The last day. I can’t believe that tomorrow I will drop into Santiago. This has been an amazing adventure. Tonight is the last stay at an albuergue for me. I will post a picture so you can see that I haven’t been staying at the Ritz.
The life of a pilgrim is really pretty simple. You get up before dawn and do foot care. For me, that means wrapping my feet and securing my metatarsal pads in place. Next comes to decision, do I wait for breakfast to open, or hit the road and find the first open cafe. The latter was usually my decision.
Then comes the hours and hours of walking. I am fairly slow, so 6-7 hours s day on the road is not unusual. Sometimes way longer. I think my longest day was 11 hours. Yes, you stop periodically when your feet will not ho any further, but a stop longer than 15 min means you get cold and stiffen up.
When you reach the end of your stage, if you have sent your bags on, which I did, you find the albuergue where you sent them, shower, do laundry, do foot care, find food, and crawl into your bunk. Each day is the same routine for 30+ days.
Then, if you are lucky, you meet amazing people. I have spoken about Jasna several times, and I know she is a life long friend. The stories that you hear from others are so powerful and moving. Even the couple from Arkansas walking behing me singing California Girl. It’s quite a ride.
So tomorrow is Santiago. I will be there for 3 days, and then decide where to go next. 20km left.
My Grieving Widow's Tour 