Buen Camino (Bob)

Back in 1995, Robert and I used dial-up connections to send Spain reports to friends.

In 2024, Wendy and I will use this blog to post Spain reports for friends.

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Day 35: Lavacolla to Santiago (Guendolinam’s version)

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  Everything Bob said is factual, so I won’t repeat the story of our walk to Santiago, only to add that much of it was disappointingly similar to the walk into other biggish cities, standard suburban and urban sprawl fare. I also found that while Bob had an extra spring in his step today, I kept unintentionally walking more slowly, apparently unwilling to have the walk end. On the outskirts of town, we passed rows upon rows of what looked like bunkers. Bob hypothesized they were military, government, or industrial buildings. I guessed an albergue. When we came to the heart of the complex and saw they had a laundromat, store, cafe, restaurant, and farmacia, we knew I was right. We later passed two pilgrims squatting outside one building with an open door, next to lines of drying laundry. I’m grateful we are staying in the complete opposite to the albergue bunkers—a parador.  The Parador dos Reís Católicos was commissioned by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1499 as a pilgrim’s hospita...
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Day 35: Lavacolla to Santiago (Bob’s version)

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We finished! I had a difficult time staying asleep last night because I was so excited about finishing the Camino. We got up in our cozy bunk beds—Wendy and I each had bottom bunks in our own little four bed section—and we packed up and left in the dark. The sky was clear and we started the day climbing, so I was hoping for nice sunrise pics on our last day. Unfortunately, the path curved the wrong way and then ducked into trees, so that’s too bad.  [Imagine a nice sunrise picture] With a couple miles to go, we climbed a little hill to the side and spotted the cathedral in Santiago for the first time. You can barely make it out in the center of this photo.  We got closer… And closer… And then we made it! We picked up our certificates, which include the Latin versions of our names (Robertum and Gwendolinam), and then hung out in the large plaza outside the cathedral. This is where pilgrims enter from different portals depending on which route they took.  In the plaza, we g...
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Day 34: Salceda to Lavacolla (Wendy)

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  The end is in sight. There were definitely moments during our walk when we wondered how we could make it to the end. In addition to shipping my bag ahead for a couple of weeks, I think the closest we came to making modifications was when we looked into getting bikes for the Meseta.  And of course, we adjusted stage lengths occasionally. Like today. We’re 10 km outside of Santiago. We could have finished today, but we want to get there earlier in the day before the crowds, so will walk in tomorrow morning. By my reckoning, today delivered nearly every classic moment we’ve come to expect from a Galicia stage: Morning walk through a foggy mist? Check. Picture-worthy sunrise? Check. Tree tunnels? Check. Sweeping pastoral vistas? Check. Delicious mid-morning coffee and snack served by a friendly barkeep in a cafe/bar with just the right mix of local families and peregrinos? Check. Wide, smooth paths through forests and picturesque villages? Check and check. I especially loved the...
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