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<\/a><\/p>\nAs we closed in on Santiago the pilgrimage seemed more real. From hotels, hostels and albergues pilgrims funneled into the final path to the Cathedral which was our unifying goal.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n As we passed along one of the final paths I couldn\u2019t help but think about the path itself. Worn deep by the millions of pilgrims who have left their mark in the soil and taken away a bit of \u201cThe Way\u201d on their soles, wearing the path so deep that in many places the path is well below the surrounding forest. It\u2019s easy to believe that these pilgrims carried away a part of \u201cThe Way\u201d on their soles and an everlasting memory of \u201cThe Way\u201d on their Souls.<\/p>\n When we arrived in the city limits of Santiago the way was not always marked as clearly on the city streets as it had been in the countryside and indications of distance to our goal was no longer placed on markers along the way. Our eyes continuously swept the horizon searching for the spires of the Cathedral and our first site of it was cause for joy.<\/p>\n Diagonally up and to the right of orange backpack was our first glimpse of the Cathedral, barely one kilometer away.<\/p>\n I wish I had a name and a photo of the lady in Santiago who saw us looking for a marker, a sign post. She saw our backpacks and trekking poles, the ever visible sea shell hanging from our packs, she pointed the way and said \u201conly a kilometer now, Buen Camino\u201d.<\/p>\n The streets were full and the rain had come, dampening the clothes of the incoming pilgrims but certainly not their spirits.<\/p>\n As we made entry into the halls where pilgrims and their pilgrimage were recorded we met others we had known along the trail and waited patiently for our turn to obtain or pilgrims certification.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n