Santiago de Compostela – Negreira
13.45 | 513.68 miles
+1,918 | -2,240 feet
The cathedral bell tolled 7:00am as I began my walk to Finisterre. It was already raining and rained all day – except for a short reprieve about midway.
A few miles before Negreira, the skies really opened up. I saw another pilgrim in a bus shelter, and I sat there a few minutes and we commiserated together. Luckily, the 25 mile per hour winds were mostly at our backs all day and it was at least 10 degrees warmer than on the miserable Day 11. Overall, the paths were great and the scenery beautiful. I’ve been fortunate to only have two days of rain
I’m thankful for my rain gear, although even my skin was soaked by the time I reached Negreira. It took me a few hours to truly get warm. My room was actually an apartment. Once I unloaded my pack, I headed right back out into the rain to go to the grocery store. I bought groceries and then came back and cooked a big lunch – hot food! I did the same for supper and was full and warm when I went to bed.
There was a definite change in mindset when I began today. I don’t know if it was reaching Santiago, the change in regimen from having a rest day, or knowing it would be raining all day. Even as I was nearing Santiago, the walk was simply what you did every day. With only a few days remaining, I still focused on that day.
Maybe part of it is knowing that now these are the last three days. There’s nowhere else to go once you come to the world’s end. For almost five weeks, I’ve been swaddled in the Camino. Soon, I will be released into the world.
Buen Camino
