Media (6)
Return to Santiago, missed flight, and an upside-down day.
July 17: return by bus from Finisterre/Santiago, with a day entirely dedicated to return logistics.
July 17 was supposed to be a linear transition day, but it turned into a small organizational chaos. Catherine and I had returned to Santiago by bus to let her catch her afternoon flight. Everything seemed under control, then the blunt news arrived: gate closed, flight missed.
From there, everything changed. New ticket for the next day, immediate return into the city, and improvised meetup point at the bus station. In the middle there was also practical logistics (battery, movements, waiting), but above all the emotional recoil: when you have already said goodbye to someone and then find them there again for 24 hours, the day’s perspective changes.
In parallel, the rest of the group was also in full arrival-and-goodbye phase: photos in Plaza, people closing their Compostela, others already leaving. I was fitting messages with Francesco and Andrius, who were on different trajectories but with the same end-of-Camino background. Precisely with Andrius, the heavier side also came out: he wrote that he was returning to Lithuania to seek help. A short sentence, but very strong.
By the end of the day, the picture was very clear: no more single pilgrim flow in motion. We were now in a liquid phase, made of returns, detours, and decisions taken hour by hour. And yet, even in this confusion, a form of mutual presence continued to exist.
Buses, stations, waiting, and phone always in hand: less trail under your feet, more “nervous” city-and-departure movement.
In the final part of the Camino it is not only where you arrive that matters: it is how you manage setbacks, and how you remain human even when plans collapse.
If reading this diary makes you feel the Camino might be calling you, but you still need to clarify a few things, start with the free guide.
Day notes