The hug (not only) to the apostle

Even if you have had a good night's sleep, you will not escape the anxiety of the last day of pilgrimage. The first stop is Iria Flavia. Long before Compostela became a city, it was in this ancient diocese that Bishop Theodomiro learned of the prodigies taking place in a nearby forest, around what was later recognised as the tomb of St. James.

After Francos, you have to climb to Milladoiro and Agro dos Monteiros, near where the Rocha Vella fortress once existed. From here you can already see the cathedral. Once you cross the Sar River via the old Ponte Vella, the rest is done in a flash.

Enter the old town of Compostela via the Faxeira Door. You should return to Rua do Franco in the evening to explore Paris - Dakar, so called because the first bar is called Paris and the last one Dakar. In the Obradoiro Square, in front of the immense façade of the cathedral, when you put your backpack on the ground, it is not only the weight you carry inside that is released from your back. At that precise moment, the dominant feelings of the pilgrims are of joy, gratitude for life, mission accomplished, deep personal fulfilment, communion with nature, with the universe or with the deity they believe in. Of the many rituals that exist at the moment when the pilgrimage is accomplished, be sure to get your Compostela in the Pilgrim's Office and, above all, to hug the image of the apostle in the main chapel of his cathedral house. And, before or after that, hug those who shared this unforgettable experience with you. See you next time. In Santiago de Compostela.