24th/25th September 2011
We had decided to make the last day easy and split it over the weekend so we could have a sort of celebratory ride into Santiago on Sunday.
This allowed us to soak up the atmosphere of the many timeless villages on the way, each one seemed to be preserved in a medieval bubble, and the atmosphere seemed almost magical as we went through the woods between them. At one point we could hear pipes playing in the distance and the anticipation of what was ahead sent a sense of excitement rushing through us as it got louder and louder. As we crossed the rocks over a small river we saw 2 young girls playing bag pipes. It was a regular site to see musicians playing on the Camino but this was such an unusual place it seemed sort of unreal as though they were mythical musicians who did this every day.
The magical feeling continued throughout the weekend as everyone became more excited about reaching our goal. Sunday morning came and we all put on our riding gear as though we were preparing for our last battle, the feeling of excitement was intertwined with sadness and past memories but we headed off into the early morning sun. It was wonderful. The villages seemed even more beautiful and the woods continued right to the edge of Santiago where we got our first glimpse of the Cathedral, 1000 feet above the city at Monte do Gozo. We knew now it was a 6km downhill ride all the way to the city.
During that period I thought of all the people I had met and the places I had seen. It made me feel so privileged that I was able to do this and I wondered if I would ever do it again and if I did would it be as special?……
Through a large gate we could see the main square and the cathedral. As we approached the sense of achievement was overwhelming, heightened by pipers who began to pipe us in as we rode though the shade into the bright sunshine of the main square. People everywhere were hugging, crying and laughing. In fact I saw every emotion but one thing stood out; at that moment hundreds of people in that square had shared the same experience for the past few weeks and although we had not met it felt like we were connected in some way forever.
The celebrations carried on into the night in what I can only describe as surreal. People dressed in strange medieval costumes and cauldrons of flaming alcohol being thrown into the air as strange unrecognisable songs were being sung by musicians and funny rituals performed by restaurateurs. This continued until midnight when as the bells struck a sense of calm suddenly came over the city and all that was left were a few people lying in the square looking up at the stars as the restaurants put away all their tables.
We walked out of the city and I took one last look at the destination that had been on my mind for 3 weeks as I climbed over mountains and hot dry fields. It was truly a wondrous sight and although the memories of the Camino and the people I met will stay with me all my life I hoped that one day I could revisit the Cathedral in SANTIAGO de COMPOSTELA.
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