#pedrouzo

[caminotravels]

Sept 11th

O Pedrouzo -Santiago 21km

To day is the day we arrive. 14 days of walking, to get to one destination. It is 7am and I am still in bed. Not rushing this morning, feeling somewhat strange to think that this is the last walk. I also think this is my last Camino. I have walked it 8 times now, I know I have not done it all in one go., But in have I completed it twice and extra. Plus having done the Portuguese Camino 3 times. I think I can say I have walked many miles in Spain.

But now I have to get up and finish this one.

The walk today started off great . I was feeling good, and looking forward to the end . The trails were nice ,lots of tree filled shaded trails . The only downfall today was for the for 10 km it was generally just uphill . Lots and lots of hills . I thought we were done with them , but no , they kept on coming . To make matters worst it started to rain . We were not expecting any rain at all today . It was just a mist but enough that you had to put the rain cover on back pack . It was very humid then also . We stopped about 15 km and cold drink and a break . We only have 5 km to go , but I know the last 5 is always hard as I bet it will be uphill .

It was , and it was also in the city traffic.so you are juggling regular people who are trying to do their lives , and pilgrims wanting to get to the cathedral. We only had one km to go , but we just needed some food as we had not eaten since 7am and were feeling the hunger pains. So we stopped and had a quick drink and a small snack to just get us ready to enter the square where the cathedral is .

We finally arrived, always such a feeling of joy and accomplishment we did walk 260 km. Now we can relax and enjoy Santiago and hopefully get to go into the cathedral for mass .

But right now it is just time to chill.. I made it once again.

Buen Camino 👣

[slowroadtosantiago]

Day 43 - O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostella

(Posted the day after as too tired to finish it last night!)

We made it! We’re more than a little proud of what we have done, and I am a bit emotional too!

But back to earlier today. After a much better night’s sleep Jane woke me at quarter to 6. We had decided to get going much earlier to get ahead of the crowds and left the hostel shortly after 6 in the dark.

We managed to find our way back to the Camino but were then rescued by one of the American girls who gave up a top bunk a few days ago as we were starting down the wrong way. Going through the forest we had to use our phone torches for a while until it got light enough to see.

We passed through fields and forests, it was all quite rural for some time.

After about 4 miles we stopped for breakfast at a lovely place. The lady who owns the cafe complemented me on my Spanish, probably a bit of an exaggeration though I have got ordering breakfast down to pat now! She had spent quite a few years working in the UK in the VIP lounge at Heathrow and it was interesting hearing her story.

We carried on and eventually got to a hilltop just outside Santiago that gave us a wonderful view down into the city and the cathedral.

Carrying on downhill we passed and were passed by many pilgrims on their way in. Jane needed the loo which gave us a great opportunity to stop at a cafe for chocolate and churros which Jane had not experienced yet. The churros were great but we couldn’t finish the chocolate as it was so rich!

Another very busy mile or so got us to the city centre. I was quite emotional thinking about the adventure being almost over. It has been something that we had talked about and planned for so long, then we were on it, then it was going to be over.

We followed the signs, then lost them as we got closer to the end, but again got directed by pilgrims who had finished. It was impossible just to follow people wearing backpacks as everyone was!

Going through an archway with a piper playing we finally entered the Plaza do Obradoiro and caught sight of the famous cathedral. Pilgrims, tourist groups, and schoolchildren filled the square and it was noisy and busy.

We found Laura and Rian who had finished a short while ago and who were sitting people watching. Rian took some great photos for us then she found a friend to take some photos of the four of us.

Having had enough of the square we went with the girls to find the Pilgrims’ office to get our Compostela, our certificate. They had a QR code which led to a form to fill in. Jane was struggling to get it to work so someone inside took pity on us and told us to go on through, down some stairs then into a reception area with PCs where a nice man helped us fill in what we needed to. So we’ve all got our certificates, as well as a certificate of distance.

To celebrate we found a great tapas bar for food and a few wines. We were joined by two of Rian’s Dutch friends, one of whom had walked all the way from the Netherlands!

Replete and relaxed we popped into the Tourist Office for a map, then went back down to near the Pilgrim’s office to buy our bus tickets to get to Finisterre on Thursday. The town is incredibly busy but we’ll take more time to explore tomorrow.

As we have come in a day earlier we found a hostal with a twin room for the night. It’s very close to the town centre and seems fine. Jane went to investigate the bathroom and who should pop out of the room next door but Kate (living in Canada who we met with her brother earlier in the journey). It was great to see her and to meet her daughter who had joined her to walk from Sarria.

As we were chilling we had a message from Rian to say the Cathedral was already filling up (at 6 for a 7:30 Mass), so we hot footed it up there to find standing room only! We managed to squeeze ourselves onto some steps at the back with Laura and then had a long wait.

The service started at 7:30 and even though we couldn’t understand anything we stood and sat when needed. The priest seemed very kind welcoming pilgrims from all over the world. After an hour, and right at the very end, they swung the botafumeiro, the huge incense burner. It went the whole length of the cathedral and seemed like it almost touched the roof!

Once the service had ended we went with the girls to try to find food. The streets were heaving but we eventually found an organic restaurant and I had a mini pizza and Jane a salad and sausage. We were all hanging by then so decided to call it a day.

Tomorrow we find our Airbnb and have a day being a tourist.

[annestravels]

Days 27 through 33, Laguna la Castilla, Triacastela, Sarria, Portomarín, Palas de Reí, Ribadiso de Baixo, O Pedrouzo and Santiago de Compostela

Wrapping up now, the last eight days were a whirlwind of hiking with family and friends through the mountains of Galicia, often through calf-deep, muddy puddles and sideways, nor’easter style rain.

This entertainment segment of the trip - with much food, drink and laughter and including Natalie, Tom, Jessica and Jeff as guest pilgrims - helped as a transition for me away from pilgrim life and back to the real world. Not gonna lie, it’s going to take me a minute to readjust to a regular routine.

Once in Santiago, I received my Compostela that certifies I completed the Camino and I attended the Pilgrim mass, the Botafumeiro swinging 60 meters overhead to disperse incense and the Holy Spirit.

And so it ends. I am thankful to have received the gift of time to make this journey and for all the support and love received throughout that made it possible and so very memorable.

After walking 500 miles in 33 days, my plan is to keep walking. Look for me on the bridge in South Portland on the way to work or crisscrossing the marsh neighborhoods of Scarborough, hanging on to my Camino vibe.

And wherever you are headed, I wish you a Buen Camino!

[jc-en-chemin3]

Le 18 mai de O Pedrouzo à Santiago 20 km et le 19 mai à Santiago.

Il fallait se lever tôt pour finir ce si beau chemin.

La pluie nous a accompagné jusqu'au moment où nous sommes arrivés au but de ce chemin.

Cela a bien commencé avec quelques gouttes et un arrêt petit déjeuner où je retrouve Jean Paul et le couple de sud africains.

Me voyant Ils me disent qu'ils ont un cadeau pour moi qui les ai pris en photo et rappelé alors qu'ils se trompaient de chemin.

Et là je reçois une paire de chaussettes des Spring Box suite à leur victoire en France l'année dernière. C'est le début de la journée embrassades et remerciements.

Je suis donc reparti avec Saskia et Hanne pour finir ce chemin sous une pluie diluvienne.

Nous sommes entrés sur la place et arrivés au milieu nous nous sommes étreints tous les trois ensemble ne sachant plus si nos yeux pleuraient ou la pluie inondait nos visages.

Ama qui nous attendait nous a rejoint car il nous avait devancé pour finir seul son chemin.

Il est des instants de vie où l'émotion profonde nous emporte. Quel beau privilège nous avons.

Il me restait à retrouver les autres amis, revoir la cathédrale, méditer et déposer les douleurs à Santiago du départ de Jean Yves qui a aimé mes chemins et de Patrick, ces deux amoureux du bois et insatiables vivants.

Ce matin nous avons eu la messe en français avec une bénédiction personnelle de chacun des pèlerins. Ce chemin a commencé au Puy l'année dernière avec l'envoi et la bénédiction des pèlerins et se termine de la même façon. Je ressens la profondeur de ce don qui m'est fait.

De tous mes chemins c'est le plus beau que j'ai accompli par la beauté des paysages et la richesse des rencontres.

Merci à mes amis du chemin si différents d'ouvrir mes yeux sur vos richesses.

Coline et Hanne vous êtes belles de tendresse et d'humanité et m'avez rendu encore plus joyeux.

Saskia et Ama vos sourires m'ont rassuré et votre sollicitude m'a comblé.

Je garde vos regards en moi.

Franck nous avons partagé les messes de Santiago comme un aboutissement et aussi un début.

Pour tous ceux que j'ai croisé et avec qui j'ai partagé des moments précieux je ne vous oublie pas et vous avez rendu mon chemin si beau.

Il y a eu la mer, les petits chemins, les montagnes et ces superbes ciels qui rendent notre monde si beau, protégeons le.

C'était quelquefois dur mais j'ai souvent l'impression que les efforts font du bien à l'âme.

Il me reste à partager tout cela avec les miens et retrouver mes adorables petites filles qui m'ont manqué tellement je suis fou d'être grand père.

La vie est si belle.

Ultreeia.

[whereareroo]

SANTIAGO EVE

WF UPDATE: DAY 13 (7/14/23).

On the night before Christmas, many parents with small children experience a strange mixture of emotions. All of the hard work has been done. All that’s left is to sit back and enjoy the big day. It’s a mixture of exhaustion, excitement, relief, and satisfaction.

That’s how I feel tonight as I sit, with GC1, a mere 12 miles from the big Cathedral in Santiago. We’ve conquered 188 miles. Tomorrow, we take a leisurely walk to conclude this epic journey.

We know that tomorrow will be easy because we walked 13 miles today and it was absolutely “no sweat.” We were on the trail at 6:39 a.m. and, after taking only one break, we were at the cafe next to our hotel at 11:20 a.m.

You must be tired of hearing about small towns, corn fields, and dairy farms. I can tell you that I’m not tired of walking through them. It never gets old. Everything is so pretty. Life on the trail is very special. Today we passed through six small towns. Most of the walk was on county roads or wooded paths.

We assumed that our hotel room wouldn’t be available at 11:20 a.m. So, we figured that we’d grab an early lunch at the cafe next to the hotel. GC1 ordered pizza. I ordered a salad and chicken wings.

When I ordered the wings and salad, the waitress said something to me in Spanish. I told her that I didn’t understand. She wrote “12:00” on the back of her order book and mumbled something else. I thought she was telling me that it would take 12 minutes to cook the wings. I said “O.K.”

The pizza arrived quickly. After 15 minutes, I still didn’t have my food. After another 15 minutes I flagged down the server and we discussed the situation again. This time she spoke very slowly and explained, in very basic Spanish, that they get the wings and salads from the restaurant down the street (owned by the same family) and that restaurant doesn’t open until Noon. Welcome to Spain! Anyway, my food arrived about an hour after I had placed the order. I’m the meantime, GC1 had devoured the entire pizza and was working on an ice cream. My food was worth the wait. Yummy!

From the cafe, we only had to walk about 20 steps to get to our hotel. We were in our room by 1:15 p.m. The room is totally fine. We launched into our regular post-walk activities.

Once again, Saint James was watching over us today. By 1:30 p.m., it was raining. It was the hardest rain that we’ve seen. We watched from our window, which directly overlooks the trail. Dozens of Pilgrims walked by in their rain gear.

The rain stopped at about 4:00 p.m. I went out to explore Pedrouzo, our town for the night. It isn’t much of a town. There’s a strip, maybe half a mile long, that’s lined with small restaurants and Pilgrim housing. My walk was interesting anyway. The town is full of Pilgrims, and they’re already in celebratory mode. They’re a wild bunch. It’s a big night for the consumption of beer and wine. The Pilgrims know that they’ll make it to Santiago even if they have a hangover. Many Pilgrims travel in packs that spontaneously develop on the trail. A few weeks ago, these drinking buddies didn’t know each other. They’ve become good friends, but they’ll probably never see each other again after tomorrow. They’re entitled to their celebration. I’m glad the rain stopped.

It’s time for me to get my little Pilgrim ready for his big day tomorrow. We’ll see you in the big plaza next to the Cathedral. We’re glad that you’ve joined us on this journey. If you’re so inclined, sometime on the 15th have a beer or a glass of wine to celebrate the conclusion of our journey.

[travelingjoe]

O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela, El Norte Camino, Spain, June 2023 — Day 55. Mixed emotions on the last day of hiking. It’s been 55 days on the trail and I feel both sad and glad to have reached the end. Sad because we’ve been meeting and spending time with so many lovely people and really enjoying this beautiful northern part of Spain. But also glad to be able to give our feet and bodies a rest. My back needs a little bit more time to fully snap back into place and Chris’ feet definitely need some TLC so a week on the beach in Menorca will be a welcome lad retreat. The arrival in Santiago was so cool. The central plaza in front of the cathedral was littered with bodies in various states of repose. There was a general sense of euphoria, gratitude and mutual congratulations as everyone celebrated their personal challenge. Total miles hiked to finish the trail today — 13 miles. Total miles hiked for the Camino del Santiago — 532!

[opinionestubuencaminosblog]

Opiniones tu buen camino

Camino de Santiago en 2 semanas, qué etapas hacer desde Lèon En este artículo te hemos hablado de los puntos de partida para hacer el Camino de Santiago, según las distintas variantes de las rutas francesa, inglesa, portuguesa, leonesa, norteña, ovetense y de la Plata. Ahora en cambio te contamos cómo hacer el Camino si tienes 2 semanas disponibles y quieres seguir el camino de Lèon. Teniendo en cuenta el día de llegada y el de regreso, el itinerario del Camino de Santiago en 2 semanas se puede desarrollar en los 13 días disponibles, siguiendo el siguiente plan: Las etapas más conocidas del Camino de Santiago en 2 semanas son las siguientes: – Etapa 1, León – San Martín del Camino : 25,9 km – Etapa 2, San Martín del Camino – Astorga: 25,9 km – Etapa 3, Astorga – Foncebadón: 25,9 km – Etapa 4, Foncebadòn – Ponferrada: 27,3 km – Etapa 5, Ponferrato – Villafranca del Bierzo: 24,1 km – Etapa 6, Villafranca del Bierzo – O Cebreiro: 28,4 km – Etapa 7, O Cebreiro – Triacastela: 21,1 km – Etapa 8, Triacastela – Sarria: 18,3 km – Etapa 9, Sarria – Portomarín: 22,4km (inicio de los últimos 100km) – Etapa 10, Portomarín – Palas de Rei: 25,0km – Etapa 11, Palas de Rei – Arzùa: 28,8km – Etapa 12, Arzúa – Pedrouzo: 19,1 km – Etapa 13, Pedrouzo – Santiago de Compostela: 20,0 km Descubramos juntos todo lo que es útil para saber paso a paso de la versión más corta del Camino de Santiago. Etapa 1, Camino de Santiago en 2 semanas: León – San Martín del Camino Longitud: 25,9 km León es una de las etapas más importantes del Camino Francés . Una animada ciudad universitaria, cuenta con un pintoresco casco antiguo y una hermosa catedral. Mientras se atraviesa la llanura castellana se pueden admirar los hermosos campos de maíz. Hay dos variantes viables, una de las cuales sigue los pasos de la ruta histórica hasta San Martín del Camino . Etapa 2, Camino de Santiago en 2 semanas: San Martín del Camino – Astorga Longitud: 25,9 km Esta etapa muestra un paisaje completamente diferente. Poco a poco vamos hacia la sierra en dirección a Galicia. Astorga es una ciudad fantástica, que destaca por la riqueza de su historia. Para visitar la Catedral y el Palacio de Gaudí, actual sede del Museo del Peregrino de Santiago. Haz clic aquí en opiniones tu buen camino

[martamelis]

Day 28: Melide – Pedrouzo

Camino de Santiago

Moleskine

Pencil on Paper

2021

By Marta Melis

http://martamelis.tumblr.com

[agustivm]

Etapa 28. Ribadiso - Arca (Pedrouzo). 24 km. 22 de abril de 2021

Etapa 28. Ribadiso – Arca (Pedrouzo). 24 km. 22 de abril de 2021

[chinike]

Very proud of my compostela 💕👣 #2018 #august #summer #pilmigrage #peregrina #stjamesway #santiagodecompostela #spain #galicia #samos #sarria #portomarin #pedrouzo #palasderei #arzua 🇪🇸 (at New Rochelle, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnKbi82FgwW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=f9mvrpfpnfoh

[clodixburlesquer]

Pulperia Stop, una serata indimenticabile in un posto magnifico con nuovi amici simpaticissimi, felice di avervi conosciuti. 😍#clodix #clodixburlesquer #pulperiastop#camminodisantiagodecompostela #camminosantiago #pedrouzo #galicia#spain🇪🇸 #👍 (presso O Pedrouzo) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2HPNUzoFdy/?igshid=1apyyry3aezbk

[caminotravels]

Sept 10th

Ribadiso- O Pedrouzo 23.5 km

We left the hostel at 7:30 am and dropped our bags off as we have been having them shipped the last few days . When the walk is over 20 km I prefer to do that as your body just does not like the extra weight when you are walking long days .

We had our usual coffee and croissant before e started the day. It was another cool start , but it was at least 5km of a hill ahead of us so we will warm up fast.

The day seemed to be like this all day. Mostly up hill, not huge hills, but enough to enough already. The walk was mixed between road and trails today. So it was pretty good. The first 15 went easily, it was the last 8 that always seem to get you. My feet were really starting to ache, so I was ready to get to the hostel now. Seems like that is how my afternoon goes.

All in all, it was not a bad day of walking. We only have one more day to reach Santiago. I am ready to reach there.

[slowroadtosantiago]

Day 42 - Ribadiso to O Pedrouso

Well that makes 6 whole weeks that we have been on the Camino and tomorrow we walk the 12 or so miles into Santiago! It’s going to be weird to not be in the Camino routine anymore.

Today’s 14.7 mile walk, whilst pleasant, was also quite hard for both of us coming on the back of two long days, and we both felt it in our feet.

We left just after 7 after an awful night’s sleep. I was awake with itchy bites on my arms and paranoia about possible bed bugs in my sleeping bag, and Jane had a heavy blocked nose from the pollen in the air.

We tried to get a coffee in the local bar with the grumpy waiter but it wasn’t open so cracked on.

We stopped about 3 miles up the road in a place called Arzua. We’d been in the countryside with small villages and it was strange to walk into a modern town.

We found a bakery with cafe open so had breakfast - pain au chocolat and coffee - before heading back into the countryside and forests.

We met Rick of Rick and Richard fame from a few days ago (the wine people). He was struggling with blisters so nurse Jane came to the rescue!

The countryside alternated between forests and open ploughed fields. There were plenty of people on the path and the ‘Cymru am Byth’ vandal was still about though there are fewer scrawls.

Just coming up a hill we heard music and came across a guy playing a keyboard.

Then after a quick coffee stop at 5 miles came across a wall of Pilgrim wisdom - lots of wise sayings.

Further on as we turned one corner we came across one house which had put plants in lots of shoes!

My favourite bit was when we went through a wooded area and there was a bloke playing meditation style music and several people were taking a sit down break with their eyes closed.

Lunch was at the 10+ mile mark where Rian caught up with us. It was a bit of a funky cafe and buzzing with all the people passing through.

We were still passing lots of old and new houses with hórreos (the outdoor buildings at height) so I amused myself today by taking pictures of them.

After lunch it was only an hour or so to O Pedrouzo and the Albergue. We checked in and as we walked into the dorm Laura was there too! It’s a nice enough place, not full, quite modern and we’re both on the bottom again. We did a batch of washing as everything was getting a bit smelly, then went for a wander meeting up with the two girls and finding a nice place to eat at.

I think the plan is to be up even earlier than normal to beat the crowds and get to Santiago early. I just hope we get a better night’s sleep.

[bacosacados-bis]

Arrivée à O Pedrouzo .

[jc-en-chemin3]

Le vendredi 17 mai de Boente à O Pedrouzo 28 km.

Il nous reste à peine 20 km pour atteindre Santiago.

La marche aujourd'hui s'est faite en accéléré sous la pluie et au milieu de pèlerins divers.

Beaucoup de Coréens, des jeunes et au milieu d'eux quelques marcheurs avec leurs gros sacs fatigués mais heureux d'arriver au bout de leur périple.

Des camionnettes font la navette entre les auberges pour déposer les sacs des pèlerins touristes.

Le nombre de bars s'est accru et dans chacun c'est la foule des grands jours.

Difficile de retrouver les siens et l'on mesure combien l'on est seul au milieu d'une foule indifférente. Et comme par hasard voilà Jean Paul de Louvigné de Bais qui arrive du Mont Saint Michel et va faire le retour en marchant par le norte. Rencontre improbable et si belle.

Heureusement qu'Hanne et Saskia sont là ce soir pour arroser de liqueur cette journée.

Alors évidemment l'on revit ce chemin qui fut si beau et riche de rencontres. Et l'émotion emporte l'âme du pèlerin aux pieds fatigués mais le cœur soulevé.

Demain c'est la fin de ce chemin et déjà il me manque.

Ultreeia.

[matildaundjakob]

Día 42: Arzúa - O Pedrouzo

20,2 km; 332 Höhenmeter hoch, 425 runter

Das Gute an einer furchtbar schlechten Nacht davor, ist ja immer die Nacht danach: man schläft richtig, richtig gut! Gestern Abend wollten wir eigentlich früh schlafen, aber dann kam ein Gewitter, und wir mussten noch mal vom Stockbett aus den Rollladen hochkurbeln und eine Stunde lang die wunderbaren Blitze direkt vor unserem Fenster bewundern, die immer mit einem lautstarken „Woooow“ bewertet wurden. Eigentlich war es viel zu spät dafür, aber genau das sind doch die Dinge, an die man sich später noch erinnert aus der Kindheit…

Wir schlafen jedenfalls alle super, auch weil das Gewitter endlich mal die Luft abgekühlt hat, das war nötig!

Die Küche der Albergue nutzen wir noch für unser Frühstück und brechen gegen halb 10 auf. Es ist wieder alles voller Pilger, es ist grauslich. Vor allem lustlos vor sich hintrottende Teenager sind unterwegs - später erfahren wir, dass wohl viele spanische Schulen diese Exkursionen über die letzten hundert Kilometer machen. Aber ob das was bringt, wenn man so offensichtlich keinen Bock darauf hat?

Nach 3 km kommen wir an einer Bar vorbei und finden unseren Rudi, der in aller Früh heute aufgebrochen ist, um uns einzuholen und wir gehen bis zur Mittagspause zusammen. Obwohl es eigentlich gar nichts Gutes zu essen gibt, verhocken wir mit ihm 2 Stunden lang und erzählen uns aus unseren Leben. Es ist richtig schön! Aber heute haben wir noch die Hälfte der Etappe vor uns, also müssen wir irgendwann weiter…

Gegen 14 Uhr ruft mich die Albergue an und fragt, ob wir auch wirklich kommen, denn wir waren die letzten 4 Betten und sie haben so viele weitere Nachfragen. Ja sage ich, wir kommen wirklich, allerdings erst am späten Nachmittag. Ich frage aber gleich, ob denn überhaupt kein Bett mehr für Rudi übrig sei, und die Dame meint nur, das ganze Dorf sei ausgebucht. Daher verabschieden wir uns, denn Rudi muss nun überall in den Dörfern vorher nachfragen, wo er unterkommen kann.

Als wir schon in O Pedrouzo einlaufen, ruft die Dame nochmal an, ob wir denn wirklich kommen, denn die Leute würden ständig nachfragen. Zum Glück sind wir gleich da, dann kann uns keiner mehr unsere Betten klauen. Heute schlafen wir in einer Art Jugendherberge, unser Schlafsaal hat 14 Plätze (insgesamt gibt es über 100), und obwohl die Albergue anscheinend erst vor 1,5 Jahren eröffnet hat, ist alles schon etwas heruntergekommen.

Wir kriegen nur noch 4 Betten ganz hinten im Raum, weit weg vom einzigen Fenster, und es sind bestimmt 26 Grad hier drin. Ob wir da ein Auge zubekommen?

Ich unterhalte mich noch mit meiner Bettnachbarin, einer sehr süßen älteren Holländerin, die den Camino de Norte gegangen ist, fast zeitgleich mit uns gestartet Anfang Mai. Da war es zwar anstrengend, aber man habe den ganzen Tag kaum einen Pilger gesehen. Gestern in Arzúa haben sich beide Wege getroffen, und sie sei nach den sechs Wochen alleine fast in Ohnmacht gefallen bei all den Edelpilgern hier.

Aber sie scheint sehr glücklich, denn morgen trifft sie ihren Mann wieder nach all der Zeit. Der ist nämlich, statt zuhause zu sitzen, den portugiesischen Camino gelaufen, der auch Santiago als Ziel hat, und so haben sie morgen beide ihren Zieleinlauf dort. Was für eine schöne Geschichte!

Kurz bevor wir uns im Supermarkt unser Picknick-Abendessen holen, fällt mir bei meinem Credencial etwas Unglaubliches auf. Jetzt hatten wir 2016 auf dem Chemin 46 Etappen mit 46 Stempeln durch Frankreich. Seit wir in Pamplona losgegangen sind, hatten wir 42 Etappen und 44 Stempel (der von Doña Felisa in Logroño und von Javí als der Zahn rausgefallen ist waren extra). Und ohne irgendetwas zu Spekulieren oder zu Deichseln haben wir auf dem Pilgerpass noch genau einen einzigen Platz frei, wenn wir morgen ankommen…

Ich bin ziemlich überwältigt, dass wir morgen in Santiago sind. Niemals, niemals hätte ich geglaubt, dass wir so weit kommen! In meinen Träumen haben wir ein paar Wochen geschafft, vielleicht bis Burgos, wenn es gut läuft sogar bis León, und wären dann in 10 Jahren den Rest mit zwei Teenagern zu Ende gegangen, wenn diese denn gewollt hätten.

Ich habe das noch nicht richtig verstanden, dass wir wirklich vor den Toren Santiagos stehen, mit einem 4-Jährigen und einer 6-Jährigen, die nicht ein einziges Mal gesagt haben, sie wollen nicht mehr, oder sie haben Heimweh. Wirklich kein einziges Mal kam auch nur irgendwas in dieser Richtung, denn unsere Bedingung war, dass wir, sollte dieser Wunsch kommen, wirklich nach Hause fahren.

Dass die beiden (und wir beide auch!) jeden Morgen aufs Neue Lust auf ein neues Abenteuer auf dem Camino hatten, berührt mich sehr, denn es war wirklich kein „walk in the park“. Aber jetzt freuen wir uns so sehr darauf, da morgen anzukommen. „Was ist eigentlich so besonders an so einer „Kadathrale“, dass da so viele hinwollen, Mama?“ wurde ich heute gefragt. Ich weiß es auch nicht. Vielleicht sehe ich es morgen. Was ich heute aber schon sagen kann, ist, dass der Weg unser Ziel gewesen ist, und kann mir von Herzen kein schöneres vorstellen!