So last night I think I got bitten on the back by bed bugs but can't be sure, anyways I had a sleepless night with all the excitement of reaching Santiago.

Darcy and I decided to make an early start in order to arrive in Santiago for the 12 O'clock mass.

I was up at 5am and we left at 6:30am in the pitch dark (the sun still doesn't rise till 8:30). This was my first time leaving in the dark for weeks so I had to get the old trusty head lamp out!
Unfortunately 20 minutes in we got severely lost and ended up in a paddock unable to backtrack we had to get our compass out and head NW - I was quite worried to be honest as we would be calling it close to make 12 o'clock mass anyways! We spent a good two hours before we thankfully connected with the road again and cheers all round when we finally saw a Camino sign! We had walked around 12km to get 8km so all in all not so bad and we were back on track.
The last 12kms dragged on and on and I couldn't help speeding up.
Getting to Mont Gonzo we could smell the end in sight and soldierd on. Arriving into the city I felt dissapointment at first -simply based on the nature of the city: much the same as all others we had passed through.
However when we finally approached the cathedral and entered under the tunnel - my heart stood still as a busker on the bag pipes played a wonderful melody which helped me realize the reality of the moment.
Arriving in front of the cathedral huge smiles washed across our faces and we stood in awe of the wondrous sight.
We went to take photos and two lovely French ladies I had met weeks earlier rushed over to congratulate and give us hugs and kisses - truly making the moment beyond words.

At 11:50am we headed into the mass along with thousands and thousands of others - amazing how many people they crammed into the church. The mass was hard to follow as it was in Spanish but the collective energy felt inside the church was indescribable and every time I made out the words Peregrino I felt a huge sense of pride.
Another thing I felt was absolute exhaustion - almost falling asleep during the mass as if all this weight had been lifted and now I could breathe!

After mass Darcy and I headed to the Pilgrims office and got our credentials. Unfortunately I had nothing to keep mine safe in so I left it with Darcy as he had a canister and I will collect next year when I visit Canada.

Santiago - check, 12 o'clock mass - check, credentials - check, the only thing left to do? Celebrate - to the nearest store for a bottle of Sangria and Ice! Sitting in the park I pondered over the past month and all the ups and downs, the places, the people and the moments.

As the Albergues in Santiago were quiet expensive I made the somewhat foolish decision at 4:30 to start my pilgrimage to Portugal (portuguese way backwards). It was only to be a 12km walk but turned into about a 20km walk after not being able to find any yellow arrows and getting completely lost looking for the Albergue. To add to matters after not drinking much alcohol in the last month the Sangria had gone straight to my head! Anyways after getting very lost and asking several local people for directions I stumbled upon the Albergue at about 6:30pm and luckily there was space!
My shins, my feet, my back were all aching so was glad to just sit down.
What a massive day so many magical moments so many challenges - one of those days you truly feel alive :)
Imet some wonderful people at the Albergue that gave me some excellent advice on doing the Camino Portuguese.

Tommorow sleep-in and very small walking day.