Thoughts from my Camino Frances Journey- Day 33 (Day 8 of Part 2)
Date: June 13, 2025 Friday
Where did I begin today?
O Pedrouzo (Hola Camp Camino)
Where will I stay this evening?
Santiago de Compostela (Hotel Montes)
How far have I come?
19.51km (12.12 miles)
Father and son on a tandem bike
Another fuzzy pilgrim
I ate breakfast at 8am and was in the first group to taxi back to the Camino at 8:30am. Just after disembarking from the taxi, Becca sent a WhatsApp to the group saying she found a shell in the lobby and I realized that mine had come off my backpack. Big thanks to her for finding it, I waited for her group to come and re-tied the shell to my backpack.
The sound of bagpipes echoed through the woods
Cute little church
Since it was the final day, I wanted to walk alone to contemplate on my whole Camino experience that began back in April. The day was cloudy and the path was a bit muddy but I was shielded from any rain by walking through pretty eucalyptus forest that smelled wonderfully fresh. As if the similarities between Galician and Celtic culture hadn’t been noticeable before, I also passed a bagpiper in the woods! The sisters, Kristie and Phylis, had also stopped to listen to the music so we began walking together and discussed our feelings about it being the last day. Eventually, we stopped for a bathroom break and I continued walking solo after that.
Another small chuch
Reached the 10km signpost, nearly there!
I stopped briefly at a small church in Lavacolla then passed 10km marker. It’s surreal to see the numbers getting lower and lower the closer I get to Santiago. At Villamaior a little over halfway, I stopped to eat tortilla and orange juice. When I began walking up the final hill before seeing the city, I could hear the soundcheck for a large music festival happening this weekend. Unfortunately, it killed the vibe while walking and even though I found it incredibly annoying, I tried not to let it affect my mood too much. Part of my reflections today included not building up the finish too much, I didn’t want my anticipation to lead to disappointment. That’s easier said than done though after spending a month walking to this singular destination.
One last big hill
San Marcos chapel
Nice reprieve from the rain
I reached the San Marcos chapel and stopped to get one of my last stamps. I also googled Dave’s pin that he sent in the group WhatsApp. Dawn and Dave wanted the entire group to walk into Santiago together. I had mixed feelings about this but respected their wishes. However, at end of the wooded path by a campsite the pin showed me needing to leave the Camino which didn’t seem right. I called Dave and he confirmed the pin was wrong somehow and said I’d gone too far. Since I just descended a steep hill, I didn’t want to go back. It also began to rain harder so I decided to continue on until I found somewhere dry to sit and wait. I didn’t know how long it would take the whole group to gather anyway.
Entering the city
Paved roads for the remainder of the Camino
Crossing over a major highway and entering the outskirts of Santiago, I came across O Tangueiro restaurant which was warm and dry, but also very crowded due to the heavy rain. I entered at 1:15pm and ordered a coke, squeezing onto one of the long benches to sit. I texted Dave where I was and he said he’d let me know when the group was getting close. A little after 2pm, the group arrived outside so I re-dawned my raincoat and walked together. We reached the iconic Santiago de Compostela sign and took some commemorative photos.
Made it to Santiago de Compostela
Waiting so long had made me a little bit frustrated so I tried walking a few steps ahead of the group. Less than 1km later though, the entire group stopped for bathroom break which was even more stressful since I had gone after finishing my coke. At least the rain began to let up and it was only a light drizzle now. After everyone was ready to walk again, I tried to find the meditative flow state I had reached that morning, but it was too distracting and group kept stopping for different reasons. Dave walked next to me for a bit, but he must have been able to sense my frustration because he let me continue to walk in silence which I appreciated.
No bagpiper in the tunnel because of the rain
First view of the magnificent Cathedral
Finally, we reached the tunnel that led into the Praza Obradoiro Catedral. I continued to walk slightly ahead in contemplative silence. The Cathedral looked so much bigger and more impressive in person! The energy in the square filled with pilgrims is hard to describe; this is the point at which all Camino routes converge. It felt simultaneously overwhelming and also anticlimactic as I knew it could be. I definitely shed a few tears that encompassed a variety of emotions. I also thought about all the people I met back in April and wished I could have reunited with them here. Everyone was very kind about giving me a moment alone to collect myself before joining in the congratulations and commemorative photo taking. It’s impossible to describe all the feelings I had in that moment or even how long we spent in the square, everything felt like a (mostly joyful) blur.
Taking it all in
A wonderful group of pilgrims
The stamps show my journey to get here
Due to a shortage of accommodation, our group was split up into three hotels. However, there was some confusion with our luggage transport service and all of our luggage was delivered to a single hotel that was the furthest from the Cathedral. While others delt with bringing our luggage to the correct hotels, I went with Dave to The Pilgrim Office. It was important for me to collect the Compostela myself and also get all four of my credentials stamped so that I could also get the distance Compostela. This also felt like closure to my Camino. When we arrived, there was a real-time counter that showed 2,209 pilgrims arrived today so far. Dave also bought everyone a cardboard tube decorated with shells to carry the Compostelas inside. We split up to go back to our hotels and I took all the tubes for people staying in Hotel Montes. I checked into my hotel at 5pm, and by 6pm our luggage arrived.
Oficina del Peregrino
The vertical certificate on the left is the Compostela every pilgrim who walks the last 100km receives; the horizontal certificate on the right is the Compostela that measures my total walking distance on the Frances
Stamping all of our credentials
Every stamp from beginning to end
The updated number of pilgrims who arrived in Santiago on June 13, 2025 as of 11:40pm
One great thing about finishing the Camino in a group is that Dawn and Dave reserved us all front row seats for the daily Pilgrim’s mass inside the Cathedral. We all lined up next to a side door at 6:30pm and found our seats once we were let inside. Mass didn’t start until 7:30pm so we were able to walk around the whole interior and even got to go behind the main alter to see the relic of Saint James which is what medieval pilgrims believed would grant spiritual cleansing or even physical healing. Again, I was struck by feeling a connection to the past as I walked through the same halls that thousands of pilgrims had passed through for hundreds of years.
Entering the side door for mass
The nave of the Cathedral
Descending into “The Tomb of the Glorious Saint James” beneath the alter
Behind the alter
View from our reserved seats
The high alter
The holy relic
We then ascended the stairs behind the alter to embrace the statue of the Apostle
Once mass began, our group got incredibly luck to see the swinging Botafuneiro! This Botafuneiro is the largest in the world and weighs over 60kg. It takes eight priests to pull the rope and swing the massive metal censer over our heads to perfume the air inside with incense. Aside from certain Catholic holy days, the Botafuneiro rarely swings so this was very special to witness. The rest of the service was equally special and a wonderful way to finish the Camino.
Waiting for Pilgrim mass to begin
Beginning to swing the Botafuneiro
Preparing the incense
It traveled over out heads at great speed
The whole group met up again at 8:30pm for dinner in the fancy hotel next to the Cathedral. We had salad, salmon, apple and cream crepes, and finished off with tea. Loved celebrating our accomplishment over a meal and talking about our highs and lows of the Camino experience. As we walked back to Hotel Montes, we passed through the square again and saw the Cathedral in the fading life. We also passed by a group of musicians in old fashioned clothes playing a jaunty tune and stopped to enjoy the show. Made it back to the room to shower and went to bed at 11:45pm feeling very satisfied with today’s accomplishment.
Table 1
Table 2
Appetizer
Main course
Dessert
The Cathedral at night
A musical performance to end the night
