Santiago de Compestela - Camino completed!

shot_1351427262286, originally uploaded by veggy.

Well I did it. I survived the snoring, the weird bug bites, the sandwiches with just cheese and nothing else on them, the lack of tiolet paper and soap, the pains which i was in denial of and now realize I have achilles tenditis.. but wow did I get lucky. I probably only suffered through a couple days of rain, a couple of beautiful frosty mornings but all in all, what a trip. To walk into Santiago to the sound of the bag pipes (the Galician, or Gaelic traditional pipes) on a sunny day, at the end of 28km (or 750km total) and say I did it. To be greeted on the walk to the cathedral by old friends from the path, and hugs is nothing short of beautiful. An experience that many people seem to get addicted too, but the one thing I do know is that there are many other paths to walk and I don´t necessarily have to walk this one again. Never in a millions years would I have ever thought or wanted to walk a month wearing the same outfit every day, no make up, no hair brush, carrying a sleeping bag and foot cream. But when I heard about this walk something intrigued me and I really wanted to do it and I am glad I did. After working on the biggest show on earth (The London Olympic Ceremonies) I was worried about burn out afterwards and going into my winter sloth state so this got me moving, and walking. As a fellow Vancouverite I met along the way told me on one of our ´´strolls´¨that it is the easiest thing you can ever do.. you just have to get up and walk. But there are times you really get tired of walking but you do it anyways. The one day I took off in Burgos, half way through the day I felt really restless and wanted to leave but I told myself I needed the rest. I don´t know if that is true though, walking is really simple, except when you add your 10 kilo (max weight) bag to the picture. But I loved my bag, and my sleeping bag. It has inspired me to take longer walks in the future, and now I really want to do some camping trips.
As I say goodbye to the trail and head south to Portugal, I feel good and excited to shop for some new clothes since my old ones are falling off, and I don´t know if I can take wearing the same thing in urban cities much longer. My pilgrim days are done but will live long in my heart. If you ever want to make a pilgrimage or a long walk feel free to message me and I will give you my tips. Buen camino amigos!