We walked 194 miles in 12 days. It was difficult. It was joyful. It made me feel muscles in my legs that I didn’t know I had. With each passing day, I realize how magical it all was. The last day was a blister-inducing march. Our final leg to Santiago de Compostela clocked in at a little more than 28 miles. Oddly enough, of all the emotions I felt on arriving at the Cathedral in Santiago, the dominant feeling was that of gratitude. The people, the climbs, the rain and hail!, my boots, the focus, the faith. I finally learned the fundamental distinction between what it means to vagabundear and perigrinar. And after my first Camino, I’ve decided that a pilgrim I must and will remain.
