Is it really over?

Someone told us before we started our walk that the journey was: first third physical, 2nd third mental, final third spiritual.  I found that virtually every day had all three elements.  Every day was physically challenging.  Some days you were just “good tired,” others you were spent.  Particularly trying were the days when you reached your destination town but still had miles to go to reach your accommodations.  Each day you had to will yourself through certain sections - getting sand-blasted on the beach, endless cobblestones in Portugal or hills near the end.  Getting immersed in the legend of Saint James and realizing you were walking in the footsteps of literally millions of pilgrims over the last 1000 years has been amazing.  Things can get pretty emotional when you finally reach the cathedral plaza on Santiago.

Some statistics:

- 13 days (walking)

- 175 miles 

- 400,000 steps

- 0 inches of rain

- 6 or 8 languages spoken

- oodles of friendly people

- lots of octopus/mussels/longostinos/empanadas/caldo/jamon/manchego/bocadilllos/etc., etc.

Some feelings:

- excited every morning - for a new adventure

- tired - every night we weren’t exhausted

- stiff and sore - when not cramping and treating foot ailments

- delighted - when we saw folks on the trail that we’d gotten to know or seen several times before

- comfortable - when we spent most of every day with our Sun City Hiking Club buddies, Jill and Dave Haus

- thrilled - when we got to soak our feet in the cool spring waters of countless streams along the Way

- conflicted - when we experienced the happiness of reaching our goal and the sadness that it was over

- a bit overwhelmed - about our accomplishment

- a bit small - among the more than 2000 who arrived today via 7 different Camino routes in Spain that funnel in pilgrims from across Europe, among the half million who have arrived in the last year and among the countless thousands who have made their way to Santiago over the centuries 

Summary thoughts:

- In many ways, hard to put into words, but clearly the challenge of a lifetime, an incomparable experience and an unforgettable trip.

What’s next?

 - We’ve never been to Lisbon so we’re headed there for a few days before we return home.  We’ll be strolling tourists, not pilgrims, so we look forward to lighter loads and shorter walks.