Got to Santiago. Now then, where to next?

I arrived even earlier than I thought, yesterday (Sunday 6th, I think). Fought my way through the cheatin´ tourists to get here. We "true" peregrinos are so disdainful of those who only walk the last 100k, very often having their luggage couriered between stops.

I saw lots of people that I knew yesterday, and heard about more. I´m not staying in the refugio, staying in a hostal instead, so I miss the camraderie ... but on the other hand I got a good nights sleep. I bumped into Marianne again (not seen her for 10 days or so) and we had dinner and caught up. The French Canadian couple Denis & Fran and Margaret the inspirational New Zealander are taking the bus to Finisterre today. I´m not completely sure of my plans, but I do have an invitation to breakfast with another couple in Finisterre on the 11th, and I should be able to make that date if I leave here tomorrow and walk 10k before breakfast on the 11th ... its a 75k walk and will be far less crowded than just about any other part of the Camino. I´m then at a lose end until my return flight, so I might wel take the bus back to Santiago on the 11th and then catch another one down to Portugal, for the simple reason that the weather is likely to be better, and that English is the official second language. However, none of this is setled at the moment, I´m going to do some checking about transport and accomodation (and weather forecasts) shortly.

I have to admit to going against my original intent - this morning I went and got my Compostela, the official document from the cathedral authorities that says I´ve completed the pilgrimage.

I saw the group of young Valencians to whom i´d tought "Always look on the bright side of life" - it was good to speak with them. One of them had managed to get here yesterday in time for the midday Mass, and had taken a video of the swinging censer (is that the right name and spelling?) and showed it to me. You know, the big smokin´ ball that takes away sins and smells. Its massive ... makes you think, somehow, of Indiana Jones, great big metal ball on the end of a rope, whooshing down the aisle and over the heads of the congregation. And it was quite nice afterwards to bump into a Frenchman, in front of the cathdral, who I´d first met on the train from Bayonne to St Jean Pied de Port on the eve of the camino. We wished each other well, but it was quite strange not to wish each other, as we and all the other peregrinos have for the last 4-5 weeks "Buon Camino". Because we´ve done it. We´ve done our Camino ... and it was, indeed, "buon".