Day 28 (6/8) O Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela

The final walk!

While the group left O Pedrouzo in various stages, it is a program tradition to enter the plaza together as a group. The first part of the walk is beautiful forest, but after that it's pretty industrial.

We met up with the group about half a mile from the Cathedral plaza in Santiago while waiting on the rest of the group to arrive; once we were complete, we walked together as a large group into the Cathedral plaza, serenaded by bagpipes, and celebrated the completion of a very long and difficult (and rewarding) journey. It was overcast in the plaza, and it even rained briefly; I will note that the vibe was a little more subdued than in 2024; nevertheless, it was still an incredibly meaningful moment.

There were hugs, photos, smiles, and sighs of exhaustion. What a great feeling of community and accomplishment.

After spending some time in the plaza, we went to get our Compostela from the Pilgrim's office and then had a few hours to relax and have dinner before meeting up as a large group to tour the tomb of Saint James (in the cathedral) and attend the Pilgrim's mass. There was a new translation service this year, so it was great to be able to attend the mass and understand what was being shared.

After mass, folks could gallivant however they pleased, but we encouraged folks to return to the plaza around 9:30 to be serenaded by the Tunas!

https://tunaderechosantiago.com/

Según la historiografía local, los orígenes de la Tuna de Derecho de Santiago de Compostela se sitúan, sin duda alguna, entre el Mesozoico y la segunda mitad del siglo XX, producto de la inhalación excesiva de "gas ribeiro" por una docena y media de jóvenes estudiantes cuya principal pasión era causar infartos entre el personal docente y tañer extrañas y originales cítaras importadas del lejano Cipango.

Poorly translated by Google:

According to local historiography, the origins of the Law School Tuna of Santiago de Compostela are undoubtedly situated between the Mesozoic era and the second half of the 20th century, a product of the excessive inhalation of "ribeiro gas" by a dozen and a half young students whose main passion was to cause heart attacks among the teaching staff and to play strange and original zithers imported from distant Cipango.