2015-10-21: Caminando Puente Ulla - Santiago de Compostela (24/490 km)

After having had breakfast and after having said hi to the three French ladies, the camino went upwards trough the hills. After some 4 or 5 km I discovered an albergue of the new municipal model. It would have been a very good alternative to the private at Puente Ulla. The camino was well marked and good as it went through forests and small villages. I met one of my Italian acquaintances and we both had to speak castillano (Spanish) since he could not speak English. It worked well.
Coming out of a forest on a hill I could actually see the towers of the cathedral in Santiago at a distance of more than 10 km. I had never thought that this was possible - but it was.

Gradually the was more and more villages and roads and Santiago was approaching. After a building site we crossed the railway. And - there was the site of the terrible accident some 4 years earlier when a train in too high speed ended up in the concrete wall killing several passengers.The the side safety net of the bridge was covered with candles, crosses and various things let by pilgrims and others. I had tried to find this site earlier after my Camino Primitivo but was then unsuccessful. But here it was.

Marching in through Santiago the road whent uphill trough old parts of the city passed a faculty of the university and all of a sudden I was standing at Praza do Obradoiro (Plaza de Obrador) in front of the cathedral. A magic moment as always. People everywhere hugging, resting on the ground with sticks and backpacks many probably tired but happy.Most of course having walked the Camino Frances, where more than 200.000 walk per year. I have have heard that 8.000 - 10.000 walk the Vía de la Plata and Camino Sanabrés per year. It is the longest with its 1.000 km but the third in number of people walking it.









I found my hostel at the side of the cathedral in a building that earlier contained Semiario Mayor (the major priest seminary of Santiago). I had ordered by mail, one of the spartan pilgrim rooms at the top floor. My reservation in advance proved to be necessary, since some others of my camino friends waked in and tried to get a room but everything was fully booked.


After having rested a little I was out with a friend from France that had walked the "new" Camino del Invierno. He had walked with some Americans from Burgos to Ponferrada. But the male partner (from Seattle) never showed up. I guess that he had miscalculated the time since the late bus from Finisterre gets in at ten o'clock not earlier. And the we had all gone to our respective hotels/hostels.