Camino a Santiago Day 32: O’Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela

Distance: 12.24 mi

Elevation gain: 1,139ft

Duration: 4h 40m

Steps: 35,316

Calories: 1,297

It’s been 48 hours since I arrived in Santiago. I’m now sitting on flight number 3 of 3 to get me home: Munich to Chicago.

It’s been a whirlwind. A visit to the Pilgrim’s office to get my Compostela, post-Camino celebrations with friends, not one but two different tours of the Cathedral, a spa day, and a Pilgrim mass I had no plans to go to, but ended up at after my cousin Gaby flew into Santiago from Madrid to spend a day with me. And of course, one last day in Madrid, which meant two things: awesome shopping and a fantastic meal.

To be honest I’m not sure I’ve processed it all just yet. I have a feeling that will take a while even after I’ve gotten home.

What I can say is that the last day into Santiago was pretty idyllic.

Wanting to avoid walking with all the 100K folks I started out quite early, leaving O’Pedrouzo around 6:15am, while it was still dark. A quick pit stop at the open bakery next door to my pension and I was on my way. I wasn’t alone. All of us “France” people had the same idea. It was kind of perfect. We were back to our quiet roads with enough space and silence to reflect on our journeys and on these last few steps we were taking. Watching the sun rise through the mist of the Galician forests made it all the better.

Before I knew it I was at Monte de Gozo. It’s the highest point right before entering Santiago and the first spot from where you can see the city and its Cathedral. For a moment, as I looked down on it, I didn’t want to continue. As ready as I’d been the last several days to get it over with, in that moment I wasn’t quite there.

But the excitement began to mount and off I went. There was, however, a bit of an awkward moment when I confused the chapel at Monte de Gozo with the public restrooms that were supposed to be there but weren’t. No place to pee but I did get a last pretty awesome stamp for my pilgrim passport though!

The descent into Santiago seemed to stretch on. Even as I arrived at the outskirts of the city, the Camino appeared to be teasing us. Our trusty yellow arrows had nearly disappeared. I wondered if this was some sort of last challenge. “Ok you’ve made it this far…now figure out the rest on your own.”

And then, I heard them. The bagpipes that welcome you into Praza do Obradoiro; the site of the Cathedral of Santiago and the end of my journey. Even if I had tried to hold back the tears it would have been impossible. I was pretty much sobbing by the time I went down those final steps, under the covered walkway, past the bagpiper, and into the square. This was it. Just over 800 kilometers—500 miles—later, I was finally in Santiago de Compostela.

Accommodation: Parador De Santiago de Compostela. The Hostal dos Reis Católicos, as Spain’s most famous Parador is known, is nothing short of stunning, both inside and out. Built in the XVI Century as both a Pilgrim hospital and hostel, this is a big splurge to be sure, but one that is well worth it to celebrate the end of such an epic journey. To say you are staying inside a museum is not an exaggeration. And unlike León, where the interior has been remodeled to the point of eliminating much of its original character, the Parador in Santiago retains every bit of its history. Double superior room including breakfast €426/2 nights.

Lunch: Abastos 2.0. This is how you celebrate the end of the Camino. Unequivocally the best meal of the entire six weeks, walking up to the restaurant, I didn’t know what to expect. I was quite hungry, but having done no advance research I just looked up the Michelin-rated spots in Santiago and found this one attached to the city’s public market. It’s super casual. Much of the seating is along an outdoor bar and the menu changes daily depending on what is available at the market. Their octopus is simply spectacular as is everything else. I basically left it up to the host to bring me his recommendations and it was all excellent down to the cheese I had for dessert and the Galician Albariño wine. Three courses and three glasses of wine €48.