July 18
Monte del Gozo to Santiago 5km
We left in the dark at 6am to walk the last 5 kilometers into Santiago. As usual we stopped for cafe con leche and churros con chocolate at the 1km cafe. Then we walked the last kilometer into Santiago Center at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostella. We were the very first ones to arrive at the cathedral and the plaza de los Obreros. It was beautiful and awesome. We stood ontop of the last waymarker shell and celebrated. It was emotional, but surreal. It actually took some time to realize we no longer were peregrinos nor had to say buen camino. 500 miles - amazing!
We went to get our compostella, the certificate of proof that we completed the camino. Then we went to see the cathedral, the crypt of the remains of St. James, and to hug the statue of him. We attended the final pilgrims mass at noon, in which all the pilgrims are blessed on the rest of their way. The beauty of the cathedral and the ceremony of a mass presided over by 10 concelebrants is a powerful sign of the importance of this pilgrimage. These are the traditions which conclude the camino. Believe it or not it is bittersweet.
We had a great day and night greeting other pilgrims we'd met along the way. We went to a huge open air market where we picked out fresh barnacles, took them to a cafe, where they steamed them for us, and served them with melted butter, good bread, and a cold glass of beer. What a unique experience. p.s. they were delicious. Then we tried octopus scampi and sardines along with a local white wine. The atmosphere of the market was purely authentic and something we can't experience in Wisconsin.
We visited the oldest hotel in Spain. It was built by Ferdinand and Isabel in 1489 next to the cathedral. Today it is a beautiful parador, state owned hotel. It is gorgeous. We spent some time exploring the patios and cloisters, imagining what it would have been like to be there with the king and queen who led to the colonization of the americas.
That night while walking to dinner we ran into the priest who had warmly welcomed us to Santiago. So we invited him to dinner. Turns out Father Paul is one cool, funny Jesuit, who knows the pope on a first name basis and also knew Mother Teresa very well. He is a great story teller, with a fantastic sense of humor who entertained us all evening. He told us the pope is writing a book called The Sanctity of Humor, because Jesuits believe humor is an important part of evangelization. Father Paul was a great example.
After dinner we listened to a Tuna, musical band, in the plaza until midnight. The backdrop was the lit-up facade of the cathedral. There was a beautiful moon. It was magical.
Though we have finished the camino de Santiago we are all always on our camino of life.  So, figure out what it is you want to accomplish, where it is you want to go, and how to want to live your life, and ponte a camino-means literally start walking or get going or get started. The other expression which means carry on, keep walking or keep on trucking is ultraeia! So ...
Ultraeia!  Ponte a camino!!!!!!!!!!