Day 42 - Rua - Santiago de Compostela - 13 October, 2014

Time Departed: 8.15 am

Time Arrived: 1.15 pm

Distance: 21 kms

Cumulative Distance: 790 kms

Percentage Complete: 100%

Weather: Foggy, cold, very overcast with later rain

Accommodation: Hotel Compostela

Feelings: Henk - Excited, Neil - Excited, Di - Excited

We did it! After 790 kms and 42 days we are now in Santiago de Compostela. We are feeling pleased with our effort and thankful for a safe journey. 

At breakfast we met Sue and Kerry from Bribie Island. They are about my age. They started walking from Triacastela about six days ago and were going well until yesterday. They missed the turn off from the Camino to our hotel and they walked an extra six kilometres before they realised their mistake. They turned around and after twelve kilometres of extra walking they said they walked straight to the hotel bar and had a beer. They caught the bus this morning and got off near where they walked yesterday. It would have saved them over an hour today.

When we left it was still very dark and foggy but we were keen to get underway. There were many walkers on the final section. We were all like horses bolting to the home paddock. 

We had a good morning tea break as we realised that we had to keep up the energy. Despite our enthusiasm there was still many kilometres to walk. 

We passed the two seventy-three year old ex nurses from Sydney. We met them on Day 30 between Astorga and Rabanal del Camino on a long hot path. They were doing well and looked very happy. Their philosophy of "one step at a time" has worked. It's an impressive effort.

Overall, today's walk was not difficult. Once we got to the outer edge of Santiago de Compostela we walked on flat pavement following the brass shells under our feet and our pace got faster. Three kilometres from the cathedral we had to don our wet gear as there was a light drizzle.

With one kilometre to go we counted it down. Walking through the old town was very pleasant and we will explore it tomorrow. Today we only had one goal in mind which was to to get to the cathedral. We walked through a short tunnel beside the cathedral where a busker was playing Galician bagpipes. So we were piped into the large square in front of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. We had made it! We congratulated each other with a "high five" and had our photo taken. There were many peregrinos who had arrived before us standing in front of the Cathedral getting their photos taken. 

We didn't go inside the cathedral. No backpacks are allowed and we didn't want to leave them at the front. The rain was now coming down heavier so we hightailed it to the Pilgrims Office to get our Compostela. We had to line up behind the others who had arrived before us. We stood outside the office in the rain under a grape vine. We thought it was ironic that probably the most rain we had experienced on the walk was standing outside the Pilgrims Office. We collected our Compostela with our names written in Latin. The whole process took about forty minutes due to the numbers. They had about seven desks processing the pilgrims' credentials. 

San Francisco Church was not open so we will go there tomorrow. We would like to obtain the special Compostela in honour of St Francis of Assisi's pilgrimage eight hundred years ago in 1214. It is only being given in 2014. Neil slipped out later in the afternoon and got his Compostela from San Francisco Church. 

With the rain getting heavier we felt we it was time to settle into our hotel. We met at six and we were very hungry. The restaurants weren't open and we chose a very delicious tapas bar as an alternative. 

It was good to see some familiar faces as they came into the bar. After dinner we went to the cathedral but the evening mass had started so we were limited to where we could walk. However, we were able to walk behind the main altar where tradition is to embrace the statue of St James. Tomorrow morning we will visit the cathedral before the noon pilgrim mass which we will attend.

The cathedral is undergoing a massive restoration program. The majority of the front of the cathedral is covered in scaffolding with cloth showing how the cathedral should look.

We are now in Santiago de Compostela for four nights. There are a few things we would like to do before we leave. We are wanting to go to Finisterre which is ninety kilometres from Santiago. Some peregrinos undertake the walk to Finisterre and the tradition is to burn either their walking clothes or boots. We will be catching a bus and doing a tour of the area. Our walk is finished! 

We have had a wonderful, unforgettable experience. Tomorrow is a rest day!