Santiago de Compostela, Spain  October 29, 2022

I’m a bit lost. I had my usual breakfast of bacon and eggs, then picked up my backpack that I had sent from Saint Jean a lifetime ago, took it to the hotel where I will be staying tonight, and then I didn’t know what to do with myself. For 37 days it has been the same thing – eat, walk, eat, sleep. Repeat. I feel sad, I feel empty, I feel lonely and it doesn’t help that it’s a very gray, rainy day.  I’m hopeful that once I’m in my PRIVATE!! room, I’ll be better.

In order to verify one’s walk and earn the compostela, you buy a passport at the start and your hostels stamp it verifying that you’ve stayed there.  Walkers have to complete a certain distance before they are admitted into some albergues and bikers have to go even further.  Restaurants, churches and even roadside stands offer “sellos”-

My first sello-

And my last-

Some of my favourites-

My hotel room in PR Pazo de Agra is perfect-

Lupper (lunch/supper) was a half order of pulpo-

and a half order of calamari. The pulpo wasn’t as good as in O Pedrouzo but the calamari was exceptional. I was charged half price for each which I appreciate.  It’s not like in Canada where you order a half order and get charged 2/3 price. How does that make sense?

After, I walked by the Cathedral for another look-

The rest of the day was spent lying on my bed, enjoying doing nothing!  My feet are happy too!

I met Helle for a drink and we said our goodbyes.  We met at the Biarritz airport September 20.  She was the first in line to take the next cab and I was about fourth. I looked at her and saw her backpack and thought “she’s a pilgrim and she’s going to Bayonne” so I approached her.  We shared a cab and I stayed in a hostal half a block from her hotel. We then met up again a couple days later in Orisson and then traveled together until Leon.  After Mirjanne went home, Bernadette, Helle and I split up but the last few days Helle and I have been passing each other on the path and ending up in the same restaurants and sometimes the same albergues. It was great to be able to truly end my Camino with her tonight.

Off to Madrid in the morning!