This is another, favourite quotation of mine; never a Camino without these experiences…
“The paradox: there can be no pilgrimage without a destination, but the destination is also not the real point of the endeavor. Not the destination, but the willingness to wander in pursuit characterizes pilgrimage. Willingness: to hear the tales along the way, to make the casual choices of travel, to acquiesce even to boredom. That’s pilgrimage — a mind full of journey.”Patricia Hampl Favorite Report
This powerful sculpture is in Padron. There are a number of highly significant sights and scenarios, in this understated place; usually more renowned for its Peppers than its significance in the history of the Camino.
The legendary Padron, the alleged landing of St James’ body,
the hill where the Apostle preached ….and much more.
The final etape of the Camino ; the final stages, entering the city, are uninspiring, but the rewards are great.
Back to basics, and mea culpa if I repeat myself, Santiago, for all its powerful resonance as a pilgrim city, is still a tourist destination and it is best to be aware of st least two things. Accommodation outside the Old City is better value and so are the restaurants. Our accommodation is a ten minute walk from there, in a state of the art, private Albergue…..not quite “Ensuite”, but for € 16.00 a night, unbeatable value – a single room, each. Just a few photos to give a picture of what an Albergue could be…
We took a quick brunch at a sociable cafe, nearby; Mac ingratiating himself with the staff! Never fails to get a smile…
Then, up to the city, which although I have visited it often, is always as enticing and buoyant as ever. Whether you want baubles or fountains, frescoes or colonnades, you will find them, here.
The Cathedral is smothered in scaffolding, which rather detracts from the feelings you may have anticipated before arrival; here are two photos ….before and present day ….we haven’ got an ” after”, yet. Top down, it will be magnificent, I think.
Well, certainly the Top part- restored to a pristine condition . Other pelegrinos lie down and bask in the sunshine, having placed their feet on a famous stone mark. Some of them have been on the Camino for 800 – 1000 KM; six weeks, or more.
We then made our way to the Pilgrim Office, to queue patiently, for our Compostelas – the certicate of completion, in Latin, and if you wish a certificate, in Spanish, marking the distance you have walked. This is a photo of the former.
The queue is well organised and the time goes by chatting to other pelegrinos. There are a number of desks where your Pilgrim credencial or passport is scrutinised; don’t forget to buy your cardboard tube to keep your compostela safe and unruffled. Mac ready to go for it….the Compostela, that is.
Afterwards, we had a beer at a nearby bar, sittiing in the sunshine, chatting to people we had encountered over the last fortnight ; everyone eager to share stories and experiences, in their exhilaration at reaching their journey’s end.
No apologies for finishing with another favourite, tomorrow, our last day, here, I hope it is as good.
“Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much….” Ralph Waldo Emerson, Country Life, 1858
ensuitepilgrim's Blog 
the destination is also not the real point of the endeavor. reminds me of Ithaca:
As you set out for Ithaka
hope the voyage is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.
Hope the voyage is a long one.
May there be many a summer morning when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you come into harbors seen for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind—
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to gather stores of knowledge from their scholars.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you are destined for.
But do not hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you are old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.
And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.
Most profound
Dear EnSuite Pilgrim,
Thank you for sharing your adventures on the Camino. I love your accountings of the Caminos you have walked as well as those of your holidays.
I’ve walked many Caminos to date and will be once again on the Camino Portuguese interior route during May of 2018. This year I walked for the second time the coastal route, I will say, I much prefer the interior route but the coastal route is lovely in its own right. I, too, choose the ensuite way to travel! As a person who leads tours and sets up self-guided tours, I always use private accommodations and I set up mochila transport ahead of time, in my opinion that is the only way to go for those of us who are above the age of the 20/30 somethings.
Congratulations on yet another successful pilgrimage! Bravo!!!
Arlèna
Thanks Arlene, kindred spirits are always welcome! Good luck to you on all your future adventures; my next Camino will be next June, I hope.