Keith said that today was a “grueling day.” When we talked after he arrived at the hotel he was very sore and tired, but said it was his own fault. Most of the trip to town wasn’t bad, but he got lost in the surrounding hills and that added a lot of going up and down. It rained a little all day and at one point he stopped in front of a place with spray painted doors to check the map again–which was doing him no good whatsoever because he apparently hadn’t made it onto the map yet! After a while the door opened and a guy asked him if he wanted something and said, “Come on in.” It turned out to be a commercial printing place with big old printers like they had at a place we’d visited in Portland some years ago. The guy looked up directions on the computer and being a graphics guy and all–he printed Keith a copy and put it in a plastic folder. THEN Keith went out and immediately got lost again! :( Eventually he found where he was at on the map and was able to circle back and find his way in. He was pretty much off the trail for about 40 minutes and he was so beat that it felt much longer. BUT he finally made it and is doing fine now.

He said the hotel is beautiful and a nice surprise. He said the room is reminiscent of staying in a McMenamin’s and the walls are about 2 ½ feet thick. There’s a little porch with a pair of over stuffed chairs and a coffee table and it looks out over a little garden. He was enjoying the nice breeze while we talked. He said when he arrived at the hotel, the desk clerk said, “You don’t have to walk anymore!”

When he went to the Pilgrim’s office to get his compostela they stamped his credencial with the Cathedral’s official stamp. He was disappointed that they couldn’t “Latinize” his name because it’s just not Latin friendly. I told him they should’ve gone with Keithus. Et tu Keithus? You, too, have earned your compostela??

Tomorrow he attends the Pilgrim’s mass at 12 noon and gets to spend a little time in Santiago de Compostela before flying to Madrid in the evening for his flight home on Wednesday. I am WAY looking forward to him being home.

We’ll have more tomorrow so don’t change that channel!