22.7 km ~ 32,080 steps
Song of the Day: I’m Gonna Be (500 miles) – The Proclaimers
Today we took our last very late start. While we missed the heavy rain of the morning, the mist and light, soaking rain prevailed for almost our entire walk today. We were lucky enough to bump into our new friends from the Del Norte route at a café for breakfast and made two more friends who had also just joined from Del Norte. Again, by starting late we luckily avoided most of the crowds and were able to have a contemplative last few kilometers. I can hardly believe I’ve been here for 39 days. Sometimes it feels as if I’ve been here for months, other times I feel like I just started last week. Funny how time works like that.
As we got towards Monte de Gozo, I wished the rain would stop because I had so been looking forward to seeing the view over the city from the famous pilgrim statues. But that was a silly wish, there was no way the clouds would miraculously clear just because I wanted a nice view. When we did reach Monte de Gozo, I struggled to even find the giant medieval pilgrims. All I saw was the new sculpture, so I figured they must just be further on and continued down the road. But something in me knew that wasn’t right either. Though it was the end of the day, and the rain had picked up even harder, I turned and made Maverick trudge back up the hill a different way, determined to find these statues. Another 25 minutes later, I found them. And though it was still rainy and the fog was so thick you couldn’t see more than 100 yards, I was so happy to see them and pose for silly pictures with Maverick and them. And in the midst of all our pictures, I happened to look up and realized it was no longer raining, the fog had lifted, and there before us were the spires of the cathedral in the distance. I sat down right then and there and felt all those same feelings pilgrims from hundreds of years past have felt. It was incredible.
And while we may have crossed into the city limits, taken exuberant pictures with the signs proclaiming we’re in Santiago de Compostela now, we have stopped just short of our goal. Tonight, as per our fashion we struggled to find a place that would let us stay and so we’ve been offered a couch in San Lázaro. Tomorrow, bright and early, we finish the final steps to that sacred place that has called us for 39 days now.