After you have marveled at the cathedral, taken care of your soul and feasted on Galician cuisine, perhaps the most important phase follows: the “afterwalk”.
The Camino does not end with the certificate. It doesn’t actually end at all, but the transition from “pilgrim mode” back to “normal life” is a sensitive threshold. In Santiago, we often call this the “hole after the path”. So that this hole does not swallow you up, but becomes a foundation, here is a guide for consciously letting your journey come to an end.
The afterwalk: the art of arriving gently in Santiago
A guide to integrating your Camino experience in 2-3 days
You’ve been traveling through the world at 4 km/h for weeks. Your brain, your perception and your nervous system have adapted to this rhythm. Now, suddenly, the speed of the modern world – airports, appointments, smartphones – is hitting you again. The following steps will help you to preserve the “pilgrim spirit” before you get on the plane.
1. the decompression phase: “From walking to being”
The first mistake many pilgrims make is to immediately fall into the “sightseeing stress”. Your body has reached its destination, but your mind usually needs 48 hours to really arrive.
The ritual of deceleration
Spend the first morning after your arrival without a fixed destination. Sit down in the Parque de Belvís. It is a little off the beaten track and offers wide meadows and a view of the monastery walls.
- The exercise: Just observe. Watch the clouds or the people working in the community garden. Resist the urge to take photos or type messages. Feel it: How does my body feel when it does NOT have to go?
Extending the “digital fast”
You will feel the urge to immediately upload all your photos and write to everyone. Try to use your cell phone only for the essentials during your first two days in Santiago. The impressions of the Camino are still “wet” – like fresh paint. If you share them immediately, they will dry flat. Keep them to yourself for a while so that they can gain depth.
2. the inventory of the heart: what remains in the rucksack?
On your second day in Santiago, it’s time for a little “inner inventory”. The Camino has given you gifts – some obvious, some hidden.
The “Café-Journaling”
Find a quiet café away from the Rúa do Franco, for example the Café Jardín in the Museo do Pobo Galego. Take your diary or a fresh sheet of paper. Answer three questions for yourself:
- What do I leave here? (What worry, what trait, what old grudge have I left behind on the stones of Galicia?)
- What new things have I learned? (About my endurance, about the kindness of strangers, about silence?)
- Which “Camino moment” do I want to frame? (Choose a single scene – a sunrise, a conversation, a pain – that was the essence of the journey for you).
The visit to the “shadow pilgrim”
Go to the Praza da Quintana in the evening. When the lights come on, the shadow of a pilgrim appears on the wall of the cathedral (cast by a pillar).
- The symbolism: This shadow is always there, no matter how many people are standing around it. It symbolizes the “eternal pilgrim” within you. Stand next to it and make peace with the end of your journey. It’s okay to be sad that it’s over. This sadness is just a sign of how much the journey has meant to you.
3. the social threshold: from “we” to “I”
On the Camino, you were part of a “communitas”. You knew the life stories of people whose surnames you didn’t even know. In Santiago, these communities often dissolve abruptly.
Consciously saying goodbye
Meet up with your “companions along the way” for one last glass of wine, but make it a conscious ritual. Exchange addresses if you want, but also accept that some encounters were only meant for the journey. A sincere “Thank you for being part of my journey” is more powerful than a vague promise to visit each other soon.
Observing the “newcomers”
Sit on the steps of Obradoiro Square for an hour and watch the pilgrims arriving.
- Why? You see yourself in their faces a few days ago. The relief, the tears, the limp. This observation helps you to change your perspective: You are now an “Elder”, someone who has completed the journey. This gives you a sense of closure and dignity.
4. the bridge to everyday life: “importing” the Camino
The last day before departure is all about the transfer. How do you prevent everyday life from completely “eating you up” again in three days?
The “one-habit rule”
Think about a single thing you did on the Camino that did you good.
- Maybe it’s consciously walking for 10 minutes in the morning.
- Maybe it’s talking to a stranger without prejudice.
- Maybe it’s the reduction to the essentials: make a firm commitment to keep just this one thing at home for the first 21 days. Don’t try to turn your whole life upside down – that usually fails. A small “pilgrimage island” in your everyday life is enough.
Buy a symbolic souvenir
Don’t buy a cheap plastic Jacob, but something that carries weight for you. A handmade piece of jewelry made of gagat (azabache), the black stone of the pilgrims, or a simple piece of granite. If you get stressed at home, take this object in your hand. It is your “anchor” back to the calm of the Camino.
5. the last course: the blessing of the city
Before you head to the airport or train station, take one last walk through the Alameda. Go to the viewpoint from where you can see the entire city and the cathedral.
- The farewell: look at the towers. Inwardly say goodbye to the city and the saint. Thank your feet for carrying you. Breathe in the Galician air deeply one last time.
The “afterwalk” mantra
When you’re on the plane and the seatbelt signs light up, tell yourself quietly:
“The path was the preparation. Life is now the Camino.”
The afterwalk in Santiago is the time when the walker becomes a knower. Don’t use these 2-3 days as waiting time for the flight, but as the most valuable meters of your entire journey.
