June 22 O Amenal to Santiago de Compostela – 11 miles

We made it! We started in the dark about 6 am and made it into town around 10 am, passing a couple of ancient churches along the way. It was a foggy, peaceful morning. There was a rush of emotions rounding the corner to the Cathedral. We’ve seen lots of pictures, but it’s nothing like the personal experience. Lots of tired, limping people of all ages -some tears and some laughter. We snapped a quick pic before stopping to look around and another kind pilgrim who arrive yesterday pointed us to the Pilgrims’ Office. There is usually a long line, but we waited less than three minutes to receive our official compostela. A man next to us journeyed on foot from Amsterdam! Wonder-full!

Our good timing entering Santiago de Compostela allowed us to catch our first Mass in English in thirty days in the Pilgrims’ Office chapel. Nice! The tradition is to give your name, home, and where you started your Camino. Pretty wonderful to pray with people from all over the world.

Barb pain in her left leg has been increasing for the last three days, and by the time we arrived, she was limping. Instead of going straight to the Cathedral, we checked into our hotel to get off our feet. We’ll have delayed gratification going to the Cathedral tomorrow, hopefully! Lunch was fruit from a grocery store and dinner was a fried chicken sandwich from KFC! Comfort food.

The hotel we are staying in is a converted Franciscan convent that is just down the street from the Cathedral. It sits between an attached, active monastery and a beautiful church.

Thanks to Mike who was kind enough to do a FaceTime appointment to determine the extent of Barb’s injury. The thinking is she injured her ?anterior tibialis tendon/muscle which is causing the swelling, bruising, and pain. Ice, wraps, and non-weight bearing was recommended for a few days. Our apps say we’ve averaged 33,726 steps daily for the last month. Today, she has taken 25 steps!

We are going to hangout here for a couple days before proceeding to Madrid for four days, then off to Madeira, Portugal for several weeks. Madeira has a Hawaii-esque look to it. We are looking forward to exploring the island!