There is a 10km race along the Paseo del Prado at the end of the month but sadly I will not be in Madrid then.
For me the walk is now finally over. 
Hope to go for a run soon. I will stop in Finsterra for a few days to rest and recover then back to Santiago to become "The Flaneur" again for the next few weeks.
Got my certificate of completion and went to the Pilgrims mass at lunch. 
Santiago de Compostela is a beautiful old city with lots of small streets meandering in all directions. The Cathedral was hard to find as it is not built on high ground, like in other cities. I kept getting lost as the Cathedral spires are not at all prominent. 
It added to a strange feeling of sadness, loss and dislocation that has come over me this afternoon. Feel that something is missing.
Had originally planned a shorter day walking but after turning off where I was supposed to be staying and not finding the Alburgue I decided to try going all the way to the entry to Santiago, leaving just a short stroll downtown in the morning to the Cathedral to finish. 
The morning walking was pretty much the same as yesterday, mainly small dairy farms. In the afternoon I walked a few hours with people I had met previously. The heat was almost too strong for walking after lunch. I am beginning to understand why the Spanish have the siesta. The last 15km I walked on my own untill reaching San Marcos at 7 pm. San Marcos is the last village before arriving in Santiago. The afternoon walking was quite surreal it was all mainly through dense Eucalypt forest. 
I felt like I was going home. I had to keep remind myself that I was still in Spain. The smell, the russle of the wind in the trees, the leaves underfoot were all so familar after weeks of flora that was so different. One section reminded me of the Six Foot Track - I though I was dreaming. 
Oh it would be so - so delicious to ditch the pack and go for a run but I think I need new legs and feet at the moment as well. My left knee is held together by sticky tape and Voltarin. But remarkably I found the walk not that hard, although towards the end I did start to think it was never ending.
The countryside I walked though today was very similar to yesterday. Many small dairy farming villages with cows stopping to give me stare as I passed. 
The other notable feature of the walk today was the appearance of Eucalyptus trees which I guess were introduce from Australia. 
Seemed strange after the last few weeks of walking to see familiar vegetation - made me more than a little homesick. After lunch the temperature was noticably higher then yesterday afternoon. It felt almost summery. 
I could walk in only 2 layers of clothing instead of the 4 or 5 I have been in up to now. But of course for the Europeans it was positively tropical. Arrived in Melida which was my destination for the day - a small town with lost of peole out and about enjoying the late afternoon spring sunshine.
Today I walked along quite country lanes passing through numerous small vilages, on a perfect spring day.
Cool in the morning and glorious sunshine through the rest of the day. Walking most of the way throughy villages supporting small family farms, mainly dairy. 
Cows and their by-product were everywhere. I imagined myself being able to live this country life but without the cows. Just as I was thinking this I walked through Montras which was just that. The most stylish village cafe I have seen on the Camino was also one of the few buildings in this village. Stopped for coffee and almost stayed for lunch. But instead stopped for lunch in Portomarin. 
The town was very tidy which is not surprising since it was rebuilt when the dam built in 1956 flooded the original town. Gonzar was as far as I made it today, had plans to go further. Gonzar is very very small and has a faint aroma of its main inhabitants - cows.
Even though it was raining, it was not cold at all and was quite pleasant walking. I chose the walk to Sarria through Samos partly to see the Benedictine monastery there and partly to avoid walking along the highway. The monastery is huge and quite well preserved and the town would be nice to visit by car. 
The walking today was almost entirely through lush green countryside. The wet climate is evident by the ferns growing all along the path. 
I got chased by a sheep dog who did not like me getting to close to his sheep and the baby goats. 
There is 112 km to to Santiago and this afternoon I was getting excited by the prospect of maybe another 3-4 days walking and I will be in finished. As I was heading out for a walk after dinner I slippped on the stairs and twisted my ankle. I could not believe that I could be so close and yet may not be able to finish. I got the ankle taped and took Voltaren and laughed at the absurdity of it all.
Today is the last of the days in the mountains, with a total ascent of 1280m to El Cabreiro and the Alto del Poio, the last high point before the gradual decent towards the coast and Santiago. Overcast misty weather made for another perfect day in the mountains for me. I felt like I had wings attached to my feet as I climbed. The scenery was stunning and as I got higher the surrounding landscape gradually dissapeared in the mist. 
The morning walking through small villages to the sound of cowbells and birds and no other walkers for miles - could not get any better. I was prepared for El Cobriero to be a bit touristy but when I got there it was shrouded in mist and very serene. 
It was really very special and for me a real turing point on this walk. On the 13 km descent to Triacastela I walked with a Swiss woman Ulrika with whom I had walked previously on the way up to Cruz de Ferro. 
Rolling green hills on both sides were visible as the mist was left behind in the mountains. Triacastela is a sad looking town without any noteworthy features. Sad to be leaving the mountains behind but looking forward to reaching Santiago.
On leaving town, I took a longer route over the mountains to reach the next town. Being in the mountains again was fantastic. I seem to have the trail to myself with stunning scenery as I walked to the top. I felt light and the climbing was effortless. The rain was falling intermitently - I could hear coockoo birds calling in the distance and even the sun came out briefly. 
Not sure if it was the Voltarin or the endorphins kicking in, or the Helen Reddy song "I am woman" going around in my head - or a combination of all - but I felt once again that I could just walk forever. Even as I came across a man with an axe not for one moment did it occur to me to be worried.
After two hours of climbing, the trail descended off the mountain through a chestnut grove for about 3 km and fom here there was a few km walking along avery busy highway before turning off and walking through two s
mall villages overshadowed by the highway flyovers to reach the village of Ruitelan. 
Stayed in a lovely Alburgue run by 2 guys with meditation music playing in the background - it feels really very homy and the home cooked meal they prepared fro five of us who were staying there was a great way to finish the day.
