Santiago

We were elated to arrive in Santiago yesterday, and disappointed we were unable to share the day's story on the blog. We are not sure what the problem is, but we are attempting to post in a different way and hope that works. 

Our day began as so often with walking out in the dark.

The weather forecast was good, although as the dawn broke we could see clouds gathering from the west! It made for a good sunrise, but we did wonder if this might be the day our ponchos, Julio and Jemima, finally made their appearance.

Undaunted we walked on. There were some noisy road sections, but also longish stretches of narrow lanes and woodland paths.

Amazing how Coca Cola can colonise anything - even the Camino!

 

The closer we got, we noticed a certain ebullience evident in pilgrim signage.

Here's a cute little bridge with purple railings - guess who this is for??

As we suspected, the clouds were more than passing. Finally, after nearly four weeks of sunny weather, the rain began. In a way we were delighted - Galicia having the last word!

About ten kilometres out, we reconnected with Geoff and Annemarie, who had walked ahead but were waiting. Don't they look fetching in their ponchos - Caesar and Sangria!!

Things started to get more complex as we approached the busy city.

Finally, we got our first glimpse of the cathedral.

Nearing the end the arrows split, one way more direct, the other offering a final wooded section. We had a strong sense that we needed to take the wooded way for a final moment of contemplative reflection as the streets got busier and noisier. This gave rise to another haiku:

Many ways in to 

Santiago. Take time ...

Savour your own way.

We connected again with Geoff and Annemarie who had taken the other route and we walked in together, merging with ever more people and then with pilgrims arriving from all other routes. And then, we were entering the square in front of the cathedral - what a spirit of joy rose in our hearts! You can see it in tired but happy pilgrim faces.

We are delighting in being back here again, enjoying the music and the energy. We hope to post more reflections on the way, but just wanted to share a bit more about the final stage. We've got more walking to do, and we'd love you to follow along if we're able to blog. We also thank you for the way you have followed this part of our journey, offering your support and encouraging comments.

Blessings,

Neil and Sarah