Day 35 Santiago de Compostela
We are so happy to have pushed through to complete the last 39+ km on our final day. Without our packs slowing us down we made great time in the morning, completing 20km before noon. The remaining 19+km took us another 7 hours including breaks for lunch and rest stops. The heat and hills took its toll and slowed us down as the temperature was in the mid 80’s.
Because we did two days worth of walking we nearly had the trail to ourselves on the 19 km finish. A much appreciated respite from the bustling path the last few days and a true blessing.
While on the way in to Santiago we passed a bright blue painted house. We were discussing how this color resembled the color of our first house ( when we purchased it) and as we passed by the owner heard us talking and asked us where we were from. Replying “Seattle” she said she had been to Seattle. We talked for another 10 minutes about the Pacific Northwest before bidding farewell as we pressed on to finish.
We were fortunate to arrive and meet Joe from Canada at the Cathedral. This made for a great evening as we shared dinner and experiences. A truly unexpected surprise to met a friend 5 minutes after arriving.
We spent the evening with Joe forgoing showers and the comfort of a hotel room to share a few moments with a friend on his last evening before heading home. If we smelled bad, he did not seem to care…. A true sign of a friend is someone who cares less about what you look or smell like, and is happy to just be with the person who is on the inside of you. Perhaps we all can learn a few things from this experience.
