Day 20 - April 24 - Lavacolla To Santiago

We have arrived!

It was a bittersweet moment. Happy that the walking was over and we had arrived at our destination as planned. Sad that it was over and tomorrow won't be the same. I was a bit moved when I got my certificate at the pilgrim's office. An emotional moment.

I looked at the certificate and saw that my name was in Latin. WTF! (Way Too Funny). I asked the girl about it and she said that it was in Latin because the entire document is in Latin. Ok, makes sense.

When we arrived by the back of the cathedral the bells started to chime 11:00 AM. Everyday at noon the cathedral celebrates mass for the pilgrims. We waited around greeting friends that we've made along the way over the last twenty days and went in to hear mass and hopefully see the botafumeiro in action. We were lucky in that the archbishop of Santiago was presiding over the mass and sure enough they swung the botafumeiro at the end of mass.

After mass we checked into the hotel and went for lunch. Another nice meal. They eat well in this part of the world! Presently I'm lying on the bed relaxing while I type this. What a welcome change not having to walk for miles right after lunch...



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Day 19 - April 23 - Arzua to Lavacolla

Having lunch. Not sure where we'll end up today since we've decided to get as close to Santiago before we stop so that tomorrow we'll have less to walk and we'll be able to get there before noon.

So we ended up in Lavacolla which puts us at exactly 10 Km or 6.2 miles from the cathedral!

Larry is back walking with us and he did very well. He'll be able to walk the next 6 miles with the group. His foot problems are behind him and so is most of the camino.

We had a great lunch in Pedrouzo at a new restaurant called O'BOI with is Galician for beef. They do have happy cows here and it is apparent in the taste. Not as tender as in the US but a lot more flavorful. The restaurant is a bit off the path but well worth the extra 200 meters.

Day 18 - April 22 - Palas de Rei to Arzua

At the end of today's stage we are just under 40 Km away from Santiago.

Today's stage was the last of the long stages. The two remaining stages are relatively short and should be easy on our tired feet. My left foot is OK now but I have developed a large blister on the back of my right foot that may be staying with me for a long time to come. I just need two more days out of my tired feet...

We keep coming across friends we made along the way. Sometimes we are ahead of them, sometimes behind but we'll all end up in the same place. Such is the camino.