Day 43 – O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela

So this is it, huh? Far from it!

It was forecast to rain today and it didn’t, except for very light rain when we were about half an hour from the Old Town of Santiago! We felt so blessed.

We had a wonderful and energetic day, setting off in the dark and then arriving just after 2ish.

We walked through lots of forests and up some more hills before we hit the asphalt that belongs to a city. And then we started seeing traffic, traffic lights and shops and this was when we knew that our journey was coming to an end.

The anticipation to get to the Cathedral was drawn out as we weaved onwards with other pilgrims to arrive and when we got to the square – there was nothing we could do except hug each other tightly and cry!

We DID it! We had done it! We had walked since September 5 and now we were here. Not once on the journey had we wished for anything different, or wished for this day to arrive but it crept up onto us.

We were so overwhelmed, humbled and emotional that we were both speechless. It couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be that we were really here. Looking up at the cathedral (ignoring, the scaffolding), it sunk in. We were in Santiago de Compostela.

We lined up for a long while to get our St James certificate and we also got our St Francis certificate (the one that is issued only ONCE every 100 years). Proof that we completed – not that we need it, because in our hearts and minds the Camino experience is enough proof forever.

We went to the Pilgrim Mass tonight and saw the botafumeria swing and it was quite a sight. We were also able to deliver the letter on behalf of Maria from Italy – the one we were handed back in Bayonne by the gentleman in the cathedral as our mission! J We found out her prayer, together with all the others handed in, would be brought out on October 31 and placed on the altar for prayer. We were so thrilled to have been able to do this for her, whoever she is in this world, we hope she gets some sign to indicate that her letter has arrived.

But although the Camino de Santiago is finished for us, the real Camino for us is only starting.

What an incredible journey and life-altering experience for us. We will never look at our lives the same again. Each day will look different and every up or down, will make us reflect on our time on the Camino.

We are so grateful that our entire journey was free of any serious injury or drastic weather. To be honest, we had a very smooth Camino. We feel so fortunate to have met the people we met, stayed at the places we stayed, had the weather we had, ate the foods we ate and saw the sights we saw and then be rewarded with the experiences we were given. We know deep in our hearts that we will take away our life lessons, the ones we have documented here. We know that we were meant to do the Camino when we did. We know that we have done the best things for ourselves by walking this Camino.

And although, we are at the end of the walking part, we will try to keep exploring our lives as we have had for the past 43 days. This is why we are so glad that we started this blog so we can keep this positive outlook on life alive for us and for everyone who cares to read 🙂

Stay tuned, our posts will not end here!

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Day 40 – Portomarin to Palas de Rei

The weather was glorious today and we felt so fortunate to have the blue skies. But even when it rains we feel fortunate. We cannot stop smiling and being happy.

We walked with a wonderful friend that we met back in Belorado and we have constantly been running into her since. We have become Facebook friends with her and some people you just click with and she is one of those people we were meant to meet on the Camino (at least that is the way we see it).

We saw more cows on the road and have seen the scenery change so much since when we started. There were teenage school students on the trail today and as noisy as teenage students are, it didn’t both us one teeny tiny bit. We chatted with some and we just enjoyed the hectic-ness. We were once kids so why get grumpy or annoyed at them. They were there like we were – to walk the Camino.

And slowly this walk has shown us so much already and over the 40 days…. We know what makes us happy!! We have found the font of happiness. It is within us. It is within appreciating every moment of the now. It is up to us. We choose whether we are happy or not with our situation. It is not our situation that makes us happy. It is not our travels that makes us happy. It is not the things we own that makes us happy. It is not the sun that makes us happy. It is US that makes us happy.

All those things that we enjoy and might contribute to our decision to be happy but ultimately, seeking happiness doesn’t need to be too far from home. There are things that we love that adds to our choice of being happy such as our families, our friends, our travels, our humble home, our life experiences, our hobbies and interests and so when we are back home or away from the Camino and we feel a little down… we know what it is that we need to reflect on, to help us turn our frowns upside down!

Walking this Camino has made us both so happy and as we said a few posts ago, we feel so free! We want this feeling forever so we will work to achieve it as it is up to us. It may be as simple as just living in the now! This opportunity to slow down and hit the refresh button has really given us a new perspective on the way we need to live our lives. We can make it happen and be happy while working full-time jobs or not. The choice is ours and always has been but until we were ready to see it, it was never going to be found!