Day 12: Padron to Santiago - Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Journey's end

We left Padron at 6:50am and required the help of a local after 750m. On crossing a bridge we saw two very large yellow arrows indicating a left turn. As soon as we made the turn a young woman, who had been walking towards us, made it very clear that we should have continued straight ahead.

We took her advice which turned out to be sound. Could the arrows have been placed there by the bar owner whose advertisement in the albergue offered breakfast about a km along the Camino? We didn't see his restaurant.

A short time later we lost the arrows briefly - it was still dark - we took what we thought was the right road and quickly noticed arrows on a parallel road on the other side of an unguarded railway track. We were able to clamber across with ease.

Breakfast was scheduled 6.2km into the day, at A Esclavitude, but nothing was open so we settled for a picnic by the side of the road. Three km further on we did get our first coffee of the day.

We were again passed by Hari and Marika and later by the Japanese peregrino of similar age to ourselves but conversation was limited - we did learn that, like ourselves, he did the Camino Frances last year and indeed may have passed us.

The original plan was to walk from O Pino to Teo. Under the revised plan we were going to find a pension in Milladoiro but arrived there before noon. We decided to stop for lunch and then do the final 6.3km, even if it was in the hottest part of the day.

On crossing the bridge at Ponte Rio Sar we were presented with a quandary. Arrows pointed up a steep hill but pointing to a woodland path was a newish carved granite pillar with a scallop, a yellow arrow and the words Camino Portugués ***** (can't remember the third word or perhaps Roman numeral). We consulted Brierley and took his advice to go up the hill.

It was very hot and a very long steep hill. The hospital entrance was near the top and I considered checking in then and there rather than calling out the emergency services a few minutes later when I reached the top.

Further on we found a nice bar where we both had an Aquarius, which set us up for another few hundred metres.

Following the yellow arrows took us to a busy road which was mostly uphill. We ran out of arrows and while my instincts said straight on, a local said turn left. We should have followed my instincts but we eventually made it to the Cathedral. It was a great feeling although without the sense of elation experienced the first time.

We weren’t long inside the Cathedral when we were spotted by Hari and Marika. We had only met them about six hours earlier but meeting them in the Cathedral at the end of our journeys was quite different.

We had no accommodation booked for that night and Hari and Marika told us about the Hospedería San Martín Pinario where they were staying. That is where we headed and it turned out to be the perfect location for anyone staying in Santiago. It is a beautiful old building a few metres from the Cathedral. Bed and breakfast for two in a hotel-style room was €64 but we settled for the basic pilgrim room, twin beds in a small ensuite room on the fourth floor for €46, buffet breakfast included. The building was once a Benedictine Monastery and more recently the Seminario Mayor and as far as I am aware part of it is still a seminary.

That night we decided to have dinner in the old refectory in San Martin, a beautiful room. It turned out that many of those we had met on the Camino either found us there by accident or heard we were there and popped in to say hello. The hellos and goodbyes were rather prolonged making for a wonderful end to our Camino.

Of course it didn't really end until we attended the Pilgrim Mass in the Cathedral the following day. Last year I think we attended the Pilgrim Mass on three days and failed to see the Botafumeiro in action. This year we were lucky.