2025 Camino Frances Completion

26 Sept 2025

One last beautiful crisp morning, we left early in the dark to make sure we were able to get to Santiago in time to see the Pilgrim’s Mass in the Cathedral with the swinging of the Botofumiero or incense burner. The ladies really pushed themselves and the pace today and I was super proud.

My first wave of emotion happened at the Monte de Gozo (Mount Joy), a hill overlooking the city of Santiago where there is a famous statue of two pilgrims pointing the way forward. Suddenly this whole trip seemed to be real and raw. I felt excited and happy to be reaching the end and also sadness that my adventure was almost over.

We passed giant busloads of tourists unloading and sending their passengers toward the city center and the Cathedral. Twisting and turning through the city streets, my anticipation grew and coming around a corner just before reaching the main square in front of the Cathedral, I saw my father who was waiting and hoping to walk with us the last few blocks. That’s when the water works started…

After more tears and hugs and a few photos, we got in line for the Mass which fills up very quickly and unfortunately is so popular a tourist attraction now that pilgrims are often turned away because the church is too full. We were lucky and arriving early paid off as we got prime seats to see the Mass and the swinging of the giant incense burner. Incense is burned to cleanse souls and sins (but was also used because the pilgrims of the past, and sometimes the present, do not smell very nice after their journey).

After Mass we headed to the incredibly efficient Pilgrim’s office where we received our Compostela certificate of completion and a certificate of the distance that we walked.

Tomorrow we are heading on a bus tour to the town on the coast, Fisterra (Finesterra, end of the earth, or so it was believed in the early Middle Ages) where pilgrims would walk after Santiago to get their scallop shells.

It will take me quite a while to truly process what I have accomplished and all the feelings and memories that I will carry for the rest of my life.

Gentle readers, thank you for following along on my journey. I carried all of you with me and especially those special to me who are no longer with us who I believe would be some of my most dedicated readers.

Buen Camino to you all.