DAY 47 SALCEDA /SANTIAGO DI COMPOSTELLA

Publié le 30 mai 2017 par Dominique Bengtsson

Compostella

28 km mixed weather, warm, stuffy, style 23 degrees. Very humid but not rainy. It took around 6 and half hours to get there

Up quite late according to our own standard but we (a frenchman, his girlfriend, an Englishman and myself) had decided on eating a real breakfast at 7h00 and leave as a group. It was a good move, the pilgrims from the Camino Frances were either before or after us but we were quite alone on the track. The only ones we meet are our Camino del Norte brothers, total 6 pilgrims. Beautiful morning and lovely track in the woods. First stop after 10 km . We walk along the airport and at 8h45, we hear the easy jet plane from Geneva. I got the confirmation from Tore that he has landed and that he has arrived with the buss. The buss stop is situated 190m from the place where we are going to meet. He admitted that the last 25 meters were tough being slightly upphill.

Second stop after 20 km. Sandwich and Coca cola. We know that a high hill is coming very soon. But we are really ready and we fly uphill, leaving the few Camino Frances pilgrims behind us.

The first houses of Compostella show up but there is a few kilometers left. Now, we meet loads of Camino France's pilgrims. We are definiyely approching Compostella... but where is the Cathedral?????

The best hidden secret of Compostella I have heard, the Cathedral becomes visible to the tired pilgrim only in the absolute last minute... to disappear again.. The tension is rising, a question of minutes now and yes, there is the Cathedral. Covered with scaffoldings but still quite majestic.

Time to embrace and congratulate each other. To take pictures, etc... and then to go to the hotel to change. We went to the place and saw some of the people we knew coming in... but without really realising that the walk itself is finished. Tomorrow will be the pilgrim mass. Until then, we all have to let it sink a bit.