10/27/15 Rua to Santiago

Rainy Day Finish

A Rainy Day Start!

A blustery day ALL in ALL

 

Last nights hotel signage that I found in the pouring rain off a forested Camino trail...lots of confusion finding it from the back trail after getting off the main highway with large trucks flying by in the rain ( options being...getting run over by a semi truck or foraging through the muddy back trail)

A helpful resident came out in the rain to explain how the back trail connected to the hotel.... A little Camino drama at day's end! Grateful to arrive to a hot shower and hot food!

Off to Santiago .... Last day of walking The Camino! A dark and wet start

Another beautiful path leading into the country

1st Marker of the day.... 19 km to Santiago! It seems like yesterday the marker said 790 km to Santiago!

Awe....what would a day on The Camino be without a green meadow!

We are going to miss these beautiful tree umbrella pathways!

 

Natures Artwork! Someone needs to paint this!

A rainbow for our last day on The Camino .....brought up a tear

 

A beautiful and drier path

A Camino sculpture on the trail to encourage pilgrims in their last miles before reaching Santiago

Out of the rain for a lunch stop... shared restaurant space with a large Spanish group and large French group walking the Camino as troops. It was funny to hear so many people talking and not knowing much of anything that was said in the span of an hour!

A brief halt in the rain but don't get too comfy... 20 minutes later a complete downpour.... Quick get out the poncho that covers the rain coat, pouch w/ phone and pants

 

Wow....a sudden transition out of nature and country and crossing over the freeway into the big City of Santiago. SO noisy all of a sudden.... complete with airplane noise!

Round about in Santiago

Consistently placed Camino signs such as in this photo as well as bronze Camino scallop shells embedded in the sidewalk led us into the heart of the city to the Cathedral where the Camino de Santiago trail officially ends. We had 1 additional hour walk from the outskirts of town to the Cathedral.

Beautiful old downtown Santiago with cobblestones streets and classic vintage buildings. Rain does not keep the locals inside.

Following a young Swiss Pilgrim Couple to the Cathedral

Here are my new Swiss friends who "hiked from Switzerland" to walk The Camino!! By the time they return home they will have been gone 5 months.

We've arrived in Santiago!! Woo hoo! Hard to believe we're actually here! We checked into the pilgrim office around the corner from the Cathedral and presented our Pilgrim Passport which is documentation that we walked The Camino. Our Pilgrim Passports have stamps from the places we have stayed or stopped into during our Camino journey. Once we presented our Pilgrim Passport and filled out a form regarding our homeland and motivation for walking the Camino we received our official decree that we are official Pilgrims of the Camino! See our Decree and Stamped Passports below. In case you think our 1st names are wrong on our decree it's because they are the Latin version of our name.

It's been a big day, look for our Camino Wrap Up coming soon!

Love to All our Family and Friends who have been following The Grannies on Camino!

Mariah and Mary

Aka 

Oma and Grandmama