The Camino Portuguese Is Complete!

We did it!  Our Camino Portuguese is complete! 

We Did It!

We are tired and some of us have sore and blistered feet but we all made it.  We are all proud of our accomplishments, as well as our group’s demonstrated endurance and tenacity in the face of some adversities.  There were times when there were thoughts that some of us might be forced to give up.  None of us did. 

One particularly difficult day stands out.  It was about half way through the ten trekking days.  At one point late in the day, after 10 hours/32 km of walking, we found that instead of arriving at our hotel, we had miscalculated our distance and we had another 3 to 5 km to go.  Seeing the struggles of some, caring members of our group phoned a taxi.  When the news of the taxi’s arrival spread, those suffering the most spoke out against and declared their refusal to take it.  It was a defining moment for the group.  We all knew that from that point on we were going to make it together regardless of the challenges.

The final day began in Pddron.  We had left ourselves 22 km to make it to the Cathedral in the centre of Santiago.  We were up early and left the hotel around 8 am.

And We Were Off One Last Time!

Old Time Cigarette Machines Are Still Prevalent Here!

We had travelled about 7.5 km when we stopped at a church to get our Camino Passports stamped.  As usual, I watched the packs while Deborah went inside to get the stamps.  She had a pale and shocked look on her face when she returned.  She had discovered that we had left our real Canadian passports back at the hotel in Padron.  Some hotels hold your passports for the duration of your stay and they had failed to return them when we checked out.  Panic set in.  It was quickly decided that the rest would go on without us and we hoped to meet up on the trail over the course of the day.  It was the group’s intent to walk into the Cathedral Square as one to complete the Camino.

It turned out not to be the greatest catastrophe.  While it took us close to 2 hours to walk the winding path to the stop, when we grabbed a taxi, drove to the hotel, picked up the passports, and returned to the path, we were only 15 minutes behind.  We overtook the group at the first trail coffee shop and made a show of our impressive return by jogging the last 100 meters and telling them we had run the whole way.  We will be sure to ask for our passports back in the future.

The final trail was much like the rest.  Very few roads or cobblestones.  Nice pack paths through village backyards, farmers’ fields, and vineyards.  The path became even more crowded than previous days.  At one point I could gaze about 400 meters in the distance and see nothing but trekkers all headed in the same direction.  Some were even moving faster than us (that didn't happen often) as they tried to make the mid afternoon mass in the Cathedral.

Many Folks Converge On The Final Path.

The Gorgeous Scenery Never Got Old.

Cheryl & Sam - Our Leaders

I mentioned a few general things learned on this trek in the last post and I want to add two more. 

Firstly, about walking sticks, I used to think they looked kind of goofy and that I didn’t need them to keep balance or help power up hills.  I have changed my mind.  Not only do they help you with balance and power, they stop your fingers from becoming gross, fat, sausages by the end of the day’s walking.  When your hands hang by your sides over 30 km, they swell to the size of baseball mitts.  At one point I lost my ring on my own hand.  Those with sticks did not have the same experience.  Without sticks to use, I improvised and held on to a sweat towel wrapped around my neck.  It worked.

Secondly, I have discovered I am 18-km/day guy, not a 30 km guy.  If I were to do it again, I would carry the same overall weight of 9 kgs. (Including pack and water bottle), but shorted my distance per day.  I can’t say I always enjoyed the final kms.

As we entered the city, we still had about 4 km of uphill climb to the Cathedral on a hilltop, in the centre of the city.  We were tired and it was very hot but the thought of the final stage carried us up the hills.

100 Meters to the End!

The actual finish was a little anticlimactic.  We did enter the square in front of the Cathedral as one, with some of us in great foot pain.  There is no “finish line” or object to touch.  We stood around, took some pictures and some time alone and in groups, to simply let what we had accomplished register in our minds.  You realize very quickly it was really all about the journey, not the destination.

We went to the Camino Office to get our final stamp and our certificates.  The line and wait was long before Deborah chatted up a Camino friend who informed us about a way to get a group processed certificate and avoid the rest of the line.  We gratefully complied.

We repaired to San Martin Pinario Hospederia Seminario Mayor, our hotel located nearby, just opposite the Cathedral’s north side.  We didn’t even go to our rooms before seeking out a spot for the last “Stinky beers” of this trip.  Fortunately the converted monastery had a fully stocked bar.  Beers, Rums, Wines were drank.  Congratulatory toasts were made.  Those not present, that wanted to be, were recognized. 

We Did It!

Our table of ten reminded me of a locker room after a sports team’s final victory.  Folks were partially dressed, all smelled of work that had been hard, bandages were visible, and the smiles and glow of victory were much in evidence.  No one wanted to leave.

As has been done before with this group, we went around the table as individuals to state our final thoughts on the journey.  It was quite emotional for many and meaningful for all.  Our group learned lots about themselves and others.  I was reminded of an old sports cliché, “When a team wins a championship, they never walk alone for the rest of their lives!”     In some ways this applies to our group.  We have accomplished something meaningful and difficult, together.  It is a shared experience that would not have been the same as individuals.  The Camino Portuguese will not be easily forgotten.

We have two days in Santiago before flying to Barcelona and busing to Tossa de Mar for some R & R.  The highlight of the stay here will be watching the end of the Vuelta 2014 as 180+ of the top riders in the world race to the centre of the square in front of the Cathedral to claim their championship.