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May 11. It’s a rainy morning here in Santiago. Pilgrims are streaming into the square like they have been for over a thousand years. I was walking through the square this morning, meeting a friend for breakfast and I offered to take a picture of an older French man and his wife. He looked to be in his 70’s and had just completed his 1,000 kilometer walk from Lourdes in France to Santiago. He walked alone, and his wife was waiting for him as he walked into the square. That scene and countless others will be repeated countless times in this square for as long as the Camino exists. All of my fellow pilgrims have moved on….either back home, or they’re continuing their Camino to other destinations. With my compadres gone, Santiago doesn’t have that same level of elation that it’s had since Friday when I arrived. It’s a perfect time to close this missive.

There are a fair number of adages that help explain the lure and mystery of doing the Camino. One of them says that the Camino is 1/3 physical, 1/3 mental and 1/3 spiritual. It seems like a clean and neat description of this trek, although I suspect that the percentages of each category changes with each person. As for me, and the physical category…this was by far the hardest physical test I’ve ever given myself. I did have doubts, especially the first week in my ability to complete it. And although I never seriously considered ending my Camino early….the quick and solid friendships I made during that early time, were instrumental in me continuing my goal to get to Santiago. And the physical part wasn’t just the walking. It was carrying all of your possessions on your back, sleeping every night with (sometimes) dozens of strangers in bunk beds. Communal bathrooms…. communal everything!! It’s a level of physical austerity that many of us haven’t had since college or summer camp, or ever! As for the mental aspect….that ties closely to the physical. Once you get those two synced up…your path forward becomes easier. I did learn to treasure my alone-walking-time. Spending hours walking (especially in the early pre-dawn hours), was so therapeutic and peaceful. The spiritual part is a little harder to articulate. Some of it I don’t intend to share on this blog. But what I can share is that I have grown to respect and admire humanity more than I may have before my Camino. I met people who revealed to me that they were recovering from or still battling depression, PTSD, physical illness and other traumatic events in their lives. Others were celebrating wedding anniversaries, birthdays, retirement. I met dozens of people who had made multiple Camino’s over the years. They were all on the Camino in hopes to heal or celebrate their lives. All of my fellow pilgrims, whatever their camino intentions, had this enormous capacity for caring for each other. We helped each other out, whether it was encouraging a pilgrim up and over a tough hill climb, a pat on the back for completing a stage, or sharing a glass of wine at a communal dinner. We watched out for each other and that is perhaps the most powerful expression of spirituality that a person can demonstrate. That caring is the act of honoring the spirit in each of us. In that sense, we were not on our Camino for ourselves, and our own intentions. We were here for everyone around us. Our task is to support the pilgrims we come in contact with…and by doing that…we, in fact, end up healing or celebrating ourselves. I have lots of other thoughts about my experiences on The Way, but I’ll leave that for another time.

Tomorrow afternoon, I fly up to Paris to spend a night with my good friends (for 41 years!!), Patricia and Michel. Then on Tuesday, it’s back to Boston. Not much else to say…except Buen Camino!!

May 10. I arrived into Santiago de Compostela yesterday morning at 10:00. It was a relief to finally arrive. By noon, the square outside the cathedral is crowded with all sorts of pilgrims arriving from each of their own Caminos, from France, Spain, Portugal and beyond. You could watch people wandering around, and then seeing friends that they walked with, and fall into each other’s arms hugging and crying…so happy to have finished but also sad that this adventure was over. I did the same and others sought me out for that same comfort. It occurred to me that this joyous and heartfelt reunion takes place every single day. This could be the happiest place on earth!

I went to the Camino “office” to present my credentials….which are all of the stamps that I collected along the route. The interviewer asked me questions about my experience and what was the impact in my life for the time I spent on the Camino. Then she took out the last stamp I would receive and she said….”by me giving you this stamp, it indicates that this Camino of yours is officially over.” With those words, I couldn’t hold it back any longer, she had a Kleenex ready for me. And I needed it. I was a mess.

A bunch of us got together last night for a dinner. Lots of wine, and more wine and tapas later, I made it to my bed and sleep. There is a Pilgrims mass said everyday in the cathedral for the Camino walkers. A couple of us went to it today. The cathedral is huge and beautiful. It was standing room only. The mass was in Spanish, but you could follow along. The special treat that I witnessed was the swinging of the botafumeiro,…the giant incense burner. It was at the end of the service. It was very dramatic. They don’t swing it at every mass. Some people were saying that they were doing it this past week because of the election of the new pope. Not sure if that’s true of not, but it was a beautiful and graceful thing to see. I posted a video clip that I took of the botafumeria. It may or may not load, depending on your technology. If it doesn’t load, let me know and I’ll try sending it to you via email.

Friends are starting to make their plans to leave. Some are going home, others are restarting their walk and taking another 4 days to walk to Finisterre to see the shrine and Atlantic Ocean. Some are already planning their next Camino.

I think I’m going to do one more post. Sort of an epilog to this adventure of mine. Thanks for following me. It meant a lot to me that you were there, keeping an eye on me. It’s much appreciated.

May 8. I’m in the village of O Podrouza, which is a suburb of Santiago. We have 20 kilometers to go tomorrow morning…about 12 miles. By this time, I can do that in my sleep (not bragging, just saying). The town is nothing to speak of, except it is jammed packed with pilgrims. Lots of hugging, smiles and laughing going on. I’m seeing people that I’ve walked with since way back in the Pyrenees. I spent part of the evening with Sean and Dennis, two Irishmen from County Cork. They know Killavullen (the O’Connor ancestral family village in Cork). They were so much fun. Dennis was not afraid to break into song….which he did often! Who knew I’d be connecting with my Irish roots in Spain. I had dinner with friends tonight, which was interrupted by other friends walking by. An older Italian couple that I keep bumping into on the Camino was all hugs and kisses. With neither of us speaking each other’s language, we adopted each other as Camino parents and son! That’s the mood and atmosphere here. Today’s walk was great. The weather was great and although the crowds are increasing, it’s still not bothering me. Tomorrow may be a different story walking into Santiago. I’ve said it on earlier posts, but I can’t believe it’s at the end. Going to bed….along with my 50+ other bunk mates.