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A rollercoaster of emotions over the last few kilometers
Today I realized that I like the Way of St. James less and less with each passing day. What once began as an adventure is increasingly turning into a kind of fever dream of restaurants, souvenir stalls and former pilgrims selling their books, shells and other souvenirs along the way – things that often seem like superfluous ballast. There are more shells for sale than the ocean could ever have produced.
The scenery on today’s route was also unconvincing. Expecting a natural wonder on the footpath to a big city is probably asking too much, but the route offered little to capture my attention.
Despite everything, we reached our destination quickly on the fairly short 20 km stage – not without getting really wet first. The rain seemed to want to test us one last time before we finally reached Santiago de Compostela.
GPS data of the hike on the Camino Primitivo
Pilgrim’s certificate and first impressions of Santiago
As soon as we arrived, we went straight to get our pilgrim’s certificate. The process was surprisingly digital: first we registered via our cell phones and the information we entered in advance was enough to get us into a long queue, which fortunately moved quite quickly.
When we arrived at the counter, my pilgrim’s passport was briefly opened, I was asked where I was from and then I was sent to the checkout with my certificate. To be honest, I can’t imagine that the pilgrims’ passports are really thoroughly checked here – if only because of the sheer volume of people. And ultimately it’s just a piece of paper, the value of which is rather symbolic.
After this compulsory point, we booked into an apartment a little further away, where we wanted to stay for a few days to explore Santiago at our leisure. The city is definitely worth a visit. From the market square to the cathedral, there are many beautiful corners to discover and you can easily spend hours or even days here without getting bored.
A tip for future pilgrims: accommodation in Santiago is relatively expensive. For the price of a shared room, two people sometimes pay as much as we paid for a private room on the way. Nevertheless, the city offers a fascinating finale to the Way of St. James – with all its ups and downs.
Photos from the last stage of the Way of St. James
Pilgrim’s certificate and first impressions of Santiago
As soon as we arrived, we went straight to get our pilgrim’s certificate. The process was surprisingly digital: first we registered via our cell phones and the information we entered in advance was enough to get us into a long queue, which fortunately moved quite quickly.
When we arrived at the counter, my pilgrim’s passport was briefly opened, I was asked where I was from and then I was sent to the checkout with my certificate. To be honest, I can’t imagine that the pilgrims’ passports are really thoroughly checked here – if only because of the sheer volume of people. And ultimately it’s just a piece of paper, the value of which is rather symbolic.
After this compulsory point, we booked into an apartment a little further away, where we wanted to stay for a few days to explore Santiago at our leisure. The city is definitely worth a visit. From the market square to the cathedral, there are many beautiful corners to discover and you can easily spend hours or even days here without getting bored.
A tip for future pilgrims: accommodation in Santiago is relatively expensive. For the price of a shared room, two people sometimes pay as much as we paid for a private room on the way. Nevertheless, the city offers a fascinating finale to the Way of St. James – with all its ups and downs.
