Its always an amazing experience to walk into Santiago de Compostela from Monte de Gozo in the early hours of the morning.
Monto Gozo
Centuries ago there was a clear view of the Cathedral from the mountain and I can well imagine how pilgrims must have felt walking step-by-step toward this awesome building after being on the road for months and overcoming enormous hardship.
The view today has mainly been obscured by modern buildings and the front is currently being renovated so that one has to enter through a side door.
If you arrive in the Pilgrims Office prior to 11 am to receive your certificate that you have walked the Camino, the country you come from will be read out during the Mass. Some of the pilgrims today were from afar as Ecuador and South Korea.
The Pilgrims Mass itself is a very moving and individual experience as all the images, the highs and lows and conversations with fellow pilgrims during the past two weeks on the Camino Primitivo come to mind.
Our group of pilgrims who bonded on this challenging Camino met one last time outside the Cathedral to say farewell. Even the Czech guy, Frans, who nobody thought would make it, was there -proudly holding his certificate!
Reino Gevers – coach, trainer, author
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