Camino Day 39: Santiago de Compostela
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
Rest Day
Although we wanted to sleep in, we had our Compostelas to consider. Our crazy visit to the Pilgrims office yesterday (and Jean Claude’s story of waiting in the queue for hours yesterday afternoon) convinced us the only strategy was to arrive prior to opening – in order to minimize queue time and free up the rest of the day.
Sylvie wasn’t fussed but agreed to keep me company. So we skipped breakfast and arrived at the office just prior to the 8am opening. Already there was a considerable queue, but it didn’t seem too bad. When the doors opened we all filed in but after 40 mins it hardly seemed to have moved. Then Phillip and Rob turned up. The queue by this stage had grown A LOT, and the pointed looks of fellow pilgrims made it clear the boys had no chance of queue jumping. By our own calculations we estimated we had potentially another 2 hour wait. Rob was especially disappointed. Never one to be chatty before breakfast, he too had skipped it, thinking they could pop in early grab the paperwork and return to the hotel for food. They decided to leave without it.
An hour and a half later, we made it to the counter. My attendant was grumpy and uninterested. He stamped my passport, issued my Compostela, writing my name in Latin, asking me only the bare minimum in gruff and grumpy tones. I thought – hey mate – I’m the one who’s been standing in queue for the last 2 hours – why are you the grumpy one? Sylvie was particularly delighted with her Compostela, where she hadn’t really been interested in it before – which only served to irritate the boys further.
We returned to the hotel for breakfast and then set out to explore the city market. It was a sunny Saturday morning and the market was in full swing. We browsed the stalls, wishing we could bring home some cheese, jamon and other fresh delicacies, however we had to be content with some olive oil and paprika. We sat in a café at a corner of the market watching the world go by and summing up our epic walk – awarding hotels for best categories – best boutique hotel with food, without food and so on.
In the afternoon it was time to farewell our camino family – Philip and Rob. We had a long meal at a great place on the tapas strip – grilled fish and vegetables. Before sad farewells and hugs all around. They really did make this journey so much more fun, their sense of adventure, passion for food and spirit of optimism were infectious and made them a joy to be around. I truly hope we can manage to keep in contact although our lives are very different, and we live in different cities.
Tomorrow we will all head home, having completed our pilgrimages, with or without the paperwork to prove it.
