Santiago de Compostela

Today I have mostly been still.  

Initially I was very still in my hotel room, luxuriating in the idea that I didn’t have to get up and go anywhere and enjoying the solitude of a single room.  Then I managed to drag myself out into the real world to sit and be still in a cafe for a while, enjoying one of my last tortilla/green tea/fresh OJ combinations. Then I spent a couple of hours being still on the grass in the sun under some amazing trees in a park near the centre of town. This was of course followed by a good session of stillness in one of the outdoor bars by the cathedral as I greeted today’s influx of peregrinos (the Scandi’s are here – hooray!) and finally topped off by a brilliantly still siesta. 

I can’t explain how tired I am today.  After a month of being on the go, I suddenly have nothing to do – which is delightful, but it feels like even making the smallest decision is now exhausting.  I think, if challenged, I could sleep for a month. 

I had a bit of a decision today, but in reality it has been a no-brainer. The official camino ends here at the cathedral, but there is the option to continue for a further 85km to a place called Finisterre (translates as end of the earth) … essentially you can keep going west until you hit the sea and can’t go any further.  

I had been completely sold on the idea of Finisterre and had flights booked for next week so had plenty of time to walk there and get the bus back (though at €25 a pop, had also cunningly booked a second flight in case I changed my mind). For the last few days I have been having some doubts about Finisterre – my feet are starting to complain again, the weather forecast for next week looks awful (though not a patch on Cessnock at the moment from what I hear) and Santiago just seems like a more natural ending.  More to the point, I have so much going on in my head at the moment from everything I have seen and done over the last month that all I want to do is get home and potter around in my garden for a few days while I digest it all and get my head back into real world mode. Having had a taste of the camino, Ian is also hooked and wants a bit more of the action, so has suggested we come back later in the year and walk to Finisterre together – which would be an amazing way to wrap this whole experience up after I have had some time to process it all. Add to this today’s bone weariness and turns out there wasn’t really a decision to be made at all.  Home wins hands down. 

So, I have a couple more days in Santiago and then very happily flying back on Thursday. I haven’t really seen any of the sights as yet, or even completed the pilgrim’s rites in the cathedral (not even really sure what they entail) but needed today to regroup a little, so have all that to look forward to tomorrow.  

 

 Am just about to head out and meet a group for dinner and drinks.  My favourite Norwegian, Egil (the one whose name I couldn’t remember other than it starting with ‘I’ … oops!) has cunningly timed his camino so he landed in Santiago on his birthday. Which means it might be time for a little party.  Have even lashed out and bought myself a new T-shirt for the occasion – figured the ones I have been wearing for the last month have well and truly earned an early retirement!