LP and VQT

 Posted by VQT While waiting in Madrid to board our flight home we were surprised when Sharon spotted us.  We first met Sharon and her son CJ on September 2nd in a cafe.  They were sitting with Clare.  At first we were puzzled by Sharon and CJ not knowing they were mother and son.  We saw them several times then in the way of the Camino we only heard about them when we saw Clare weeks later.   There are people you meet on the Camino and a connection is made and you feel that you’d be friends back home.  These Camino friendships might be fleeting but they are so strong.   VQT, LP and Sharon.  VQT’s refrigerator magnet collection.  

 Posted by LP We met Natalie and Graves (not sure I have the correct spelling, sorry for any errors) when we walked the (almost) 5 miles into Santiago early on Tuesday morning, before dawn - our hotel was slightly off the Camino and we were a little disoriented when we saw the headlights of Natalie and Graves - they got us back on track (and showed no signs of judgement in doing so) - we walked together until the big Santiago de Compostela city sign - last night we met them again at our favourite restaurant, The Green Door - so one of the pleasures of the evening was to recognize the lovely “connection” we made on our short walk together and bid a fond farewell  Photo - Natalie and Graves at The Green House restaurant  Photo - Graves, Natalie, LP and VQT

 Posted by VQT We have managed to cram all our souvenirs into our packs.  We have snacks for the train to Madrid.  We are ready to start our journey home.  Tonight we stay in Madrid near the airport.  It’s a hotel we’ve stayed at before and we are hopeful a small restaurant we’ve eaten at is still open.   Tina, VQT and LP at dinner last night.  We went back to The Green House.   VQT, Ashok, LP, Harsha and Tina.  Ashok and Harsha are from Calgary.  They surprised us last night by buying our dinner.   Final breakfast- cheesecake of course.  

Posted by VQT I read a book - Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter.    In the book he talks about how comfortable our lives are - we live in climate controlled houses, we sit in comfy chairs, we have access to food 24/7 and drive almost everywhere.    Easter believes we should challenge ourselves with a physical goal that we could fail at achieving.    For the past 4 years the Camino has been my challenge. We hear of and have met many people that due to injuries or some other reasons are not able to complete their Camino.    Walking hundreds and hundreds of miles on all types of surfaces in various weather conditions is HARD.    It’s both physically and mentally challenging.   The Camino has changed from when we walked in 2022.  In just 3 years there are more people, more trash on the path and stickers (What’s up with putting stickers everywhere?), e-bikes (IMO these should not be allowed on the Camino - they are too dangerous...

Posted by LP Photo - small dog on a bar stall - this is photo from a couple of weeks ago - we were in the bar of our hotel and what appeared to be a regular customer came in with his dog, he sat on a barstool and put the dog on the seat next to him, had one drink and left with his dog 🐾 I have had a wonderful (well mostly wonderful!) time on this Camino adventure - none of it would be possible without the encouragement, support and love of everyone around me….you are the very best and I appreciate you - particular thanks to GJA, the most supportive spouse in the world); VQT, the best Camino companion possible; all the friends and family who have provided encouragement by making comments on this blog, sending texts and emails, etc., it means a great deal to me -  I will be thanking all of you personally, but this is a public declaration of my love and huge appreciation! 💚 Photo - slightly tatty double green door in Santiago de Compostela 💚 Buen Camino! 💚

 Posted by VQT LP and VQT walking into the Plaza del Obradoiro.  It’s the most famous square in Santiago and serves as the final meeting place for pilgrims.   LP, VQT, Mindy & Stacie.  Mindy & Stacie greeted us at 9:15 am with a bottle of vino tinto.   Stacie, Tina, LP, VQT and Mindy toasting & drinking vino tinto.   Stacie, Patricia, Sandra, Tina, LP, VQT and Mindy.  Sandra gave us all Uruguay bracelets.   VQT and LP with the statue of the 2 Maria’s.   VQT’s Compostela.  Names are written in Latin.   VQT’s certificate of distance.  Documents I walked 713 kilometers from Pamplona to Santiago.   Dinner at The Green House.  LP, VQT, Mindy, Stacie and Tina.  More vino tinto.  

 Posted by LP Here are a few photos from this morning - we have been busy celebrating (food and wine), so I haven’t posted till now  Photo - green door on the way into Santiago - I was so happy to be completing my Camino that I almost didn’t stop to take the photo….but fortunately sense returned and I stopped at all the green doors 💚 Photo - another green door in the way into Santiago  Photo - writing on the pavement/sidewalk, “Europe was made on the pilgrim road to the Compostela” - the quote is often attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - it emphasizes the Camino’s role in a shared European identity and economic development since the Middle Ages Photo - VQT at the Compostela office, waiting in the queue/line - VQT had in her hand the Pilgrim’s Passports (we used 2) to gather stamps from everywhere we visit (hotels, restaurants, cafes, churches, etc…. we need 2 per day to show we walked through each of these towns) and the QR code to show we registered for our certi...

 

 Posted by VQT At a cafe having te negro and a Nestea.  Cathedral is probably 15 to 20 minutes away.   VQT and LP at Santiago de Compostela sign at city edge.  

 Posted by VQT We are going to be in Santiago de Compostela this morning!!!  When we took our first steps out of Pamplona on September 1st it was an almost inconceivable distance away.  But day by day and step by step we have walked approximately 430 miles.   We both have an aversion to putting on our walking pants, they have been washed multiple times, but we’ve worn them every day for 37 days.  We see HUGE transported rolling suitcases lined up at our hotels and even though we’d like to have clothing options at this point we are thankful we had so little to pack and unpack every single night.   We have dinner reservations at our favorite Santiago restaurant, The Green House, tonight and again tomorrow night.  We will be celebrating!!! A stencil image of a person walking.   Beer bottles stacked up at one of the cafes we walked by.  People write their names or messages on the bottom of the bottles.  This was just one pyramid of bottles -...

 Posted by LP We walked 9 miles (maybe a little more), it took us about 4 hours with a couple of stops (for tea and snacks) - we had lovely walking weather - the trail and cafes were crowded - lots of the trail was through forests and woodlands - our biggest complaint was the number of hills, not necessarily very long hills, but it seemed a bit cruel to make us go up and down so many hills when we’ve already “proved” ourselves with walking well over 400 miles of all terrains!  Photo - chicken mural as we walked out of O Pedrouzo this morning  Photo - we walked through eucalyptus forests  Photo - honour system for buying crosses (right by the side of the trail) Photo - not so much a green door, as a green gate  Photo - Tina and VQT walking along trail through a clearing in the forest  Photo - Galician bagpipers - one of the entertainers/entrepreneurs by the side of the trail…music and a stamp for a donation 

 Posted by VQT We are staying at another “odd” hotel tonight.  We arrived mid day and had to wait at the local bar for 2 hours before we could check in (wasn’t that much of a hardship).  We started doubting our decision to stop just miles away when we could have been in Santiago with our Camino friends celebrating.  But it’s given us time to pull our “By the Numbers” post information together and rest before we get swept up in all the Santiago craziness.    Early this morning as LP and I sat in a cafe we were surprised by our friend Tina.  She’d gotten up early to try to catch us - and she did!   We spent the morning walking with her until we turned off for our hotel.   Here are photos from today.   Tina, LP and VQT at cafe.   A rare moment when there were no hordes of walkers ahead of us.   Tina and LP walking.   Tina and LP at the 10,000 kilometer marker.   That’s 6 miles to Santiago.   Corn stubble in field wi...

 Posted by LP and VQT Total days (from departure to return date) = 42 days Total miles = 430 (+ 30 miles we did not walk because of illness) Total days walked = 34 Average miles per day = 13 Total number of hotels = 38 Transportation = 3 planes and 1 train   Total blog posts = (approximately) 120 Total green door photos taken = (approximately) 140 Total number of stamps in Pilgrim Credential = 106 Total number of “lavandaria” visits = 9 Total number of countries (of people we met) = 14 (UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, Australia (Tasmania), The Netherlands, Taiwan, Chile, Germany, Croatia, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay, South Korea) Total number of US states (of people we met) = 13 (Arizona, Oklahoma, Iowa, Alaska, Washington, Utah, Florida, California, Hawaii, Kansas, Virginia, Maine, Georgia) Total number of birds identified = 49 (see VQT’s “Tweet Tweet” blog post) Total foot care issues = 3 (VQT will probably lose 1 toenail - LP had 2 blisters) Total number of items of clot...

 Posted by VQT It’s our last “real” day of walking    Today we walk 9 miles to Monte del Gozo which is only 5 kilometers outside Santiago.  Two reasons for stopping in Monte del Gozo: we did not want to walk into Santiago in the afternoon with hordes of others (what the guidebook warns as busloads arriving for a 1 day walk into Santiago) and we have time (we bought our plane tickets then planned our walking around meeting our return flight date).  Yesterday approximately 3,000 people got their Compostelas.  We have registered and received our QR code for Tuesday    Had a fabulous time with Mindy & Stacie yesterday afternoon.   Graphic imprint of feet.   Stacie, VQT, LP and Mindy   VQT is proudly holding up our room keys   We had to get the keys from the cafeteria down the street then find the storefront door to the unit.  Worth a little confusion - brand new space - super clean and nice.     Photo of buttons ...

 Posted by LP I enjoyed today! - I loved the walk this morning (14 miles of rolling hills, woodland and farms) - the weather was perfect (cool to begin, warmer as the day got on) - good “entertainment” with donkeys, chickens, sheep, dogs and cats, etc., along the way - later we met up with Mindy and Stacie (from Hawaii and Los Vegas) and together had the pleasure of a couple of bottles of vino tinto - all together, I had a wonderful day and feel enormously grateful that I have this opportunity to walk and have fun 💚 Photo - sunrise, VQT walking along trail Photo - Camino clam shell and arrow tiles (yellow on blue)…..we pass dozens of these every day Photo - wide woodland trail….with plenty of other walkers  Photo - donkey by the trail Photo - Hungarian man with the donkey and a pilgrim stamp for donations Photo - tatty green window  Photo - tatty green door  Photo - another tatty green door Photo - green door (not tatty) in a lovely stone wall with a green Camino sh...