Yesterday while I was pedalling up some hill in Galicia the King of Spain abdicated. I have to admit that I didn't notice, and the two events were probably unrelated. In fact it wasn't until the owner of the albergue where I was staying indicated the television (all bars and cafés in Spain have at least one television permanently on somewhere on the wall; in fact as I type this I am sitting underneath yet another television) and with some distaste said "Look at that. What a waste of money they are" that I had any idea of what had transpired while I rode.
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| Made it to Santiago de Compostela! |
While the abdication of the King is a big deal, the more important news for today is that I am writing these notes in Santiago de Compostela! Yes, this afternoon I rode the final stages of the Camino, through the forests around the airport and on into the cobbled streets of Santiago and its Cathedral.
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| The Camino avoiding the motorway around the airport |
After passing the "Santiago" sign - the actual road sign was covered in graffiti - it was still another few kilometres riding through what proved to be fairly uninteresting streets before the Cathedral spires appeared above the rooftops and gave me a reference point to head towards. In fact, rather surprisingly, the Camino marking in Santiago turned out to be fairly hit and miss. So it was just as well that I had the Cathedral to use as a landmark indicating my final destination.
The path led me down some stairs - carrying the bike of course; why not make it difficult just at the end - and suddenly, there was the main square in front of the Cathedral.
I found my (pre-booked) albergue, checked in, unpacked, and headed straight for the Pilgrim Office. Thought I may as well finish things properly straight away.
I found my (pre-booked) albergue, checked in, unpacked, and headed straight for the Pilgrim Office. Thought I may as well finish things properly straight away.
And after standing in line for almost two hours (and I hate standing in line) I now have my official certificate (the 'Compostela' in Santiago de Compostela) to prove I've done it.
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| The queue of Pilgrims waiting to receive their Compostela |
After a nice shower and a celebratory drink (and perhaps a non-pilgrim dinner) I will hopefully add some more thoughts about the whole thing.
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| The final stages of the Camino; outskirts of Santiago |
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