Ann's reflections on finishing

We arrived at Santiago on a beautiful sunny morning at 9am. It was very quiet, especially around the cathedral square which is how we hoped it would be. The full impact of completing our journey became evident as we went through the day.

Firstly we decided to collect our Compostella, a certificate of completion, having to queue on some winding stairs leading to a room where we had to present our creditales (the book of stamps collected daily confirming that we had done what we said). On the stairs we met many old friends from many nationalities. There was a festive air as we congratulated each other in reaching our destination. Later in the day we attended the midday pilgrims' mass and this seemed to complete the journey.

It was strange to feel that the journey had ended. We had been travelling as if in a bubble, unaware of the rest of the world and what had been happening in it. This had been our world with the people and their stories in it, their successes, sadnesess, triumphs and illnesses. We had all felt the encouragement, concern, advice and love extended to each other, often done with great humour.

We had all been on a journey, be it physical, emotional, psychological or spiritual; searching for ourselves, who we were, who we wanted to be and maybe considering what we wanted in the future.

Day 32 - Sunday June 8th

Text today from Ann. They have walked about 19 miles again today and tonight are at the village of Monte del Gozo, about 2.5 miles from Santiago de Compostella. Ann is still walking with the Sheila from Canada and Levent from Hungary as well as the Australian couple Andrew and Neral. They are planing to go into Santiago early tomorrow and attend mass at the cathedral before setting off for Finistere on Tuesday. This will add another 44 miles to the whole trip.

Ann reports that the group is all well and her tendinitis is holding up, although she feels that she will need to rest up when she gets home.

Pleased to say that Jo is making progress with her back, but is still finding it very painful to move around and is not looking forward to another weeks enforced rest!

Ann- 484 miles covered, 2.5 miles to Santiago de Compostella

Day 31 - Saturday June 7th

Pleased to report that Ann's leg has settled down and she managed to walk almost 19 miles today. I think this puts her at the village of Arzua tonight.

Ann 459 miles covered, 27.5 miles to go

Day 30 - Friday June 30th

Ann has walked 15 miles today to reach the village of Palas de Rei. Unfortunately she is having continuing problems with her lower left leg which is painful, swollen, red and hot. She thinks that she has got tendonitis. She is taking some drugs to help the problem but is thinking that she will have to take it more slowly over the final stages into Santiago.

Ann - 353 miles covered, 45 miles to go

Day 29 Thursday June 5th

Text message from Ann today to say that she is making good progress although having some trouble with her left lower leg which is painful and swollen. She thinks that she will perhaps have to slow down the pace of her walking. She is also wondering if she will go on to Finnistere which is about another 90 miles west of Santiago de Compostella.

She is currently walking with an Australian pair, Andrew and Neral, who Ann describes as fast walkers

Today she is staying at Portomarin which she describes as a beautiful town. It is famous for its bakery which cooks a special kind of almond tart called a Torte de Santiago. It is as large as a plate and very filling. It is decorated with a cross that is a combination of a sword and a shepherd's crook.

Ann - 344 miles covered, 63 miles to go.

Day 28 - Wednesday June 4th

No news from Ann today

Back home again!

I was so disappointed not to finish the walk but it became impossible. I underplayed the extent of my back problem as I was so keen to get to Santiago. The journey home was very painful and I was glad when I landed in Birmingham. After a visit to the physio yesterday and some acupuncture I realise that I'm lucky not to have been left with permanent damage and have to have complete rest for a while. Despite all of this in many ways it was a fanastic experience. The opportunity to walk and talk with such a variety of people from all over the world was great and I felt supported along the whole route. Some parts of the walk were very beautiful with a huge variety of wild flowers and birds [I heard a lot of cuckoos!] and wonderful vistas. I really would like to do the second half of the walk next year, and perhaps Martin will come with me! I would think more carefully about where I stayed at night next time. Thankyou for all the text messages and calls they helped to lift my spirits!