Our final day. The usual lugging of bags down to reception, caffeine, rolls, fruit and yoghurt. Departed at 9:00am. This was the only hotel/B&B which is right on the Camino itself, so navigation was a breeze; just follow the pilgrims. The Way was mostly road walking with a small amount of woodland tracks. Only one cafe stop today. Santiago is a city and it did not take long for us to enter the outskirts and make our way up the hill to the central plaza.

After a quick lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches (what else) we went to the Pilgrim’s office, handed over our passports full of the requisite stamps (two a day are required) and collected our certificates. The moment the friendly staff stamped our Pilgrim passports, it really struck a chord. The goal met was filled with real significance, the certificates precious. We celebrated our arrival with sangria, beer and coke zero, and pushed out the boat with a plate of papas fritas and a cheese board.

Although we hadn’t planned it, we arrived on the Sunday of Pentecost. Pentecost is one of the dates during the year that the Cathedral uses the Botafumeiro during all the masses. We had hoped to attend the 7:30pm Pilgrim’s Mass but to our surprise the seating was limited due to the celebration of Confirmation, so we had to wait until Monday morning for mass. It was an amazing experience even without the Botafumeiro. For those who are wondering, the Botafumeiro is basically an incense burner, but that is like saying a bottle rocket is, well, a rocket. This one is about 5′ tall and weighs over 150 lbs. when empty and sitting on the ground. Add charcoal, rope, and incense and, well, it’s quiet a weight. It takes eight priests to raise it and get it swinging and when it’s lighted and swinging the arc is something like 235 ft. You can see some great YouTube videos if you’re interested.

We have walked 128 kilometers from Baiona to get here! Time for a rest…

Here is the map for June 8, 2025;