Days 35 and 36 of walking the full Camino de Santiago were our last on the Camino route. The distances were shorter than the past two days, and the trail led us through green pastures and farming country towards our destination, Santiago de Compostela.
Day 35 – Arzua to A Rua (O Pino)
We started our day in Pazo Santa Maria’s restaurant. The table was laden with food, including homemade butter and jams, Arzua cheese and freshly made scrambled eggs.
Stomachs filled, we caught the sun rising over the countryside before our hotel driver returned us to the main town and the Camino route.
All the regular hikers we’d seen since Sarria were already on their way. Everyone was wrapped up against the cold, but it wasn’t long before the cloud cover burned off, revealing the sun and warmth.
Dry forest trails filled with more pilgrims as the morning wore on and the celebratory atmosphere continued. Musicians had set themselves up along the track, and pilgrims stopped for a break and listened.
Despite the shorter walking distance, we continued our ritual and stopped after a couple of hours to take our shoes off, let our feet breathe, and rest while we ate protein bars.
We caught up with the “Quiet Americans” back on the path. He was still walking with discomfort. She told us that since she had recovered from her injury on Day 21, he was using one of her poles to assist with the final part of their Camino. They would stay overnight in O Pedroouza, the next town from O Rua.
We passed through several pretty villages before reaching O Pino just before lunchtime; a few steep climbs, but on the whole, it was a pleasant short walking day.
O Pino
Rounding the corner on a shaded path, we found ourselves at a fork in the road. The path to our right led to our hotel. The left path took us into the charming village of O Pino. We decided to follow the lane lined with colourful homes and beautiful gardens, hoping to find a place for coffee and lunch.
With no cafes or restaurants in sight, we thought we would have to turn back to have lunch at our hotel, but suddenly, a lovely restaurant with tables arranged in a spacious, shaded grassy area appeared. It was the perfect spot to eat and rest before we went to our accommodation.
We settled at an outdoor table, ordered our lunch and watched pilgrims come and go. Our delicious salad was a combination of greens, mangoes, avocado, nuts and seeds.
A Rua
After lunch, we backtracked along the lane and turned towards the main road and our hotel on the outskirts of the town. It wasn’t far away, and before long we had checked in, unpacked, completed our yoga and showered.
A Rua is a small village (pop 50), and with little else to do, we read for a while in the small sitting area at the end of our hallway. The hotel was full. Noisy guests, both pilgrims and holidaying families, came and went between the floors. We retreated to our room to watch a couple of episodes of The Crown before going downstairs.
There’s a cosy outdoor area outside the hotel entrance where we had a glass of wine and journaled before dinner. The hotel restaurant served us a delicious meal of grilled vegetables, lentil soup, fish, Santiago cake and rice pudding.
Another episode of The Crown rounded off our relatively relaxed second-to-last day on the Camino de Santiago.
Our accommodation
Hotel O Pino looked simple from the roadside; we didn’t have high expectations. However, we found the hotel comfortable and full of character. In addition to the elegant sitting room on our floor, the hotel provided a couple of outdoor retreats for guests.
Our room was spacious and comfortable.
Walking statistics
- 18km
- 5 hours, including a lunch stop
Day 36 – A Rua (O Pino) to Santiago de Compostela
It was our last day of walking the full Camino de Santiago. Most of us would finish our Camino in Santiago de Compostela, others would continue after Santiago to Finisterre and the Atlantic Ocean, and some would even continue to complete another Camino route. Although Santiago de Compostela was still 22km away, we all felt we were almost there.
We woke at 6:30 am to shower and pack before breakfast in the restaurant at 7:30 am. The restaurant was bustling with pilgrims eager to be on their way.
The path was quiet when we started walking at 8:00 am. Many pilgrims had left early to reach Santiago de Compostela in time to attend the midday Pilgrim’s Mass in the Cathedral.
We left the hotel behind a group of three families walking together. Everyone was chatting jovially, the younger members walking a little ahead of their elders.
A Rua
Country lanes with small homes, vegetable patches, and small watering stops accompanied us as we passed through A Rua township and onward through the settlements of O Pedrouzo and Amenal.
Eucalyptus and oak trees appeared, and we caught a few last moments of peace walking along the forest trail without any pilgrims.
Just before San Paio, there was a large engraved stone Camino sign. We couldn’t resist taking a photo of ourselves with it as a reminder of our odyssey.
San Paio
While only a small hamlet, we were attracted to turn off the trail by the quaint bell tower of the small San Paio de Buscas Church for a closer look. It was also an opportunity to have our morning tea and rest at the cafe across the path.
While not mentioned in our guide, quite a few pilgrims were visiting inside the pretty stone church. Our research tells us the church is dedicated to San Paio, a 14-year-old saint who was kidnapped by the invading Muslim troops, taken to Seville and martyred before being tossed into the Guadalquivir River.
A chance meeting
Aubern, the young French pilgrim we had met intermittently while walking the full Camino de Santiago, emerged from the church as we arrived. We had last met him in El Burgo Ranero on Day 20. Although Santiago wasn’t far from San Paio, and unlike many of us, Aubern planned to arrive in the cathedral square the next day. For him, it would be Day 90 on the Camino. As he had told us when we first met, he had started his Camino walk from his home city of Paris.
We discussed his plans to continue walking on Finisterre, Murcia, and return to Santiago de Compostela. He had good news; he and Manu, one of his fellow young pilgrims, had connected. She had returned home after completing her planned section of the Camino, but was returning to walk the remainder of Aubern’s Camino with him. Even better news: Aubern had used the solitude of his time on the Camino to reassess his career path and found a new direction.
We were unlikely to see him again, so we wished Aubern well and waved goodbye. He was off to find an albergue for the night.
Lavacolla and Vilamaior
The Camino route travels around the Santiago de Compostela Airport runway before returning into the forest. On the forest trail just outside San Paio, a lone bagpiper set the scene for our arrival in Santiago de Compostela. There was a sense of celebration in the air!
There were still more forest tracks to follow, though. Throughout our last walking day, parts of the trail were strenuous enough for our hiking poles to come out.
Horeros were still scattered in the small towns, and an unfamiliar sight on the Camino, what seemed to be a hand-painted protest sign, was prominently placed on the main path through the small settlement of Vilamaior, 10km from Santiago de Compostela.
Monte del Gozo
We arrived at Monte del Gozo, just 5km from Ground Zero (Cathedral Square). It’s at the lookout, where pilgrims see the Cathedral’s spires in the distance, that reality sinks in. We were nearly there!
There are two other reasons to stop at Monte del Gozo. A large monument to celebrate the 1993 Holy Year stands at the crest. Close by, there is a small chapel. It’s the last opportunity for pilgrims to get their Pilgrim’s Passport stamp and qualify for their Compostela Certificate.
The approach to Santiago de Compostela
The last part of the road after Monte del Gozo was downhill through the city’s outskirts before we found ourselves at the Santiago de Compostela sign. One step closer to the Cathedral and its square, where, 10 years before, we had first experienced the elation of pilgrims arriving and committed to walking the Camino de Santiago someday.
The first indication that we had almost arrived was the colourful “Santiago de Compostela” sign that everyone was lining up to have their photo taken at. We had a couple of photos snapped of ourselves as a memento, too.
The remainder of the walk continued along the main road. Bakery staff stood outside their stores, welcoming pilgrims with samples of Santiago Cake.
The final few steps walking the full Camino de Santiago
The road led us into the narrower streets of the old town, then finally past some of the rather imposing but beautiful administrative buildings in the smaller square, down the steps into the small tunnel where bagpipers welcomed pilgrims and visitors into Plaza de Obradoiro (Cathedral Square).
Entering Plaza de Obradoiro
The entrance into the square with the bagpipers playing is a moving experience for both pilgrims and bystanders alike. We were glad to arrive on a bright and sunny day, unlike our first visit to the square 10 years earlier.
The Plaza was relatively quiet when we arrived at 12:30 pm. Most pilgrims were inside the Cathedral de Santiago, attending the pilgrims’ mass. We took photos for other arriving pilgrims and had some taken of ourselves in front of the towering church that dominates the square.
It wasn’t quiet for long. Moments later, pilgrims and worshippers emerged from the Cathedral, filling the square, embracing and congratulating each other. A sense of community and spirit that only those who have walked a Camino will experience.
Collecting our Compostela Certificate
With the busyness around the Cathedral and the Square, we decided to leave a visit to the Cathedral until later. Instead, we went straight to the Pilgrim’s Office, a street away, to pick up our Compostela. Our Pilgrims Passports were filled with more than the necessary number of stamps; we had accumulated as we made our way from Saint-Jean-de-Pied-Port to Santiago de Compostela.
While snaking outside the entrance, the queue wasn’t as long as we expected and moved quickly. Pilgrims’ Passports and our details, including the reason for our walking the Camino, and we were issued our beautiful Compostela, inscribed in Latin.
We returned to the street, Compostela in hand, to search for a lunch venue. Many of our Camino colleagues were already basking in the sunshine and lunching in the cafes outside. Our newfound Australian friend, Wendy, and her Hungarian and Korean companions greeted us warmly. They had arrived in Santiago at 9:00 that morning.
The “Quiet Americans” sat at the cafe we chose. We congratulated them, introduced ourselves to each other and chatted about the Camino experience. Shannon and Mike left that same evening to go on holiday to Porto, Portugal, for a few days before returning home.
Passing time in Santiago de Compostela
Our accommodation was conveniently located in Plaza de Obradoiro, and after lunch, we headed straight there to see if we could check in. Hotel reception told us that our room would be ready at 3:00 pm, so with an hour to kill, we decided to walk around the Mercado de Abastos before finding an outdoor table in a small square to enjoy a celebratory beer.
Once checked in, we did a yoga session, shower, and stepped out of the hotel at 5:30 pm, crossing the Plaza to visit the Cathedral. Pilgrims were still arriving, and the atmosphere was festive. Having visited the Cathedral on our last visit, 10 years earlier, we thought it would be quick; however, once inside, we took the opportunity to queue and pay homage to the remains of St James and the statue in the crypt. Unlike last time, kissing the statue is no longer permitted.
A celebratory final evening in Santiago de Compostela
Catching up with pilgrim friends
Louise, whom we had not seen since leaving Palas de Rei, had been in touch, suggesting we catch up for a drink to celebrate completing the Camino de Santiago. We met her in Plaza de Immaculada after visiting the 9th-century parish church, Parroquia de Nosa Señora la Antigua da Corticela, part of the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela.
Enjoying our catch-up in our hotel bar, and reflecting on our Camino journeys, David and Catherine from Yuva City, Sacramento, whom we had met many days earlier, walking into Ponferrada, came past. Their friend, whom they were rushing to meet in Sarria, was with them. They had completed the Sarria to Santiago de Compostela sector of the Camino together.
Our final meal after walking the full Camino de Santiago
We returned to Plaza de Immaculada and down a small street brimming with holidaymakers and pilgrims dining at pulpo restaurants to find ourselves in a delightful square surrounded by colourful garden beds. An Italian restaurant on the other side of the square was the perfect place for a pizza dinner.
Stumbling across old friends
On our way back to Plaza de Obradoiro and our hotel after dinner, we were surprised to see Veronika, our Mexican friend whom we hadn’t seen since Day 22 in Leon. Veronika and Kevin. too, had arrived early for mass. Veronika was excited to have accomplished her lifelong wish to walk the full Camino de Santiago.
Dancing in front of the Cathedral
Cathedral Square was alive with people singing and dancing in a circle. We stopped to watch. The majority were from a large Oregon and Montana contingent that had just attended the World Youth Day gathering in Lisbon.
The Catholic Youth gathering is held every three years in different cities around the world. Members of the contingent enthusiastically shared that the highlight of their trip was Pope Francis’s attendance at this gathering. We saw the youngsters again in the hotel lobby the next morning. They had stayed overnight, and we left carrying their takeaway breakfasts
We enjoyed the festivities a little longer before crossing the square to our hotel. It had been a big day, and we were ready to sink into our luxurious bed for a restful sleep before catching the train to Madrid.
Our accommodation
For our last night and to celebrate our completion of walking the full Camino de Santiago, we had requested our Australian travel arrangers, UTracks, to reserve us a hotel room in one of Spain’s most luxurious Paradors, Parador of Santiago de Compostela.
The hotel was originally built in 1499 to accommodate pilgrims with more modest accommodations. Today, guests can still visit the four beautiful cloisters and see some of the original rooms.
It was the perfect way to spend our last night of walking the full Camino de Santiago.
Highlights of the day
And, so it was. We had completed walking the Camino de Santiago, nearly 800km from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela. We were elated to have completed a challenge we had set for ourselves 10 years earlier on our first visit to Santiago de Compostela.
Of greater impact was meeting up with some of the pilgrims we journeyed with at different stages of the walk. There were many we didn’t re-encounter and whom we missed congratulating. We hoped they had completed their Camino safely.
Walking statistics
- 22km
- 5.5 hours including a rest break
Want to know more about walking the full Camino de Santiago?
The Camino de Santiago (Way of Saint James) is a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. You don’t have to be a pilgrim to walk the Way. Above all, it’s a wonderful way to see and experience northern Spain.
Follow our 36-day journey walking the full Camino de Santiago from Day 1 by clicking the link below.
What did we think?
Having compiled our chronology of walking the full Camino de Santiago, we’ll share our reflections and noteworthy suggestions from our experience. Subscribe to our email list to receive the post straight to your inbox when it’s published.
