Santiago

Wed. morning the air was cool and moist with the forecast for rain later in the afternoon. We planned on taking a shorter walking day and completing the final 12 miles into Santiago on Thurs. But after reaching what would have been our day's stop, O Pedrouzo, by 10:00 a.m. we decided to keep walking and arrived to Santiago around 5:00. It was a full day's walk, but the rain held out & clouds kept the temperature ideal.

On this last day of walking there were spectacular groves of trees, including eucalyptus, that shielded us from sporadic sunshine. The Galician greenery continued to be amazing.

A sheep peeked through the wire fence and 'baahed' hello. 

Roosters were looking for "The Way."

Standing at the big marker near Santiago with Madrid university students Carlos and Carlo, who were walking the Camino with a group of friends. Carlo's father is Italian and mother Spanish so he speaks several languages, including English. He studies engineering and had traveled on a college tour in California with stops in San Diego and San Francisco. Carlos studies business administration, and his family had recently traveled in the U.S. on the East coast.

A niche by an underpass near Santa Irene 

A mound of notes and objects left behind -- for pilgrims the last day walking can be reflective, especially for those who have been on the Road for weeks. Writing notes/intentions can be part of the process of synthesizing the experiences of a long Camino journey.

On one of the old markers (without the shell painted yellow) Dad set 5 stones, two for us & 3 for the Charn girls.

A cross fence similar to the ones seen in 2011  

Above is the monument on Monte de Gozo (Mount of Joy), a hill that overlooks Santiago de Compostela. It's where pilgrims first glimpse the Cathedral, the destination of Camino walkers throughout the centuries. There's a large albergue/camping complex a short stroll away from this area that we stayed at in 2011. From here it's about an hour walk to the heart of Santiago where the Cathedral is located.  

We posed by pilgrim sculptures at Monte de Gozo that were created by Jose Maria Acuna and installed in 1993. They point to the Cathedral down below.    

A sign on the outskirts of the city in the 'modern' section 

Gold colored shells in the sidewalk guide pilgrims to the Cathedral and the old part of town, which is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

For our first night in Santiago we stayed at Seminario Menor, located high on a hill not far from the Cathedral. The building had been a seminary but now accommodates walkers and also serves as a school. We also stayed here in 2013. On Thursday we'll go over to San Martin Pinario, a monastery turned hotel & where we have reservations.

Seminario Menor's door includes ironwork with shells and St. James' crosses. This entryway had been repainted since we first saw it two years ago. 

After checking into Seminario, we ate dinner at Derby, a favorite restaurant not far from the albergue that we discovered in 2013. Wimbledon was on the TV (Serena won her match). As we enjoyed chocolate & churros for dessert the rain shower predicted finally arrived. It poured for an hour before there was a break at 9:30. We then walked back to the albergue for a good night's rest after an exciting but tiring day.