Today we finally reached the 100 km marker! To get the certificate of completion for the Camino pilgrims have to prove they journeyed the last 100 km to get to Santiago. Is that why people do it— to get the certificate? If not that, then why? What’s so special about Santiago? Unlike Jerusalem, the founding place of Christianity, or Rome, the founding place of the Catholic Church, Santiago is not a major founding place of any institution. Saint James may be buried in the tomb at Santiago, but there is a good chance he is not. So, why have tens of millions made this Camino since the Church declared it a holy site? Over half a million in 2025 and this year will top that! Many make it more than once in a lifetime. It seems to me that the Camino is not so much the relics that lie in Santiago de Compostela. But if it’s not about the destination at the end, why are so many people willing to endure such hardships to get there? It is a long arduous journey on foot, literally along a winding rocky path walked for centuries by pilgrims seeking something that cannot be easily explained in words. When you ask a pilgrim why are he or she is making the Camino, the answer is never, I want to see for myself the relics of St James. The answer is unique for each person and becomes more interesting each day of the journey. I pondered that today as I walked 21,346 steps, climbed 25 flights, descended 66 flights, journeying 2.3 miles down from Ferreiros to O Descanso, and down another 2.2 miles to Portomarin. From there I rode up the 2 mile 720 ft incline and got out at the Hórreo (corn crib) at the 86 km mark and walked the rest of the way to Gonzar, 9.2 miles total for the day. We feasted on a delicious home made picnic in the shade, and took a long siesta before our planning meeting and dinner in town. We're staying two nights in the Vistalege Hotel and Spa in Portomarin. I discovered two potential blisters on my toes and put moleskin on them. I have nineteen stamps in my Camino passport and will get one more tonight.
