Lavacola

25 Sept 2025

My second to last Camino sunrise this morning as I am starting to feel all the different feelings about reaching my goal and the end of my Camino.

Weather was gorgeous today as we wove our way up and down rolling hills and through forests and small towns. We passed loads and loads of fallen chestnut “pods” ( I actually don’t know what they are called), and I realized that even though we sing the Christmas Song every year- “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”, we don’t have that many chestnut trees left in the U.S.. and my kids may never have seen how they grow.

There was a mural that we went by three years ago and I have a picture of my father posing in the same place.

Tomorrow only 13km into the city of Santiago de Compostela. The Camino ends physically at the Cathedral in the middle of the “old” part of town. Most pilgrims head to the square in front of the church, then attend a pilgrim’s mass, and head to the pilgrim’s office to get their Compostela, which is the certificate of completion.

The town I am staying in tonight is called Lavacola which means “wash your tail”. It is where pilgrims of the Middle Ages would “cleanse” themselves in the spring water before entering Santiago .