At 6:30 AM Sunday we are up and out of the albergue in Pedrouzo and walking the Camino by the light of a full moon. When the Camino enters the dark woods we follow the headlamps of the walkers ahead of us, now grateful that the way is crowded with peregrinos. By 7:15 we have reached a bar open for coffee, and the sun is rising.
The last stage is short, a little less than 20 kilometers, but we want time to explore the city and visit the cathedral, including the masterpieces of Master Mateo, whose work we first saw in Leon.
I have happily given over all responsibility to my daughter. She reads the map and climbing charts. She finds the yellow arrows marking the way. She sets the pace. She decides when we can take a break, and when we must press on. She tells me today’s walk is all downhill. She lies.
We reach the cathedral at 1:30. The structure is late romanesque, but the facade is the epitome of Spanish baroque, sumptuous, exuberant, glorious.
Our first stop is the Pilgrims Office. After waiting in a long line for well over an hour, we present our credencials, and are awarded our Compostelas. Our pilgrimage is officially complete.
We are too late for the Pilgrim’s Mass, but in good time for celebration. The Praza is filled with newly arrived peregrinos, filled with happy reunions of walking companions, filled with expressions of exhaustion and relief. We greet Trevor from Seattle and Martine from France. We join Diana, English peregrina living in Germany, with whom we had walked a few days earlier, for a celebratory drink at the bar of the very fancy Parador dos Reis Catolicos.
The first two albergues we try no hay camas, have no beds, but further away from the centro historico we find one with space. We leave our backpacks there, and return to explore the cathedral and its attached museum.
We have reached Santiago, but our journey is not finished: We still have Toni’s ashes to scatter. For that, we agree, we will travel by bus in the morning to Fisterra, the end of the world.
My Camino with Toni 
Yeah!!! Congratulaciones a Chris y Samantha. Estoy lleno de admiración por Uds. Los espero a la vuelta de vuestro viaje. Un gran abrazo.
Lito
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Thank you so much for sharing your camino with all of us, Christopher. It has been a spiritual experience for me as I continue to have silent conversations with Toni. Much love to you and Sam. Let us know when you are safely home.
Kate
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The loss of Toni is a sad and terrible one, but when you scatter her ashes into the great ocean from whence we all crawled, I hope you hear echos of her marvelous laugh, so full of life and happiness, telling you and Sam that she’s with you always and the Atlantic says thanks for the infusion of creativity and joy.
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SO generous of you to share our beloved Toni with the ocean… Her joy, her smile, her smell, her cheerful jewelry, her laughter will transcend her ashes, multiply through the waves, and continue to light up eyes that have long lost joy…
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How happy I am that Sam was with you for the last part of your journey. I have been following you even though I have not left comments. Toni has also been with you and though you scatter her ashes…..she will always be a part of you and Sam.
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Your mission is almost complete. How moving it has been. I’m with you both, r
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Bittersweet. I will miss the blog.
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We feel we have shared your journey from the comfort of our home
in Buffalo. We have learned much, and admire your stamina and
perceptions. Safe passage home.
Jim and Barbara
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Dear Chris,
It has been so nice feeling we are a part of your journey and glad Sam could be there and join you. We wish you and Sam bon (and safe) voyage.
Enid and Art
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Dear Chris, we were so happy to reconnect with you again on the trail, and to meet Sam. Congratulations on completing your walk. We are in Finisterre right now and we are walking to the lighthouse today- might see you there! We will be thinking of you today- a difficult time but also a relief to share it with Sam. May you have many more adventures to come! Doug and Ruth from Australia
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love to you three.
denny & steve
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Thank You so much for sharing this experience with all of us followers. It’s been a pleasure to read about your travels. I wish I lived in Buffalo to be at the memorial but I would definitely be thinking of Toni, you and your daughter this weekend as I go to mass here in the Bronx. Thank You. Kathleen H.-W.
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