Camino Portuguese 26: O Milladoiro to Santiago de Compostela

Friday, June 27, 2025

Camino Portuguese: Day 26 – O Milladoiro to Santiago de Compostela

I woke up at 05:45 this morning, eager to complete the Camino. As I was getting ready, I was disappointed to receive messages from both Sasha and John that they were going to sleep in this morning, so I would be finishing the Camino alone today. It did piss me off a bit that they would cancel our plans because it was rather rude. Nevertheless, I got myself ready to walk the final 7km to Santiago.

I started the Camino alone. I walked the Camino alone. I would finish the Camino alone.

As with yesterday, the weather this morning was cloudy and cool – almost too cool and I wished that I hadn’t packed away my jacket. I had originally planned on following the main road into town, deviating from the Camino, but the road turned out to be a major highway, so I opted to remain on the Camino. It was a very easy walk this morning, though not very pretty. I was soon in the outskirts of town and making my way towards the cathedral. I found a trash bin along the road where I tossed my walking poles and shortly thereafter found a cafe that was opening up. I stopped for a coffee and to get a final stamp in my pilgrim passport. As I neared the cathedral, I went to the Correos office to store my backpack during the day until it was time for check-in at the hotel this afternoon. This way I could really enjoy the day without having to lug around my heavy bag.

Finally, at 08:30, I entered the main square of the cathedral – the Camino Portuguese was finally done! The square was practically empty when I arrived, allowing me to take photos without crowds of pilgrims behind me. I was feeling elated and proud of myself for persevering and enduring the Camino. This had not been an easy journey, but I had stuck with it and I felt a great sense of accomplishment. I texted Thinh immediately, and then the rest of my friends and family. Thinh sent me some wonderful, loving messages – he's always incredibly supportive of all my endeavors.

I soon made my way over to the pilgrim’s office so that I could get my completion certificate. The queue moved very quickly once the office opened at 09:00 and I was the 24th pilgrim of the day to get their certificate! I presented my pilgrim passports for review, and was soon awarded my certificate of completion for the Portuguese Coastal Camino. I also received a certificate stating that I had walked 675km (though in reality I had walked slightly further than that – see below). I bought a protective poster tube to protect my certificates as well, though I snapped some pictures of them before storing them away.

By the time I finished at the pilgrim’s office, Sasha messaged our group chat to stay that she had arrived at the cathedral. I returned to the square and was surprised to learn that John was not with her – he was still several kilometers outside of the city. Sasha and I went to a cafe to have some coffee while we waited for John. At 10:00, she and I went to the cathedral for the English mass. Once inside, we were surprised at how empty it was... and then we discovered that the mass was held in a different chapel, so we left. John had just arrived and met with us outside of the cathedral.

I wanted to have brunch at a small restaurant where I’d eaten many times at the end of my first Camino, but it was still closed when we arrived (despite the sign saying that they opened at 10:00). John went to get his completion certificates while Sasha and I looked for somewhere else to eat. She found a brunch spot nearby, when we arrived, I recognized it immediately! I had eaten there as well back in 2022 with my true “Camino family”. John joined us after he got his certificates. We all had the same thing for breakfast: bagels with bacon, egg, and cheese, along with coffee.

The three of us then walked back over to the cathedral to attend the midday mass. All of the seats were taken by the time we arrived, but we did manage to find spots near a pillar where we could sit during the lengthy mass. I had sat through two of the masses when I finished the Camino Frances and the only reason I was doing a third was in the hope that the giant incense censor would be swung at the end. Sadly, it did not swing today, which was a bit disappointing.

Sasha and I wanted to do some shopping and we wandered through several souvenir shops in town. I bought two T-shirts that I quite liked, but saw nothing else that caught my eye. We all then went to a cafe to have a few drinks, which came with the customary tapas snacks. I had two Radlers, which was very refreshing on the increasingly warm day. When we wrapped up at the cafe, it was finally time for us to say our goodbyes. John was attending a wedding in the evening and Sasha was going to do her thing alone, so we wouldn’t be seeing one another again.

I then walked over to my hotel to get checked-in for the day. My room was very disappointing: very basic, on the third floor and without any air-con. The window faced the west, which meant the afternoon sun made the room incredibly warm. I didn’t stay too long because Carl and Mel had invited me out for some drinks, so I quickly hurried over to meet them. They were sitting at a café just outside of the cathedral and I was happy to see everyone again. I ordered a Radler and joined them for the final round of drinks. Their English friends, Bill and Pete, were there, along with two women from the States (whose names I forget).

When we finished our drinks, they decided to walk over to the pilgrim’s office to get their completion certificates, and I decided to walk with them a bit. Once they had their certificates, we all split up to head to our hotels for an afternoon rest. I swung by the Correos office to retrieve my backpack before going to my hotel. The afternoon sun was shining directly into my tiny room, making it very hot and uncomfortable inside. After some searching, I managed to find a small fan hidden away, which provided some much-needed relief. I spent a few hours at the hotel resting and relaxing throughout the afternoon.

At 19:30 I once again met up with Carl, Mel, Bill, Pete and the rest of their group for a round of drinks before dinner. It was still quite sunny and warm when we met up – the sun doesn’t set until so late at night! Mel had made a reservation for dinner tonight at 20:00 at an Italian restaurant next door to the bar where we met for drinks. I definitely remembers both places from when I did the Camino Frances, though I couldn’t recall ever eating or drinking at either place.

The restaurant gave up an entire room on the second floor for dinner this evening (each floor had a small dining area, so there wasn’t another space large enough for us). I had pasta carbonara, along with a Radler, for dinner. Before our entrees arrived, everyone shared some appetizers as well. My pasta was one of the best carbonara I’ve ever eaten – the meat was absolutely delicious! Mel and Carl’s Camino group had eaten at this restaurant several times after finishing their Camino Frances last year, so they knew the place well – and what food was particularly tasty. Several others had ordered quite a few dishes and ended up with some extras (mostly pizza) and they kindly shared a slice or two with me. Everything at the restaurant was amazing – I will definitely be back if/when I ever do another Camino.

Our group spent several hours at the restaurant, chatting, laughing, and have a very fun time together. I was so happy to have met them during my Camino. Even though we only walked together one day, and bumped into one another a few other times, they always managed to brighten the days and make them so much more enjoyable. Having this wonderful evening together was the perfect way to conclude my Camino Portuguese!

Around 23:00 I sadly had to excuse myself and go back to my hotel. I was leaving Santiago very early in the morning and I needed to get some sleep this evening. Before I left, we snapped some selfies of the group. When I paid for my dinner, our waiter was being rather rude towards me – I think he did not enjoy serving our group, though I’ve no idea why because we weren’t being obnoxious or drunk. I made the short walk back to my hotel, got everything packed up and was asleep shortly thereafter.

Overall, the Camino Portuguese had not been as fun or enjoyable as I had hoped or expected. After having such an incredible experience on the Camino Frances in 2022, I thought that the Camino Portuguese would have some similar vibes, interactions, and experiences. The Frances is the most popular route, while the Portuguese is the second most popular, which is partly why I thought I would meet people just as easily during this walk. Everyone that I spoke with though, from Mel to Carl to John to Sasha, all had the same experience as me: there was a total lack of socializing with the pilgrims along the Portuguese. We of course had all met during the walk, but our itineraries rarely aligned so we could walk together, unfortunately. The actual paths themselves, particularly in Portugal, were far more rugged and, at times, unpleasant to walk along than what I had on the Frances.

All that being said, I am very proud of myself for persevering through the long walks each day, most of the time alone. There were many rough, difficult days that made me question why I was doing this Camino and I pondered quitting a few times. Nevertheless, I pushed through and endured the nearly 700km of walking. I can look back at the 26 day journey and reflect on the personal strength and determination that I found within me to complete the Camino. Perhaps that is what I was meant to learn during my Camino Portuguese.

Distance Walked: 7.36 km
Steps Walked: 9,731

Total Distance: 684.20 km
Total Steps: 909,975