as an injury, I could flash the light and get someone's attention. Also, if I was anywhere inside at night and there was a power failure, I would have the light with me.
There was one point while I was walking in the dark when I sure I heard the steady crunch, crunch, crunch of something/someone walking in the woods to my left. Friend? Foe? Predator? Prey? I did not shine my light there to see. Actually I turned my light off so as not to attract attention, and carried on. Soon a pair of pilgrims caught up to me from behind and passed me. I sped up a bit to match their speed, so I could walk with a bit of "company", leaving about 40m between us. Far enough apart so that we weren't walking together, but close enough to see them up ahead.
As I approached Santiago, the traffic and noise increased, even though it was 8:00 am on a Saturday. The sense of urgency and tension increased. Once in the outskirts of Santiago, more and more pilgrims began to appear from all directions. Everyone was walking with a much more determined gait than I had seen at any other time on the camino. I kept checking my watch, realizing that this was an unfamiliar behaviour. 8:30 am was drawing very near.
The descent into S de C was accompanied by a drop in temperature, of, I would say, about 15 degrees, and was accompanied by a cold wind. I was ready for sunrise and the warmth it should provide. There was a lot of city to cross before arriving at the old city, the Cathedral of Santiago (St. James the Apostle) and the pilgrim office. I kept checking my map. This was the one morning where I could not afford to get lost. I even had two charged back-up batteries with me. The extra weight was an excellent trade-off for the extra security.
At 8:30 am I was a few blocks away from the pilgrim office. Coffee shops and souvenir shops began to line the streets. Pilgrims started passing me in the other direction, Compostelas in hand. Among them were Pat and Richard who were among the first 10 pilgrims in line that morning. They had their Compostelas and they had received an invitation to lunch! Following a 500 year old tradition (of which I was not previously aware) the pilgrim office treats the first 10 pilgrims of the day to a traditional pilgrim lunch at the nearby Posada ( a 4 star luxury hotel) on the Praza do Obradoiro.
I made a very quick stop in the Praza do Obradoiro in front of the western facade of the Cathedral to mark my arrival, and then headed to the pilgrim office. I got my ticket at 8:45 am. I was number 469, and they were serving number 75. I walked back to the square to have a proper look and feel, and to take pictures.
There has been a holy building on this site, built over the tomb of St. James the Apostle, since the first chapel was built by King Alphonso II in the 800's. The building of the present Cathedral began in 1075. It was constructed mostly of granite, and it is an enormous and awe inspiring structure.
Throngs of people were in the square. Pilgrims were laughing, hugging, kissing, dancing, and crying. Some stood alone or in groups, staring at the Cathedral. Some sat and ate breakfast, or just contemplated their accomplishment. Some lay down in the sun with their heads resting on their backpacks, eyes closed, taking time to connect with the place, and with earth beneath them.
I took my time in the square, then toured around some more and visited a few nearby churches and squares. I was able to check on the progress at the pilgrim office via my smart phone. Judging by the rate of change of the numbers, I figured I had until 1:30 pm before my ticket number would be called.
In Santiago I met up with so many people I knew. I saw Linda from Australia, who I had met back in Vianna. Sometime after I met her she suffered from infected blisters and cellulitis, and had to take antibiotics and a period of rest from walking. But she persevered and had arrived in Santiago. She was trying to find the pilgrim office to get her ticket. I knew where it was so I led her there. She was crying, and told me she had been crying for two days. On the way to the pilgrim office we met Tatiana, a woman from Germany. Tatiana and I had met many times over the weeks, either with her passing by me, or with me passing by her. Often the two of us would stop in the same place to take the same picture. She was crying, too. The closer she got to Santiago, she said, the less she wanted to arrive, because it meant that part of the journey was over. I think I understand now that the reason people go on to walk 4 or 5 more days to Finisterra on the west coast of Spain is to give themselves some time for decompression and for integration of their thoughts and feelings. It is difficult to arrive in Santiago and then immediately return to one's previous life.
After getting her ticket, Linda and I found Chihiro, the Japanese woman I had met on walking day #2. Linda had spent some time walking with Chi, but I hadn't seen her in 5 weeks. Chi remembered me, and even remembered my name! We hugged like we were long lost sisters, and congratulated each other for reaching Santiago.
For centuries, Pilgrim mass has been celebrated in the Cathedral of Santiago. This year, the cathedral is undergoing extensive renovation, and the mass was moved to the nearby Church of San Francisco. I took my place there at 11:45, and mass began at noon. Although it was in Spanish, it was lovely, with a nun singing sweetly, and priests in red leading the service. From time to time I discreetly checked the progress in the pilgrim office. To my horror the numbers were advancing faster and faster. At 12:30, halfway through mass, number 430 appeared on my phone. I had to go.
I hurried to the pilgrim office and made my way up to the security guard who was defending the entrance against a crowd of pilgrims. There were no more tickets being given for that day. I displayed my ticket and entered, and my number was coming up. Seeing "469" on the screen seemed like one of the sweetest things I had ever seen. I was called to wicket #12, and was assisted by a lovely young woman who took a few moments to connect with me. She asked me how I was feeling, and how was my camino. She helped me with the simple paperwork and then wrote my name by hand, in Latin, on my Compostela. With the final stamp placed in my Credentiale, or Pilgrim Passport, my camino was truly completed. I carefully rolled my Compostela and placed it in the protective tube that I purchased earlier in the day.
I visited the two areas of the Cathedral that remained open to the public. The first was a visit to the statue of St. James the Apostle. Climbing up a narrow and steep stone staircase, one arrives at the head and shoulders of the statue of St. James the Apostle. The stairs are deeply worn by millions of feet over the centuries.
People are allowed to touch/hug the statue, and many people spend a few moments there praying.
The second area still available to visit is the crypt that houses the relics of St. James and of two of his disciples.
I was drawn back to the Square. I wanted to stand in the sun and just be there. Dan, my walking companion for the last few weeks whenever our schedules coincided, was also on the square, enjoying the Galician bagpipe music.
We had lunch (best patata tortilla and croquettes of the whole trip!) and agreed to meet later for a drink.
By this time it was late enough for me to check in to my hotel. I settled in and emailed Eliana and Evandro, inviting them to join Dan and myself that evening. Right after I sent the email, I noticed that Eliana had already emailed me! The four of us had a lovely dinner.
We joked about whether I was going to walk to the airport in the morning, after all, it was only 10 km away. I agreed that it was possible for me to leave Santiago at 2:30 in the morning, walk to the airport and be on time for my 6:40 am flight, but I believed that sticking with my original plan of taking a taxi would be best. Then we said our real, final goodbyes. Eliana and Evandro were off to Madrid the next day, and Dan was going to spend another day in Santiago and then was going to walk to Finisterra before returning to the US.
What I didn't know was that the three people to whom I had just said goodbye were sharing a secret.
I returned to the hotel, packed up, and lay down. The alarm was set for 4:00 am and the taxi was arriving at 4:30 am. When I got into the taxi, it was the first time I was stepping into a vehicle of any kind in almost 6 weeks.
I flew out of Lavacolla airport in the dark. A moment after I felt myself sink into the seat during lift-off, I was asleep.
Two hours later I was in Madrid. We landed in Terminal 4. The sun was just peeking over the horizon.
When I got to the carousel to pick up my suitcase, the concourse and the carousel were both completely empty. The LED signboard over the carousel said the last suitcase had come down the ramp at 8:13 am. It was 8:25. I walked over to the luggage claim counter, showed my boarding pass and asked about my luggage. The attendant clicked a bit on her keyboard and said "Wait 10 minutes." I explained about the LED sign, and she repeated "wait 10 minutes." I figured I could wait 10 minutes. By the time I returned to the carousel, there was one, single, lonely bag riding around the carousel. Mine. Whew.
The next 18 hours went something like this:
Shuttle bus from Madrid Terminal 4 to Madrid Terminal 1.
Check in, pass security, wait. I charged my tablet, phone and back-up batteries and ate the packed breakfast prepared by my hotel in S de C while I waited. One bottle of juice and one ham and cheese sandwich.
Take-off was at 11:30 am.
I endured an 8 hour flight squeezed in a tiny seat between two men. First, crunchy snacks and beverage. Then a meal (lasagna and salad), later we were offered ice cream (!) then even later another beverage service, then finally we were offered hot ham and cheese sandwichs (how did they know??) I couldn't get comfortable, so I didn't get any sleep on that flight.
We landed in Newark, New Jersey at 2:00 pm local time. I was the last person off my flight at 2:30, which left me with less than one hour to get to my next flight.
I had to find the baggage claim area, pick up my bag, take my bag to the "baggage check-through" area, line up to to get my bag scanned, get my bag scanned, and drop my bag off on the check-through conveyor belt. Then I had to find and take the AirTrain to Newark Terminal 1, line up for passport control, go through passport control, line up for US customs, go through US customs, then line up for security. Um, by this time I had only 20 minutes to get to my gate, and there were 50 people ahead of me in line for security. I asked each person if I could go ahead of them as I had a tight connection, and they all said yes. I thanked each person profusely. When I got to the front of the line I turned around and thanked them all again. They all nodded and smiled. Some of them even wished me good luck!
I got through customs and ran to the gate, getting there just as boarding began.
1.5 hours later, at 5:15 local time, I landed in Toronto International Airport.
My husband was waiting for me in the arrivals lounge, complete with welcome sign.
On the way home we stopped at a restaurant for dinner. What I didn't know was that my husband had planned a welcome home party for me, so when I got to the restaurant, there were friends and family already there, waiting for me.
I mentioned a secret. My husband had figured out how to contact the friends I had made in Spain. He emailed all of them and asked them to send him stories about their time with me on the camino. Each of them responded with a beautiful story, and my husband read them aloud at the party. It felt so good to have my camino friends with me at my party, and hearing their own words being read. I realized that when I had seen all my friends in Santiago not 24 hours before, they all knew what my husband had been planning, and they did not give one single clue or hint. They didn't even act unusual, in the way that people sometimes act when they know something that you don't. How fabulous of them!
It was a wonderful homecoming, at the end of a wonderful trip.
Every day on the camino was unique and beautiful.
I'm grateful for the experience and for the friends I made, and I'm grateful for the friends and family at home, who made going easy and who made coming home easy.
May everyone you know be a beautiful angel.
Ultreia y Suseia!
Saturday Sept 28th, 2019
Lavacolla to Santiago de Compostela
10km plus touring, 23,000 steps, Final walking day: #38
I planned to arrive in Santiago de Compostela (S de C) early, possibly even before the Pilgrim office opened, to get in line for my ticket. The ticket is simply a number which indicates your place in line to get your Compostela, the official document that certifies that you met the requirements for completing the Camino. Rumors had been flying among the pilgrims for the last few days that the office was being swamped with pilgrims, and that ticket numbers were limited, and that they stopped giving out tickets early in the day. We didn't know exactly what to believe, but for me, the rumors were enough to motivate me to arrive in Santiago with more than enough time to spare.
I packed up everything the night before and laid out my clothes for the morning so all I had to do was jump into my clothes and get going. I had a two hour walk ahead of me, and I wanted to arrive at the pilgrim office before it opened at 8:30 am. The alarm went off at 5:45 am. I did hear it. I woke up at 6:30. Aarrgghh. Oh well. I dressed quickly and got on the road.
It was full dark when I left Lavacolla. The stars were still shining, and the constellation Orion was low in the sky. The last 10 km are all asphalt, so it was easy to walk. They are also mostly lit by streetlamps. There were a few sections that were very, very dark but I had a small flashlight with me, and that was more than enough. My last day walking was the first time I used the flashlight. It was a small bike light, but very bright. I had it attached to my lumbar pack so it was with me at all times. The thought was that if I got into some sort of trouble on the road at any point, such as an injury, I could flash the light and get someone's attention. Also, if I was anywhere inside at night and there was a power failure, I would have the light with me.
There was one point while I was walking in the dark when I sure I heard the steady crunch, crunch, crunch of something/someone walking in the woods to my left. Friend? Foe? Predator? Prey? I did not shine my light there to see. Actually I turned my light off so as not to attract attention, and carried on. Soon a pair of pilgrims caught up to me from behind and passed me. I sped up a bit to match their speed, so I could walk with a bit of "company", leaving about 40m between us. Far enough apart so that we weren't walking together, but close enough to see them up ahead.
As I approached Santiago, the traffic and noise increased, even though it was 8:00 am on a Saturday. The sense of urgency and tension increased. Once in the outskirts of Santiago, more and more pilgrims began to appear from all directions. Everyone was walking with a much more determined gait than I had seen at any other time on the camino. I kept checking my watch, realizing that this was an unfamiliar behaviour. 8:30 am was drawing very near.
The descent into S de C was accompanied by a drop in temperature, of, I would say, about 15 degrees, and was accompanied by a cold wind. I was ready for sunrise and the warmth it should provide. There was a lot of city to cross before arriving at the old city, the Cathedral of Santiago (St. James the Apostle) and the pilgrim office. I kept checking my map. This was the one morning where I could not afford to get lost. I even had two charged back-up batteries with me. The extra weight was an excellent trade-off for the extra security.
This was my first peek of the cathedral, visible between the buildings
at the end of the street
At 8:30 am I was a few blocks away from the pilgrim office. Coffee shops and souvenir shops began to line the streets. Pilgrims started passing me in the other direction, Compostelas in hand. Among them were Pat and Richard who were among the first 10 pilgrims in line that morning. They had their Compostelas and they had received an invitation to lunch! Following a 500 year old tradition (of which I was not previously aware) the pilgrim office treats the first 10 pilgrims of the day to a traditional pilgrim lunch at the nearby Posada ( a 4 star luxury hotel) on the Praza do Obradoiro.
I made a very quick stop in the Praza do Obradoiro in front of the western facade of the Cathedral to mark my arrival, and then headed to the pilgrim office. I got my ticket at 8:45 am. I was number 469, and they were serving number 75. I walked back to the square to have a proper look and feel, and to take pictures.
There has been a holy building on this site, built over the tomb of St. James the Apostle, since the first chapel was built by King Alphonso II in the 800's. The building of the present Cathedral began in 1075. It was constructed mostly of granite, and it is an enormous and awe inspiring structure.
Throngs of people were in the square. Pilgrims were laughing, hugging, kissing, dancing, and crying. Some stood alone or in groups, staring at the Cathedral. Some sat and ate breakfast, or just contemplated their accomplishment. Some lay down in the sun with their heads resting on their backpacks, eyes closed, taking time to connect with the place, and with earth beneath them.
I took my time in the square, then toured around some more and visited a few nearby churches and squares. I was able to check on the progress at the pilgrim office via my smart phone. Judging by the rate of change of the numbers, I figured I had until 1:30 pm before my ticket number would be called.
In Santiago I met up with so many people I knew. I saw Linda from Australia, who I had met back in Vianna. Sometime after I met her she suffered from infected blisters and cellulitis, and had to take antibiotics and a period of rest from walking. But she persevered and had arrived in Santiago. She was trying to find the pilgrim office to get her ticket. I knew where it was so I led her there. She was crying, and told me she had been crying for two days. On the way to the pilgrim office we met Tatiana, a woman from Germany. Tatiana and I had met many times over the weeks, either with her passing by me, or with me passing by her. Often the two of us would stop in the same place to take the same picture. She was crying, too. The closer she got to Santiago, she said, the less she wanted to arrive, because it meant that part of the journey was over. I think I understand now that the reason people go on to walk 4 or 5 more days to Finisterra on the west coast of Spain is to give themselves some time for decompression and for integration of their thoughts and feelings. It is difficult to arrive in Santiago and then immediately return to one's previous life.
After getting her ticket, Linda and I found Chihiro, the Japanese woman I had met on walking day #2. Linda had spent some time walking with Chi, but I hadn't seen her in 5 weeks. Chi remembered me, and even remembered my name! We hugged like we were long lost sisters, and congratulated each other for reaching Santiago.
Me and Chihiro
For centuries, Pilgrim mass has been celebrated in the Cathedral of Santiago. This year, the cathedral is undergoing extensive renovation, and the mass was moved to the nearby Church of San Francisco. I took my place there at 11:45, and mass began at noon. Although it was in Spanish, it was lovely, with a nun singing sweetly, and priests in red leading the service. From time to time I discreetly checked the progress in the pilgrim office. To my horror the numbers were advancing faster and faster. At 12:30, halfway through mass, number 430 appeared on my phone. I had to go.
I hurried to the pilgrim office and made my way up to the security guard who was defending the entrance against a crowd of pilgrims. There were no more tickets being given for that day. I displayed my ticket and entered, and my number was coming up. Seeing "469" on the screen seemed like one of the sweetest things I had ever seen. I was called to wicket #12, and was assisted by a lovely young woman who took a few moments to connect with me. She asked me how I was feeling, and how was my camino. She helped me with the simple paperwork and then wrote my name by hand, in Latin, on my Compostela. With the final stamp placed in my Credentiale, or Pilgrim Passport, my camino was truly completed. I carefully rolled my Compostela and placed it in the protective tube that I purchased earlier in the day.
My Credentiale with its final stamp on the right.
People are allowed to touch/hug the statue, and many people spend a few moments there praying.
You can see someone's hand resting on the statue's left shoulder.
The second area still available to visit is the crypt that houses the relics of St. James and of two of his disciples.
I was drawn back to the Square. I wanted to stand in the sun and just be there. Dan, my walking companion for the last few weeks whenever our schedules coincided, was also on the square, enjoying the Galician bagpipe music.
A lone piper at the entrance to the square.
Pipers in the Praza do Obradoiro.
We had lunch (best patata tortilla and croquettes of the whole trip!) and agreed to meet later for a drink.
By this time it was late enough for me to check in to my hotel. I settled in and emailed Eliana and Evandro, inviting them to join Dan and myself that evening. Right after I sent the email, I noticed that Eliana had already emailed me! The four of us had a lovely dinner.
We joked about whether I was going to walk to the airport in the morning, after all, it was only 10 km away. I agreed that it was possible for me to leave Santiago at 2:30 in the morning, walk to the airport and be on time for my 6:40 am flight, but I believed that sticking with my original plan of taking a taxi would be best. Then we said our real, final goodbyes. Eliana and Evandro were off to Madrid the next day, and Dan was going to spend another day in Santiago and then was going to walk to Finisterra before returning to the US.
What I didn't know was that the three people to whom I had just said goodbye were sharing a secret.
I returned to the hotel, packed up, and lay down. The alarm was set for 4:00 am and the taxi was arriving at 4:30 am. When I got into the taxi, it was the first time I was stepping into a vehicle of any kind in almost 6 weeks.
I flew out of Lavacolla airport in the dark. A moment after I felt myself sink into the seat during lift-off, I was asleep.
Two hours later I was in Madrid. We landed in Terminal 4. The sun was just peeking over the horizon.
When I got to the carousel to pick up my suitcase, the concourse and the carousel were both completely empty. The LED signboard over the carousel said the last suitcase had come down the ramp at 8:13 am. It was 8:25. I walked over to the luggage claim counter, showed my boarding pass and asked about my luggage. The attendant clicked a bit on her keyboard and said "Wait 10 minutes." I explained about the LED sign, and she repeated "wait 10 minutes." I figured I could wait 10 minutes. By the time I returned to the carousel, there was one, single, lonely bag riding around the carousel. Mine. Whew.
The next 18 hours went something like this:
Shuttle bus from Madrid Terminal 4 to Madrid Terminal 1.
Check in, pass security, wait. I charged my tablet, phone and back-up batteries and ate the packed breakfast prepared by my hotel in S de C while I waited. One bottle of juice and one ham and cheese sandwich.
Take-off was at 11:30 am.
I endured an 8 hour flight squeezed in a tiny seat between two men. First, crunchy snacks and beverage. Then a meal (lasagna and salad), later we were offered ice cream (!) then even later another beverage service, then finally we were offered hot ham and cheese sandwichs (how did they know??) I couldn't get comfortable, so I didn't get any sleep on that flight.
We landed in Newark, New Jersey at 2:00 pm local time. I was the last person off my flight at 2:30, which left me with less than one hour to get to my next flight.
I had to find the baggage claim area, pick up my bag, take my bag to the "baggage check-through" area, line up to to get my bag scanned, get my bag scanned, and drop my bag off on the check-through conveyor belt. Then I had to find and take the AirTrain to Newark Terminal 1, line up for passport control, go through passport control, line up for US customs, go through US customs, then line up for security. Um, by this time I had only 20 minutes to get to my gate, and there were 50 people ahead of me in line for security. I asked each person if I could go ahead of them as I had a tight connection, and they all said yes. I thanked each person profusely. When I got to the front of the line I turned around and thanked them all again. They all nodded and smiled. Some of them even wished me good luck!
I got through customs and ran to the gate, getting there just as boarding began.
1.5 hours later, at 5:15 local time, I landed in Toronto International Airport.
Toronto harbour, unmistakable from the air.
My husband was waiting for me in the arrivals lounge, complete with welcome sign.
On the way home we stopped at a restaurant for dinner. What I didn't know was that my husband had planned a welcome home party for me, so when I got to the restaurant, there were friends and family already there, waiting for me.
There was food and drink, balloons and cake, and there were speeches!
I mentioned a secret. My husband had figured out how to contact the friends I had made in Spain. He emailed all of them and asked them to send him stories about their time with me on the camino. Each of them responded with a beautiful story, and my husband read them aloud at the party. It felt so good to have my camino friends with me at my party, and hearing their own words being read. I realized that when I had seen all my friends in Santiago not 24 hours before, they all knew what my husband had been planning, and they did not give one single clue or hint. They didn't even act unusual, in the way that people sometimes act when they know something that you don't. How fabulous of them!
It was a wonderful homecoming, at the end of a wonderful trip.
Every day on the camino was unique and beautiful.
I'm grateful for the experience and for the friends I made, and I'm grateful for the friends and family at home, who made going easy and who made coming home easy.
My Compostela
May everyone you know be a beautiful angel.
Ultreia y Suseia!
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