May 25th-Arzua to Santiago De Compostella

Well i have done it, Its official, I have my compostella or certificate to say that i have completed the walk, I also paide 3 euro's extra to get one with a start and finish date and mileage so i can remind myself in my old age,
The day had started as it had previously, Misty fog covering the fields, Not cold but cool and the air was full of bird song, In other words perfect, I scanned the fields for signs of fox or badger, It just seemed a perfect time of day to see one, There were signs but that was all, I was undecided how far i would walk, I thought i would stay 5-10 km outside of Santiago and walk in early the next morning, At the end of the day i had this thing in my head saying that i started on the 25th so it seemed right to end on the 25th, My body felt good except for the blister i had on my left foot pad, I stopped a couple of times and checked it and it seemed ok but as i got close to Santiago i knew it was filling and growing, As per the norm when entering a city you have to go through the crappy parts to get to the nice part, Santiago is no different, If anything its the crappiest city i have walked through so far, There were aubergue's in the crappy part as well, I kept walking, I found the old town and walked towards the Cathedral when i could a sign on the side of a door saying aubergue, It was strange but i decided to have a look and sure enough above a shop is a very nice aubergue, 1 minute from the Cathedral and they let me stay 2 nights, Only 2 bunks to a room-perfect, I dropped my gear and walked into the square at the Cathedral, I had no idea what emotions i would have , Some fall apart and some are left cold, I was one of the latter, I think it was because the rain was pouring down and there were very few people around, Later in the evening i went back and it was very busy and dry and it had a much nicer feel and put a smile on my face, Another reason as i had said before was that my wife was not there to celebrate the moment,
Santiago is a busy place, Very touristy and there are more than a few beggars, There seems to be bagpipes played all the time under the tunnel as you enter the square and they can be heard a long way off which is actaully very nice, Bagpipes and Gaelic music can be heard in many tourist sgops as well which goes to show the close ties with Northern Spain and Ireland
I will write a blog on Santiago separately as its a big subject, Off to start my walk to Finisterre tomorrow if my blister co-operates

Mystical pathway

Misty Morning with foxgloves

River crossing

Probably the best kept garden on the Camino

Eucalyptus trees are very common here, Must have been imported, Great scent along the route

Nearly there, This is just past the airport

Follow the Yellow arrows and shells

Monte Gozo where you get the first peek of Santiago

Not elegant but shows that you have arrived, Still a couple of miles walking to get to the Cathedral

 Camino markers

 Job done, Very proud moment

 More people around late afternoon and the weather had improved

Its been a long journey, Its gone very fast and i cannot believe that i have made it, There have been lots of things in the way that have tried to stop or slow me down, I think mind over matter and the British bulldog spirt has pulled me through, Its shown me that determination wins and that i am stronger than i thought, Failure was never an option

Dave