Today is my last day, I travel back to the UK tomorrow, so today is all about relaxing, final visits and a little shopping.
I had a morning shower today for the first time in 7 weeks!! I am normally a morning shower everyday person, but it just doesn’t work on the Camino. Since I arrived in Spain and starting the Camino I have just rolled out of bed, had breakfast and started walking, knowing that I will need a shower at the end of the day. There is also the logic which says not to take a shower in the morning because it saturates your feet with water and makes them more susceptible to friction and blisters, not my reasoning but it seems sound. Anyway, my morning shower today was the start of returning to a more normal life.
Breakfast at the Parador was a spread as you would expect from a fancy hotel breakfast. I was surprised though that there was no cooked breakfast and everything was buffet. Anyhow it suited me, I stuck to my routine since I have been here of toasted bread and either ham or ham and cheese. Bread in Spain appears to come with everything but it tastes very different to English bread, still that is another thing which is going to change when I get home.
After breakfast I left my bag with the hotel and headed off for a Thai massage which I had booked before I headed off to Finesterre and Muxia. I thought it made sense to try to stretch out all my muscles before heading home. It was different from the last place I went but still very good and I feel totally stretched and released which is great. It is interesting the parts of the body which get tight walking, once again my calves seemed to be very tight, once again the masseuse seemed to have to fight to get my body into the expected positions.
After the massage I had decided to attend mass again as a final thanks after completing the trip and the final walking. I chose the main replacement mass for the Cathedral which is at the Inglesia San Francisco. It is a traditional Spanish mass, but designed for pilgrims. The nun who sings is amazing and it feels very special as a final mass.
Having attended mass I collected my bag and checked into my final hotel of the trip!! There is a lovely patio to sit out and enjoy a drink in but it is pouring with rain again! Obviously time to head home, although I am not sure that it is much better in the UK.
After settling in, I headed back out for shopping, gifts and a final wander round this wonderful and vibrant City. I might not feel that this is the finish of the Camino for me but I do love the City. It is absolutely stunning, full of history, really easy to walk around, and absolutely packed with pilgrims and locals.
I visited the Park Alameda, it is on a hill and has a stunning view back to the cathedral, Morag and Hugh had recommended it. I enjoyed wandering around in a brief lull in the weather.
I opted not to eat in the hotel but to have tapas out again, different places to last night, the city is so vibrant and busy in the evenings and the people watching is fab. I had intended to hop around a few different places but I found a spot where two other women had the same idea as me. I think we we made an odd combination, a German lady drinking beer, myself with red wine and a lady from Poland who had a large vodka! So I ended up sampling a variety of tapas and had a couple of glasses of wine!
Tomorrow I travel back to the UK. I am ready but also not ready!