Our original plans called for completing the approximately 15.5 miles remaining on the Camino in two parts. The primary reason is that if we tried to do the entire thing in one day we would arrive in the late afternoon and most likely not have enough time to have our Pilgrim Credentials validated because of the number of hikers that had already entered Santiago from all six routes. Our first leg was supposed to be about 10 miles and would end in a town just outside the city limits of Santiago, named Milladoiro. The following day we would get up early and walk the remaining 5 miles, ensuring that we would be one of the earlier groups to complete the Camino for the day.
As luck would have it, our reservations that we thought were in Milladoiro were in fact seven miles to the west and would have meant an extra 14 miles! Now we were scrambling, since reservations anywhere near Santiago are booked almost completely on a daily basis. Shortly before departing our apartment in Radon this morning we were very fortunate to find a hotel just barely inside the city limits of Santiago with two rooms available. Of course, this would increase our planned distance significantly on a day that promised strong winds and constant hard rain.
A decision was made to follow the N550 highway to Santiago, thus reducing the mileage slightly, but more importantly keeping us out of untold hours of walking on slick, crowded muddy paths. The rains never let up until just before we reached our hotel. The wind gusts were often time brutal and we had to inch close to guard rails as trucks and cars sped by. One of the highlights of day was entering a 15th century cathedral about seven miles into our 12.5 mile trek. Absolutely stunning inside, and we were able to observe mass in progress.
Tomorrow morning we will have less than a mile before reaching our final destination :
CATHEDRAL of SANTIAGO de COMPOSTELA
