Santiago de Compostela

I enjoy a leisurely breakfast at a cafe just outside the old town. Even at 9:30 a steady stream of pilgrims passes in front of me: young and old, singles, couples, groups, families, a group of schoolchildren, walking eagerly, pensively, determinedly.

I thought that on the Camino Portugués, women outnumbered men by about three to one. That was certainly the case in the albergues. Yesterday, as I drank my celebratory beer at a bar next to the hotel, and watched the incoming pilgrims from the Francés, I decided to do a little survey. In the course of my consumption of an cerveza grande, 24 women and 22 men passed by. But it may not have been an accurate count.

As I walk up to the cathedral I notice an inscription in the pavement written in many languages:

Europe was made on the pilgrim road to Santiago

Even today, perhaps the Camino counters the rising threat of right wing nationalism. I remember the words of Luca, a young Italian whom I met last year on the Camino Francés. Luca was effusive in his appreciation of the cross-cultural aspect of the Camino. “I meet so many people,” he said, “from different cultures, and they respect me, and I respect them.”

I know I am nearing the cathedral when I hear the piercing wail of the Galician pipes. I push through the tunnel to the square. Not many people yet but a familiar sight. A man throws his pack high in the air. Another positions his selfie stick carefully for a photo. A group of lads jump up and down and chant. Everywhere there are hugs, kisses, handshakes and even Biden fist bumps. And there is an exuberant muffled roar of pleasure and excitement.

I run into Doug and Nancy whom I’ve met a few times along the way since our first meeting at the Casa de Fernanda. Nice people from Oklahoma. I think I’ve inspired them to walk the Chemin du Puy. An Irishman asks me to take his photo with a very expensive camera. He takes ours in return. I had just finished telling Doug and Nancy that this was my last Camino, when the Irishman said how much he enjoyed the Camino Inglés. Hmm.