We did it!
I know this post is seriously delayed. But I am coming back to the blog to revisit our experience. On May 15 we made our way into Santiago. And despite being an exciting moment, the walk that day was hard. It started out pleasant and we had a lovely coffee at a cafe with overcast skies. We were excited and motivated to be at the end. Before we finished our coffees the rain came. And it rained off and on the rest of the day. And not just a light sprinkle, some parts were a downpour and we pulled out our ponchos and backpack covers. When we stopped for lunch it was mostly to get out of the rain and undercover at a restaurant. They served us huge plates of food and we waited for the worst of it to pass. Those last miles also included walking through a lot of city streets which I hadn’t expected. I didn’t realize how big Santiago was compared to all of these other little towns we’ve walked to along the way. And the cement and stone were hard on my feet. Since the Camino, I’ve realized I developed a case of plantar fasciitis which is why my feet were so sore.
By the time we reached the cathedral, I was moving at a pretty slow pace. But it was still a bit emotional. Will was pretty excited and happy, which is true to his personality. I was a bit quieter and even teary-eyed thinking about how hard we worked. I couldn’t help but think of all of those miles, being sick halfway, our sore feet, the people we met along the way, and how much our legs carried us. We were so proud of ourselves.
After finishing and taking photos, we checked into our hotel and got cleaned up. We headed to get our Compostella and to eat. We also wanted to attend the service for the pilgrims at 7 pm. We aren’t Catholic but we felt like it was part of the experience. Of course, the whole service was not in English, so we had no idea what he said. We just stood when other people stood and sat down when they sat down. But it was a good way to cap off the whole Camino experience. I think in the end I was very glad to be done and to have finished. Will asked me then if I would do it again and I said not the same route. But I do think as we’ve gotten further out from it, I might agree with his idea, to go back and finish the part we skipped.
Since the Camino, we actually found ourselves not entirely sure of what is next. We’ve traveled some in the van but it was weird going from having a plan every day for 6 weeks to meandering. For 6 weeks we got up every day with a plan to walk a certain distance, and get to a certain point (with some days off). Meandering around in the van has us both a little cranky and wishing for more structure. Will wants a place with his own bed and a bbq. He’s very clear about that. I’d like structure too, but I don’t want travel to be over entirely. We also aren’t on the same page about where a home base should be. It has definitely been a topic of conversation for the last few months. We are getting a temporary apartment in Washington at the end of the month and I think we are a little closer to finding the place we want to make our home base. Will is picking up shifts at work and I am looking for freelance work. Even though things aren’t entirely settled, they are getting there.