This is my 40th entry on this blog and on this the day I arrive in Santiago. I woke up this morning remembering a vivid dream where the Virgin Mary was in my dormitory room at Albergue Edreira wearing my blue hat that I used all throughout the camino. I enjoy having this warm hat and it is also the camino colour blue (this is mere coincidence) and only needed a yellow arrow on the front to be a complete Camino Souvenir. She stood by an empty bunk bed looking at me with my blue hat on her head and did not say a single word.

I took the message to be, “Wear the hat this day and walk the camino path into Santiago. Don’t miss out on this day.” The pain on my right foot is gone as well. I also engaged the backpack taxi for my pack. I did not want a repeat of yesterday’s incident.

The Virgin Mary is right. It was a beautiful day today with no rain. There were some rain clouds on the horizon but it did not come over us so the walk was dry all throughout. I enjoyed this day’s walk tremendously. Marybel and I also ran into our famous Japanese Family and invited them (which they agreed) to join us for a meal or drinks in the next day or so. I wanted to connect with them in a relax fashion as they have been quite an inspiration for me on the camino.

We walked past the town of Lavacolla. There is an interesting story about this town. In the days of old, this town is famous for it’s brothel where pilgrims have their last sins of the flesh committed and then they wash themselves after their indiscretions so they are clean for entering Santiago. The town has been named for the act of “washing bottom” that is needed after using the brothel: Lava (wash) and colla (bottom). An interesting story!

We reached Santiago at 4pm. I would like to say that it was an incredible experience for having reached my ultimate destination and that the city is beautiful at the outskirts but that is not so for me. The city looked very industrial with commercial buildings and residential flats. There was nothing special with my entry into Santiago on the outskirts. However, Marybel made hers special by removing her soiled and torn rain pants and I took the picture of her dumping the pants into a garbage bin. Leave it to her to come up with a unique cleansing act to mark her entry into Santiago…lol.

We were hungry upon entering the city of Santiago and found its Centro Comercial (shopping mall) and had once again Chinese buffet. Inexpensive and quite filling. Then we walked to the center of the city, to the Cathedral where the tomb of St. James is interred. Our hostal is located near the Cathedral. Unlike the outskirts of Santiago, the Cathedral and its surroundings are incredible. Tall and majestic, the holy church had a mystical feel about it. This is where I was overcome by my journey’s end. No, I did not cry but there was definitely a grip on my heart that told me I have arrived at some place special.

We found our hostal easily at around 6pm. The pilgrims office where we are to obtain our certificates of completion is on the same street as our Hostal. What a bonus!

The usual tiredness of the day made us take in an early night despite our elation for having arrived in Santiago. No time for evaluation, celebration or anything else yet. Just a shower and into beds to rest and sleep early. A walk to the pilgrim’s office will be for tommorrow, a short 2 minute walk (so different from our daily objective of walking from town to town). Then off to pilgrims mass right after.

We will also visit Fisterre or some people call it Finnisterre on Monday. I want to take in the sights and sounds of Santiago prior to heading to “the end of the world”.

Peace and love,
Hilda 🙂