What to say about how it felt to arrive in Santiago?
Disbelief that we are here.
Relief at completing the walk in good health.
Joy, for our own journey and for all the journeys that converge in this place.
Sadness about leaving the ritual and rhythm of "the camino" behind.
Thanksgiving for the experience itself and for all the wonderful people we met along the way.
We safely arrived in Santiago de Compostela on June 1st, after walking for 500 miles over the course of 35 days (with a few break days in there as well). We walked through small towns, and bigger cities. We walked along the plains, and we walked over mountains. We saw crops ready to harvest, and we saw freshly plowed/planted fields. We met people from the United States, Chile, Canada, Hungary, The Netherlands, Ireland, France, Spain, and Bulgaria. While we both struggled physically in the first half of the journey, by the end, we were knocking out 30 km by 2:00 and wondering if we should just keep walking. We have come to appreciate the pace of the camino, and wonder how we will adjust to the bigger cities we will be visiting in the coming weeks, like Paris, London, and Hartsville, SC.
Upon arriving in Santiago, we checked into the final albergue of our journey and then went in search of the cathedral. As has happened many times on our trip, we got a great view of scaffolding on the main facade. After watching other pilgrims arrive for a bit, we went in search of the Peregrino Office, where we planned to get our Compostela, or certificate of completion. Our pilgrim's passports were full of stamps, and we were approved. That was a powerful moment, when the reality of completing such a journey settled into our consciousness.
On our second day in Santiago, we walked through the cathedral and made sure to get good seats for the Pilgrims mass that is celebrated each day at noon. While we only picked out bits and pieces from the service that was spoken completely in Spanish, we figured out when to say The Lord's Prayer and when to stand up and sit down. At the end of the service, they swing an enormous container of incense so that it almost strikes the ceiling.
We spent a couple more days in Santiago, greeting some of the fellow pilgrims we had met along the way, and eating anything but bocadillos and pilgrim's menus. We are so thankful for this opportunity and hope that we can convince other people we know and love to take a break from the usual busy-ness of life and to walk the camino.
Disbelief that we are here.
Relief at completing the walk in good health.
Joy, for our own journey and for all the journeys that converge in this place.
Sadness about leaving the ritual and rhythm of "the camino" behind.
Thanksgiving for the experience itself and for all the wonderful people we met along the way.
We safely arrived in Santiago de Compostela on June 1st, after walking for 500 miles over the course of 35 days (with a few break days in there as well). We walked through small towns, and bigger cities. We walked along the plains, and we walked over mountains. We saw crops ready to harvest, and we saw freshly plowed/planted fields. We met people from the United States, Chile, Canada, Hungary, The Netherlands, Ireland, France, Spain, and Bulgaria. While we both struggled physically in the first half of the journey, by the end, we were knocking out 30 km by 2:00 and wondering if we should just keep walking. We have come to appreciate the pace of the camino, and wonder how we will adjust to the bigger cities we will be visiting in the coming weeks, like Paris, London, and Hartsville, SC.
Upon arriving in Santiago, we checked into the final albergue of our journey and then went in search of the cathedral. As has happened many times on our trip, we got a great view of scaffolding on the main facade. After watching other pilgrims arrive for a bit, we went in search of the Peregrino Office, where we planned to get our Compostela, or certificate of completion. Our pilgrim's passports were full of stamps, and we were approved. That was a powerful moment, when the reality of completing such a journey settled into our consciousness.
On our second day in Santiago, we walked through the cathedral and made sure to get good seats for the Pilgrims mass that is celebrated each day at noon. While we only picked out bits and pieces from the service that was spoken completely in Spanish, we figured out when to say The Lord's Prayer and when to stand up and sit down. At the end of the service, they swing an enormous container of incense so that it almost strikes the ceiling.
We spent a couple more days in Santiago, greeting some of the fellow pilgrims we had met along the way, and eating anything but bocadillos and pilgrim's menus. We are so thankful for this opportunity and hope that we can convince other people we know and love to take a break from the usual busy-ness of life and to walk the camino.
500 miles! Congratulations, friends. Thank you for taking us along for the ride. xo
ReplyDeleteCongratulations and welcome back! What a beautiful, inspiring experience. Love you guys!
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