We walked for three miles before finding an open café for coffee and breakfast. We decided that we wanted to go different speeds, so we made our way to Santiago on our own. I kept a pretty quick pace and decided to keep my stops to a minimum. I only stopped once to get a coffee after arriving in A Lavacolla. After that I charged on to Santiago.

I arrived at the Albergue at a little past 12:30 and secured my bed for the night. I then made the final half mile to the Cathedral. It was an incredible feeling to be standing at my destination that I have anticipated so long to reach. I was unable to attend the mass as it had already ended, but I made my way to the pilgrims office to receive my Compostela and register for the mass for tomorrow afternoon. To be holding the Compostela in my hand, marking the end of my pilgrimage was met with both sadness and joy. But I feel deep inside, that my pilgrimage is not complete. Maybe after attending mass tomorrow and hearing my name read out to all in attendance, I will feel that it has reached its completion. But then again, maybe not. I know that I have discovered much inside myself on this journey, and much in the kindness of strangers who have become family.

The distance that I had to travel to get to Santiago today was 18 miles. I explored the city a bit and racked up around another 7 more so my feet are tired. I am looking forward to being able to sleep in a bit and not have to get up and walk first thing in the morning. For my last few days in Spain, I can rest my feet.

While wandering around the square in Santiago, I came across the two Camino family members who I started off with this morning. I treated each of them with a huge hug. We had traveled so long, and so far to reach this destination. We each had sore feet and knew some of the physical pain that each had gone through. I also came across other pilgrims that I had walked with and talked with throughout the past several weeks. It was nice to see some faces that I haven’t seen in many days. The standard “Buen Camino!” greeting no longer applies, because the Camino is Complete. We made it.

The journey to Santiago has completed, but the journey of my life has not. What will I do after returning home? Go back to my job and begin my new role. That much I know. Take with me the experiences of the Camino and share them with others, like I have done with this blog.

The post Camino Day 24: Salcedo – Santiago! appeared first on 10kmiles.

We had our breakfast and continued through the countryside. We walked along the farms and then into forested paths with trees covered in moss and ivy, surrounded by ferns. It was a beautiful walk and it didn’t take us long to get hot, even though the air was a bit cool.

We had a lot of ground to cover, so we kept our breaks to a minimum. When we finally stopped for lunch, we took a well deserved break and rested for about an hour while we ate. We arrived at our destination at 3:30 in the afternoon. We walked 16 miles today.

The long days of walking are definitely making it take a bit of effort to continue on. Fortunately, tomorrow will be my last day walking, as we plan to arrive in Santiago. We have another 16 mile day tomorrow, so I will be preparing myself for the final walk. I haven’t taken any rest days since the recovery from my initial injury, so I am certain that it plays into my current exhaustion. I plan to get to bed early tonight so that I can get a good night of sleep. I am looking forward to walking into Santiago, then resting until I return home on Saturday. Of course I’ll be walking around the city to see as much of the city as I can in the short time that I have. I’m pretty sure it will not add up to the amount of mileage that I have been averaging for the last several weeks.

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Shortly after heading off, I realized that being in a grumpy mood was not going to make my day any better. I decided that I was not going to let a lack of sleep or the events from yesterday bother me. I was going to walk with a smile on my face and enjoy the last few days to Santiago. Shortly after making that decision, I was walking along the path and saw a fellow pilgrim sitting by the side of the road. As I got closer, he asked if I spoke English. I told him that I did, and he asked if I had 50 cents that I could give him for food because he was hungry. He looked weather beaten and tired. I told him that I was sorry and that I didn’t have any spare money and continued on my way. I got about ten steps away when I realized that I had some breakfast biscuits that I had for when I didn’t have a chance to get breakfast. I was out of his view but decided to open my pack and give him one of the packets. I walked back and said, “Sir, I don’t have any money that I can give you, but I do have this.” and handed a packet to him. He thanked me and proceeded to open the pack immediately. I felt good inside for the good deed, but also felt sorry for him and the state that he was in. I always feel bad when I pass a person asking for money, and I do not help them. But some times, there are simple gestures of kindness that you can do that make a huge difference in others lives. Sometimes all it will cost you is a smile.

Since we stopped before the main stop, the trail was rather clear and much like the earlier stages of the Camino. We came across several pilgrims that we walked with before, and we also came across the man with the cell phone from yesterday. Today, he had a spring in his step, a smile on his face, and no cell phone in his hand. He had freed himself from the business of life, and was much happier for it. He thanked my friend again for her advice and continued along the Camino.

The path today had a few steep inclines, but it wasn’t too difficult. We made several breaks along the way to get coffee in the morning, and a nice cold drink to escape from the hot sun. We made good time and arrived at our destination around 3:30 in the afternoon. We had walked only 13 miles but had planned it that way. We had a reservation set up for four at the Albergue. We were given a room for four, so we don’t have to be in the big communal room. We had some time to relax and clean up before heading to dinner. We ate at a pulporia, which specializes in spicy octopus. It was delicious!

Now, I am only about two days from arriving in Santiago. It is exciting and a little sad at the same time. Tomorrow, my Camino family will be parting ways. We had hoped to all arrive in Santiago together, but one of the Germans has been having some trouble with her ankle and only plans to walk 13km tomorrow (8 miles). The other German is anxious to arrive in Santiago and make her way home. My Italian brother and I plan to walk 25km (16.5 miles) tomorrow so that we can arrive in Santiago on Wednesday. It is definitely sad to see the end of this, but we all will be staying in Santiago for a few days and will meet up again for a nice dinner when we are there. It is not the end of our relationships, as we all plan to stay in touch even after it is all over. I still can’t believe that I have almost made it to Santiago.

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We had a short pitstop in town to grab some coffee and then continued on. After a long day of walking and many outstrips, we arrived at the Albergue around 4:30. There was a lot of rough terrain at the beginning, so at the end of the 14 mile day, I was tired and my feet hurt.

As I said in yesterday’s blog, the trail is becoming more crowded. It’s not the pilgrims that I am used to from the first part of the Camino. Instead of pilgrims carrying their large packs with everything that they need for a month of walking, there are now big groups of pilgrims carrying light day packs who are coming with tour companies. I had to stop myself because I found myself feeling a little spiteful to them. In their big groups they are constantly talking and not listening to the still silence around them. I came across a man talking on his cell phone about steak. I came across him again a second time later in the afternoon and he pulled out his phone and was talking about sandwiches. I was happy that I am absorbing enough of the language to tell that was what he was doing, but I felt as if the Camino had no meaning to him. I had to stop myself from judging him, but it made me so mad. It felt to me as if someone were to accept a call during the consecration at mass. It bothered me that much. One of my friends approached him the second time after he got off his phone and encouraged him to just enjoy nature and the beauty around him. He seemed apologetic and said that he was from a big family and had to check in with them to make sure that things were taken care of but that he would try to take her advice to get the Camino experience.

It reminded me a bit of when I was studying abroad and I took courses on Aboriginal history and culture. I had classes with the elders and discussed their culture with much interest. When I planned a trip to the outback which included visiting Uluru, or Ayers Rock as it is commonly known, I discussed the trip with the elders. I had learned about their spirituality in my classes and understood what a significant spiritual place it was for them. The elders told me that though they do not like for people to climb Uluru, they said that they felt that I understood the significance that it held to them and gave me permission to walk the path. I did walk the path and to me it was a spiritual journey because I understood the significance of the place.

The last 20 miles of the Camino have felt kind of like the spiritual significance is getting lost. I understand that it is my personal perspective, since I went into this Camino as a spiritual journey of self discovery and reflection. I also know that not everyone has the time or means to start where I did. It is just hard for me to adjust my focus where I know it needs to be when I am being distracted by these feelings of negative energy around me and not being able to hear the silence of nature that I’ve gotten used to for the last three weeks.

I have been told that the Camino Francés has three stages: Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual. I know that I experienced all three of these. The physical was starting the Camino and crossing the Pyrenees and getting my body used to walking so many miles per day. The emotional was overcoming the difficulties of injury and potential failure. The Spiritual, the stage I am in is overcoming the distractions around me and keeping myself focused on my connection to God and the beauty of nature around me, even when I am surrounded by negative energy and distractions. I know that I am sometimes too quick to judge someone without knowing who they are or their reasons for being here. That Is something that I need to continue to work on. Just because I began in St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port does not make me more of a pilgrim than they are. Again, my pride comes in and distracts me from my experience and growth. I know that there is still much more for me to learn in these final days to Santiago.

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We made our way through many small villages with a lot of fields of hay and different vegetables. The air smelled strongly of farm animals and the familiar smells of cow pastures. There was a stretch in the afternoon with the familiar smells of pine pitch as we walked through a small pine forest. It reminded me of hiking at home in California.

We took many breaks throughout our 16.5 mile walk today. My feet felt really good at the end of the day, and I didn’t have any new blisters, which is definitely a good thing. I’ve been doing the trick recommended to me of coating my feet in Vaseline before putting my socks and boots on. It sounds strange, but it has worked wonders for my feet!

I’ve reached the stage in the Camino where it is the minimum distance required to receive the Compostela document at the end of the Camino. What that means is that now there are a lot more pilgrims on the Camino, and many of them are fresh off the bus with their clean clothes. There are also a lot more vendors selling their merchandise. I have to admit, I did take advantage of those stalls.

I reached a milestone today, and have less than 100km to go on the Camino. My flight home is one week from today which gives me mixed emotions. This afternoon, I received a text from my sister with a video of my one and a half year old niece looking for me back at home. It made me smile and my heart melt. As much as I am growing closer to my Camino family, I am also looking forward to returning to my family back home. I am not ready for this experience to end, but I am also looking forward to seeing my family at home.

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Early in the day, it was almost constantly down hill, which can be rather tough on both the knees and feet. We continued on the way came to one of the option points. We could go the short way or by the Hermitage, which is 5 kilometers longer. For some unknown reason, we al collectively agreed to go the longer route. That was a mistake by way of distance, stress, and time but was made up for by laughter at the situation and unforgettable experiences. I don’t know when the last time was that I had so many good long laughs!

We had beautiful views along the trail. We descended down the mountain and back into forest with the river flowing by. This time, we were traveling downstream, rather than upstream. As the path followed along the river, we were greeted with small waterfalls and the constant rush of water flowing over the stones in the river. Unfortunately, we aren’t totally done with the mountains yet. We should have guessed it with our view from the top of O’Cebreiro, but we weren’t thinking clearly on that when we decided on the longer route. We continued along the path climbing then descending and then repeating the pattern. We came across a small village that had us all laughing hysterically. Someone in the town had a serious obsession with the pilgrims not pooping or littering in the woods. There were signs posted everywhere, including about 10 feet off the ground in a tree. Just about every corner you would turn, there was another sigh. It definitely had us laughing!

Our feet were tired, muscles ached, and our spirits were dropping. At close to 5:00pm, we finally reached an Albergue and settled in for the night. We ended up walking over 19 miles of rough terrain, and still have a few more miles before we reach our intended destination for today. There was no way that we could have gone on much further.

This village that we are staying in doesn’t have much for pilgrims other than the Albergue and a single restaurant. We ate dinner and had several great laughs there over dinner, and then many more upon our return to the Albergue. Sometimes when you are in a crappy situation, you can still try to find something to laugh about. There are times when it is difficult, I know. Even though it was a really hard day, it is probably going to be one of the days that I look back on with the most happy, and hearty laughter.

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It is pretty amazing to experience the changes in the landscape. Just yesterday, I started out walking through low rolling hills covered in vineyards. Gradually, it changed to forest groves with river streams flowing through them. Today, we ascended into the mountains and at the top we were greeted with vistas of rolling hills as far as the eye could see. The vineyards turned into pastures of cows grazing on the grass.

We visited the chapel in O’Cebriero and lit candles for our intentions on the Camino. We said some prayers, each in our own languages. We continued on and made our way down and then up, and then down again, then up again. We walked through steep terrain and ended the day with having walked around 16 miles of rough terrain. We checked in at around 4:45 and were ready to just sit and relax.

My feet hurt, but fortunately I have no new blisters. After getting settled, we went to he Pilgrims Dinner at the Albergue, and again it was an incredible experience! The first course was a home made vegetable soup, accompanied with wine made by the owners of the Albergue and nearby farm. The second was a beef stew over rice that was delicious. At the end of the meal, we had a unique experience of watching the cook make a warm liquor which is a spiced with coffee beans, apple slices, and orange peel which is set on fire. It was such an awesome experience and she said she only does it a few times when it is requested. It was a really cool experience and it brought us all even closer together. We had 35 people from a dozen different nations gathered together for this experience. What a way to end the meal!

My muscles ached from the days walk, and yet it continued on even after that. As we were walking back from dinner, one of the farm dogs wanted to play fetch with a stick, and unfortunately decided that the stick of the 11 year old German girl was his to play with. It was a big German Shepherd and it didn’t want to let go. The mother was afraid of dogs, but I was able to come to the rescue much to the appreciation of both mother and daughter. I was able to trick the dog into letting to of the walking stick that meant so much to the girl, and I walked it back up the path, keeping it from the dog. I felt very happy that I was able to assist when needed and to give the girl back her walking stick when we got back to the Albergue where it was safe from the dog. Again, I had an incredible day on the Camino!

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Along the Camino there are some days when you follow the specified trail throughout the day. On some days, you are given a choice of which path to follow, but without the guidebook you don’t know what you are getting into. Today was one of the days with several options. As I set out, I had planned on taking the shorter route to Villafranca along the highway. While walking, I was so lost in my thoughts that I ended up taking the longer route through the hills past the vineyards. It wasn’t too much longer, but there was definitely added difficulty due to the terrain. It brought me by peaceful groves of trees with birds singing their sweet melodies. If I had gone the way I planned, I would have missed out on this beautiful scenery. Then it hit me on the parallels to life that it had.

When we walk the path of life, we have so many choices ahead of us. We make some good decisions and bad ones, but we still continue moving forward. My life did not go how I thought it would, yet here I am in the middle of Spain walking through the countryside along the Camino de Santiago. I could not have imagined that I would be here, but here I am. I believe that I am in the exact place that I need to be right now. The people that I am interacting with are here to teach me lessons in life, and I in theirs. We take from each other and give in return. Our paths converge in the delicate web of life and we share our experiences so others will know about the shared experiences and difficulties that have led us to the moment that we are in right now.

I stopped for lunch at a bar in a little village, and as I was eating, a small cat kept trying so hard to sit on my lap while I was eating. I think that he thought that if I let him sit, then I would feed him. I was so hungry that I didn’t want to share, no matter how cute he was. He hugged my leg, laid his head on my lap, and even jumped on my bag that was sitting behind me and was about to jump on my shoulder if I would have let him. It took a lot of restraint not to give into the cuteness, but I knew that I had to!

I ended up walking 16.25 miles and ended the day in Vega de Valcarce. Right before arriving in town I ran into one of my Camino family members and we went to the Albergue together, where we ran into another. One became two, then two became three, then eventually three became four. It was so great to have so much love, smiles, and happiness going around.

I spent my birthday dinner with some of my Camino family, and it was a wonderful meal. It was not at a fancy restaurant, but cooked in the Albergue kitchen by one of my Camino family members. The Hospitaleros (the host at the Albergue) saw that it was my birthday when I was checking in, and brought over a bottle of wine that was made by them while we ate dinner. It was such a simple, yet meaningful gesture. We sat and ate, and drank wine, and talked for probably close to five hours with the beautiful mountain range as the backdrop. It was a wonderful time of sharing our experiences that have brought us to where we are right now. I am so happy to have the shared experience and the opportunity for the stories shared. The photo on this post is from the view that I had at dinner, since it was such a special one for me. I keep seeing the saying, “Collect memories, not things” and it really rang true for me this year. I grew closer to my Camino family, and I know that I will cherish this birthday for the rest of my life.

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In Ponferada there is a Templar castle that I admired from the outside. I thought about getting a ticket to view the inside, but I was concerned about time and the heat was starting to rise. So I continued on. I kept running into two of the Italians that I had dinner with previously and left my friend with. Throughout the day we would say hello as we passed.

Around 2:30 I made it to Camponaraya and decided to take a little break so that I could make it a little further. My feet were hurting a bit, so I decided to make the switch into my sandals to see if that would help me make it a little further. I had another 4 miles before the next town, and to keep the pace I really wanted to make it there today. Fortunately, it worked. With the sandals on, since it was mostly flat, my feet were able to breathe and I made it to Cacabelos. At the Albergue, I met up with my friend from Southern California, and the Italians arrived shortly after.

We all gathered and had another international dinner that has become a favorite of mine. We had Italy, USA, Germany, and The Netherlands represented at tonight’s dinner. We had some sing a longs in Italian and in English, and it was an incredible experience. I also discovered that one of the Italians shares a birthday with me, so we will be celebrating together tomorrow!

I know that I have said it before, but the international and Camino family here makes me smile every day. The connections that I make with other people from other parts of the world are life changing and incredible! These experiences are hard to describe in words as they are so emotionally charged. It is part of the Camino experience, and it is incredible. It is just an awesome experience to be sitting at an unfamiliar café in a village in Spain and hear “Hey K.C.! How is it going today!” So supportive. So welcoming. My Camino Family.

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I hiked up the hill towards Cruz de Ferro, and passed by several of my pilgrim family. It’s what we’ve been calling each other since we see each other frequently throughout the day. When I reached the cross, I tossed my stone with my prayers and intentions onto the pile and then sat down at the table with some Americans from the Albergue last night. They are a mother and daughter pair, and the mother set out from St.-Jean, and the daughter met her in León when her school year ended since she is a teacher. I had talked with them a bit at Afternoon Tea yesterday, and it was nice to see them again.

I continued on my way, and after a rough downhill, I made it to my destination for the day around 4:00. I had covered about 14 miles so I checked into the Albergue and ended up having quite a bit to myself. There were only 3 other pilgrims there, and non arrived after me. I was the only male there, so I had my own bathroom too! Ah, the simple things in life! So what if I have no WI-FI… I have my own bathroom!

Walking a pilgrimage like this, a lot of things take on a different perspective. Cleanliness, community, routine, time, distance, comfort, privacy… They all mean something totally different out here. You share your room with strangers who sometimes feel like family, as well as with strangers who remain strangers.. At least, for now.

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