STAGE 33 - O PEDROUZO to SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

 WE MADE IT! WE ARE HERE! 

We completed the 755 kilometers (469 miles) from Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela. It was a wonderful moment to stand in the plaza of the Obradoiro in front of the Cathedral and know that we made it here safely and with many, many wonderful experiences, friendships, and memories acquired along the way. Before sharing what we saw on our way to Santiago, I want to share with you an experience that I put into the "tender mercy" category. It all started in Sarria about a week ago. It was the day that we were going to walk out of the city and we had gone to breakfast. We overheard two women talking excitedly about doing the Camino. We paused and chatted with them. One of them, Lidieth (from Costa Rica), had talked to her husband about doing the walk. She told us that he kept putting it off. Sadly, he died. Lidieth decided that she would walk the Camino as a fulfillment of the plan she had with her husband. The other woman at the table was a friend who lived in Spain and they planned to do the Camino together. Fast forward to today. Shortly after we left O Pedrouzo we ran into Lidieth on the trail. She was limping along slowly and clearly in pain. She had purchased some walking sticks but didn't know how to use them. So, I adjusted them for her and Jannette gave her a quick lesson on how to use them. I gave her some ibuprofen (which is a must for long hikes!). We wished her the best with the hope that she would make it to Santiago. Fast forward a few hours. Jannette and had gone to visit the Cathedral and were rushing back to the hotel to shower, wash clothes and get ready to go to the Pilgrim's mass (where we hoped that they would swing the Botafumeiro). On the way back to the hotel we turned the corner and there was Lidieth! We hugged and offered to help her down to the plaza of the Obradoiro where pilgrims go to celebrate their arrival. She could barely walk so we put her between us and off we went. She was so emotional to reach the Cathedral and told us how much she appreciated us. We shared our phone numbers. Then, she turned to us and said that she had a little gift for us. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a beautiful artisan-made book mark from Costa Rica. She told us that she had brought a few of them with her not knowing really who she would give them to, but she wanted to give us one of them. These are the moments when, as a pilgrim, you feel the spirit of love, compassion, and fellowship with those who share the experiences of the Camino.

And her gift to us...

We are so grateful for these moments.

About three miles from the Cathedral is the Monte do Gozo (the Mount of Joy). This is the place where pilgrims over the centuries would get their first glimpse of the Cathedral and would shout with joy. Today on this rise is a statue of two pilgrims...

Tomorrow we leave to walk an extension of the Camino that starts in Santiago de Compostela and ends in  Muxia on the Atlantic coast. It is an additional 54 miles that we will do in four days. We are very excited! It is a part of the Camino that we haven't done before. I will continue to blog on what we see and experience.

BUEN CAMINO