Arrival

Arco do Pino to Santiago de Compostela

Saturday, September 27, 2008
Less than 20 kilometers (I must say I'm still confused by exactly how far apart some of the stops are - regardless, I walked somwhere between 10-12 miles on this last day).

Believe it or not, I have much less to say about this last leg. I walked for the first hour or so with two brothers from New Zealand. Very nice guys. We started in the dark, and none of us had a flashlight, so it might not be hard to imagine that we did manage to lose our way for a short bit in a forest during the nearly pitch-black pre-dawn. I used my cell phone as a flashlight with meager results. It all worked out alright, and we were back on the right path soon enough. After some good conversation, and sometime after daybreak, the two long-hikers from the South Pacific kicked into another gear I didn't have. They were trying to make it into Santiago by noon in order to catch the Pilgrim's mass at the cathedral. I saw them later, and they did in fact make it in time for the mass (I also learned, sadly, that they ran into Gilles, and his walking poles had been stolen at the cathedral). I walked another good portion of the day with my new temporary Spanish community. I had another good lengthy spiritual conversation, this time with Antonio and Jesús. We covered a lot of church history, as they had a lot of questions about Protestants and evangelicals. Most Spaniards don't know many people of faith from Protestant and evangelical traditions. I tried my best to explain what I knew were the differences between 'us' and the Catholic faith, as well as explaining the differences with groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons.

I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure my emotions were different from many pilgrims who arrive in Santiago. Living so close by, we go to Santiago relatively often. I've seen the cathedral many times now. It's not yet home, but it is certainly a familiar place. I definitely was excited to get to Santiago, and I enjoyed the satisfaction of completing a (relatively) long and difficult walk. I enjoyed getting to know our anticipated future home in a new way as well. But it was not all that emotional of an arrival. I was excited to get home to my family, a long hot shower, and my own comfortable bed. I didn't even have much time to spend in Santiago as my train back to Coruña was leaving in a few short hours. I rested briefly in the square in front of the Cathedral before heading over to the pilgrim's office to precent my credencial and receive my Compostela - an official document confirming my completion of the Camino. I then returned to the cathedral to say some quick goodbyes to my Spanish companions as they explored the interior. I didn't even have time for a 'proper' meal after arriving. I had to settle for wolfing down a quick Burger King meal as I scurried down to the train station to catch my train. But it really was great to step down from the train in Coruña to a warm welcome from my family. I received heartfelt little leg-hugs from each of the boys. It was good to see Faith and the kids, be somewhere even more familiar, climb into the car, and head home.

I had the chance to visit Santiago again 3 short days later as we introduced some friends visiting from the States to Santiago. I took this picture that day of a group of pilgrims capturing their arrival at the Cathedral on film. It definitely brought back memories of my arrival just a few days prior.