Santiago Eve

Ben and I sat down to our last pilgrim’s menu tonight 25 km from Santiago de Compostela. It’s Santiago Eve here and we discussed tonight’s blog posting over delicious vegetable soup, fried fish, and pudding. I could write another day’s tale of cold mornings and 2nd breakfasts and Iglesias and hardships and Spanish trails and the final slog to our albergue. That’s what we had today in our 27.6 km (17.1 mile) walk from Melide to A Brea.

I suggested we not do that again. You’ve heard that all before. Tonight is a chance to thank those that supported us on this journey, near and far, and remember some of the people we met along the way. Discussing this over our bottle of vino tinto, the laughter about the stories and people started to bring us to tears. I know we’ll be talking about this absurd adventure we undertook for the rest of our lives. You might be thinking “you have another day left, shouldn’t you save all this for tomorrow?”

Tomorrow is about us.

To our families who put up with us walking across Spain for five weeks. Beyond putting up with this, you decided to become interested and participate and be a part of it. Thank you.

A hearty “buen camino” to all that followed us here, and especially to those that participated in the blog. It helped keep something that could get heavy and difficult more light and laughable. We had fun with all the comments and questions. To those that contributed in that way, thank you.

I wouldn’t have made it without the fine folks at Vitaldent and Mirales Clinica Dental in Logronos who performed dental x-rays and analysis of my infected tooth, asking nothing in return but for me to have a “buen camino”. A special thanks to Pablo, Alba, and especially Albert at Clinica Colina in Burgos without who’s help my Camino would have ended.

The team at Medes Sport in Santo Domingo sold me the gel caps that saved my feet. The team at the Sports Hurricane in Astorga that set us up with better rain gear for the mountains and Galicia. Finally the Souvenir Store at the summit in O Cebreiro that replaced Clark Griswold’s torn poncho.

To Paul, our wonderful host in Belarado who helped me understand the Camino, and gave us invaluable advice on lodging. Things got easier after meeting Paul.

It was nice to meet you Paul from San Diego, glad you got your passport back and sorry your girlfriend is two towns ahead of you now. Eszter from Budapest your homemade car parts backpack is the most pilgrim thing we ever saw. Allison, Linda, and Cathy (the Kiwi Grandma’s) I hope to be as tough and cool as you someday. Team Italia, sorry your matriarch ended up in a Lugo hospital, glad it didn’t stop you from holding albergue wine parties. Sue, of Lou and Sue from Atlanta, I hope your knee got you to Santiago. Don’t let Lou talk crap about this with the hiking group back home. Super cool newly retired guy from Labrador Canada, I wish I had gotten your name, you made me feel better about my poncho. Mary from Atlanta, and Ann from Mt. Baker Seattle, enjoy Finisterre. Three generation family in Zariquegui we had a wonderful lunch with you, keep the grandkids on the English. To all of Ben’s French ami’s, merci.

Thanks to Sporty and Ginger Spice, and Biff and Buff for giving us lots of laughter on long walks down the stretch. Props to Sporty and Biff who seem to actually be walking to Santiago from Astorga. Ginger gets a pass for not really trying but also not trying to fake like she is. She cabs from town to town to show up at the bar. Buff is our favorite, complete with his claim in the bar at Triacastela: “Someone called me a cheater when I was getting in the cab this morning, I didn’t like that”. (Ben does the best impression).

To everyone that served us a pilgrim’s menu, thank you.

I’ll walk into Santiago tomorrow for Brian Belbeck, who didn’t get the chance.

Buen Camino.

25K to Santiago

Morning walk to Boente

Boente

Ugh

Heading toward 2nd breakfast in Ribadiso

Heading to A Peroxa

Bocadillo stop in A Calle

Eucalyptus forest heading to A Brea

A huge fist bump to Buen Camino subscriber and supporter Andrea Rogers, for the gift of this book. It was our bible.

On Santiago Even. Our dirty worn hiking socks hung on the radiator with care, in hopes....