Coming Home

I'm at the airport in Santiago. It's a very small and cute airport and there are very few people here. The sun is shining and it almost feels wrong to leave Spain now since I had been longing for this weather since I came back to the camino. But what can I do? I have to leave the past three months behind knowing everything was perfect and extraordinary the way it went. I'm very happy I was allowed to take this time off from work and my regular life in Berlin to experience life away from home. Now I'm thrilled to get back, dive into everything that is waiting for me, and continue things where I had left them. 

The camino was great for me. It showed me once again that traveling and meeting new people is still my passion. I love this world and most of the people I get to meet. But even more so I love the people and the life I have in Berlin. Traveling is always great and a bonus. But coming home is even better!

Day Eight: Santiago de Compostela

It was a beautiful day in Santiago. I was able to walk around some more and explore this amazing city.

The building across the cathedral

One last picture in front of this impressive cathedral

Santiago has many cute little streets that are usually filled with lots of people.

Day Seven: Finisterre/Fisterra

What comes after Santiago de Compostela? For many pilgrims the answer to this question is: Finisterre or in the Galician language Fisterra. It's also known as "the end of the world". Pilgrims from many years ago would continue their pilgrimage after Santiago and end in Finisterre where they would burn all their clothes or at least some of them as a symbolic sign that they have finished with their old live and are ready to start a new one. Burning clothes or anything of that matter has been forbidden for some time now in Finisterre but many pilgrims still do it. Did I do it? ...

Early morning walk to get to the bus stop.

Once I got to Finisterre I still had to walk 2,5 km to get to the light house by the end of the peninsula. The sea is so wonderful to look at.

This is the furthest I could go at the end of the world. Another cross reminding me that Jesus has done everything for me.

Back in town it looks like a regular place right by the water.

It was so nice meeting this bunch that are fellow pilgrims. Celebrating that we finished the camino together!

Day Six: O Pedrouzo - Santiago de Compostela

Today was the final countdown til Santiago and I started at 19,3 km to go.

It was a picturesque walk today, much prettier than I had anticipated. With no rain it was so much easier to walk and to enjoy nature. Also, there were quite a few pilgrims on their last leg that I hadn't seen before.

Halfway there

As I was walking the last 10km of the camino I looked back at the last three months. It felt like I had gotten more than I had bargained for. Initially I had planned on walking the Camino Francés which starts in southern France in the town of Saint Jean Pied de Port, right by the Spanish border. The whole way til Santiago is about 750 km long. This plan however did not work out. Instead I "had" to go to France. I was able to do the Via Podiensis which is part of the camino and it was the same amount of km than what I had initially wanted to do. After, I got to go to Peru. The cherry on top though was the possibility to come back to Spain and finish in Santiago de Compostela, at the end of my sabbatical. So I do think that I got more than I had bargained for.

Walking into Santiago but still about 4km left til the center of the city

The famous cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

My certificate that I concluded the Camino de Santiago

Day Five: Arzúa - O Pedrouzo

Rain, more rain, pouring rain. That pretty much sums up our climate today. Today's walk was about 20 km long but it still took all day since my Spanish friends and I kept stopping to get a drink and get warm and dry again.

We were very lucky at one of the places that they had made a fire in the barn and let us warm our bodies there.

Continuing in the rain

I've learned here in Spain to order the wine of the house and add sweet carbonated water to it to give it a good taste. Also, we got bowls for the wine.

Today is my second to last day on the camino and I will see Santiago de Compostela tomorrow. Hoping for better weather and a great arrival at the destination!

Day Four: Palas de Rei - Arzúa

It did not rain today! It was still a tough day because the distance was about 29 km and that's as much as I can walk in a day. I was walking with three fun Spanish guys. Two of them I had met on my first day walking, Pablo and Ruben.

We ended up eating lunch together but then separated because they stayed at a different hostel. Yesterday we didn't walk together because they had started walking earlier and so I had missed them. At night though we ended up at the same hostel where another of their friends joined them, Santiago. Today I walked with them and it was so much fun!

Santiago, Pablo, and Ruben in the background

We stopped at 10:30am for a short break and I was surprised to see them order a beer already. 

For lunch we had octopus and pigs' ears with potatoes. I have had potatoes before but the rest was a new experience for me!

Less than 40 km left.

Day Three: Portomarín - Palas de Rei

Today was such a difficult day to walk. It had been raining all night and then pretty much all day. At some point I took a wrong turn because I couldn't see the sign which was on a different road. Also, my rain cape, well it looks nice and it really brings out my eyes....but it doesn't keep the rain out so after a while my upper body was soaking wet. For some reason my pants ended up being water proof, even more so than the rain cape and my hiking boots are the best anyway. When I got to the hostel I was brought into my room which I'm sharing with another German! So all is well in the end. I'm happy to be speaking German and to have some good company.

A hollow tree

I'm getting closesr to my goal.