Postscript

Therese and I have been back in the U.S. from Spain (and Ireland) for seven weeks now.  It was tough acclimating to "normal" life again, even with our recent retirements.  After centering your life around a very spartan existence for a month and a half, it became our new normal.  Coming home, we didn't
rise at 5:00 am, fill our packs, set out on the road in the dark, walk 25K to the next village, hope that the albergue wasn't filled, handwash our clothes, go grocery shopping, fix dinners with new friends and go to bed early to get ready for the next day.

It sounds dreadful when I write this, but it was really quite liberating.  Our lives were very simple and uncomplicated.  For example, we went 39 days without getting into a motorized vehicle.  That has never happened in the 60 years of my existence.  We had our ups and downs but it was truly a mind opening and tremendous time in our lives.  It was tough to have it come to and end.

Therese and I look back on our journey with nostalgia.  We miss walking to new villages every day; we miss seeing new things and having new experiences; and most of all we miss all of the people we met and friends we made along the way.

We've been staying in touch with many of our Camino friends through Facebook and email, from Australia to Hungary, South Africa, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland and Canada.  It really is a small world.  The Irish contingent is having a reunion this weekend -- we're really jealous that we cannot attend.  Maybe the next one.

I've put together a video of our Camino--some of the sights, sounds and people we met along the "Way".  I hope that this will give you a little taste of the amazing experience we had for two months this summer.

The video is on Youtube.  The films is long (24 minutes) and in HD so the file is very large.

http://youtu.be/CQTRw8wUyl4

So now, it's on to the next adventure (after Katie's wedding in December, that is).  We don't know what that will be, but hopefully something as wonderful and fulfilling as our experience in Spain.

Buen Camino
Mark

At the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela

El Final

Yesterday, we did the last walk of our Camino, 29K from Finisterre to Muxia. It was the quietest and most remote hike of the last six weeks going from one small fishing village to an even smaller fishing village. We saw only a couple of other peregrinos all day and the tiny villages we passed through were too small to even  support a bar/cafe. It was a tough day -- no bars for a coffee stop or mid day cerveza.  Good thing we decided to have breakfast at our hotel in Finisterre. 

Like Finisterre, Muxia is a fishing village located on a rocky peninsula that sticks out into the Atlantic. It is quite picturesque with deserted sandy beaches tucked in very rocky coastline. 

The town is very small and sleepy. Not much is happening. Very few peregrinos make it here and there are only a handful of tourists that wander in (probably lost). An occasional tourist bus comes into Muxia to disturb the peace before heading out a half hour later.  

Therese and I will spend three days here before taking the bus back to Santiago. It is a perfect ending for a little R&R after our journey. We will enjoy the empty beaches, eat the local seafood, drink the local wine, and take a siesta every day. 

This will be the last post for this blog. We have completed our Camino and so my reporting has come to an end as well. I will, however, continue to post pictures and statuses on Facebook. I hope that you have enjoyed reading my posts. This journey has been amazing and it's difficult to show that in words and pictures. Hopefully, it has given you a tiny glimpse of life on the Camino. 

Buen Camino. 

Mark and Therese

To the End of the Earth

Yesterday, we arrived in Finisterre on the northwest coast of Spain.  Over the last 36 days, we have walked 882K (554 miles) from St. John Pied de Port, France  across the entire county of Spain to its west coast. It's hard to believe that we actually did it. 

It was another quiet day through the high farm country and them we spotted the ocean in the distance. It was quite a sight. And the cool ocean breezes were welcomed. 

From our first view of the sea, it was still a good four hour walk to Finisterre. It seemed as we would never get there.  In Cee, we got lost because there was a gigantic flea market all over town with thousand of people. It was impossible to see the waymarks (which weren't that good to begin with). The final 2K into Finisterra were along a wide, white sand beach. It felt good to dip our tired feet in the cold Atlantic. 

We decided to stay on a hotel rather than albergue for a couple of days to celebrate our arrival. It will be nice to have our own bathroom and not to listen to the snorers. 

Finisterre is a fishing village with a bit of summer tourism thrown in. It is very picturesque with beaches tucked in between rocky coastline and towering mountains plunging into the sea. We had a great seafood dinner at a restaurant along the harbor -- mussels, swordfish and shrimp with a nice bottle of Albariño, a local white wine. 

After dinner, we decided that we needed to walk a few more kilometers to the end of rocky peninsula, the traditional end of the Camino Finisterre. It is here overlooking the Atlantic where peregrinos  contemplate their journeys. Many complete rituals such as burning a piece of their clothing or leaving something from their Camino. 

We found a perch on the rocky cliffs and quietly watched the sun set into the western horizon. It was a wonderful conclusion to our day and long journey. 

We walked back to town in the dark and slept soundly for a change. 

On Tuesday, we slept in late (until 7:30, ha!) explored the town a bit, them went to the supermercado for food and bottle of wine for a picnic lunch. 

We hiked a short distance across the peninsula to a beautiful secluded beach. Hardly anyone was there save for a couple of hippies living in tents and a couple of caves at the edge of the beach (really). We went for a short swim; short because the water was probably only 60 degrees. We ate our lunch and drank our wine in perfect temperatures.

As we sat on the beach, a couple of women strolled by and were sunbathing topless. It didn't faze us in the least; we've seen it all in the last month. 

Tomorrow we are hiking to Muxia, another fishing village about 28K to the north of us. It will be our last hike. Although it will be good to have our walking finished, it's hard to believe that the daily Camino routine is over. We will spend three days in Muxia relaxing before taking the bus back to Santiago for our flight to Ireland next Sunday. 

Today's good intentions are for our son Matt and his wife Kristen who celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary yesterday.  It seems like such a short time ago that we were in Ithaca for your wedding. Time flies. We wish you many more years of love and happiness together. 

On the Road Again

After a rest day enjoying the sights of Santiago, we are on our way to Finisterre, literally the end of the earth. On Wednesday evening and Thursday, we spent time with many of the people we have met and walked with on the Camino. Here is some of the group we've spent the last several weeks with. 

We said good bye to those who are headed home but spent additional time with some of the folks who are on their way to Finisterre. Hans from Hamburg found a place that had €1 cervezas grande and we spent the better part of the afternoon there. 

Santiago also has a great open air market where you can get local meat, cheese, fish, produce, bread, wine andante other foods items. I wish that Richmond had something even close to this. 

On Friday morning, we left Santiago and headed to the sea. Immediately, there was a different feel to the Camino from the last week -- quiet. There were very few people and the trails were very tranquil. As we headed out of Santiago to  Finisterre, we looked back and saw the spires of the Cathedral in the sunrise. 

On Friday, we had an easy 22K walk to Negreira. Coming into town, we found that all of the stores we closed. At the albergue, the hospitalera said that there was a festival today with carnival rides, bands and other activities -- beginning at 10:00 pm.  That explained the lack of activity in town. Everyone was taking a siesta getting prepped to be up all night. 

Sure enough, the bands kicked off the music at 10:00 and played until 5:00 am. We could hear the celebrations all night long. When we started today's walk at 7:00 am, the partiers were just going home. Spanish culture is quite different than American. 

We also had another interesting experience last night.  We were walking around the town looking for a restaurant. At 7:30, none were very busy. It was at too early. 

We came upon a little wooden kiosk on the Main Street. Next to it was a canopy tent and a bunch of people milling around. We walked by and to a restaurant to check out the menu. An official looking gentleman came over to the restaurant and told us and other diners to go back to the kiosk for its "abierto grande" -- grand opening -- with local wines and food. Turns out he was the mayor of the town and they were christening a new information kiosk to try to drum up more tourism business for the town. 

We got our picture taken for the local newspaper and sampled the local wines, Alberino and other Raix Bias varietals. It was the good stuff. They also had some great tapas including tortilla and fried pulpa (octopus, a Galician delicacy). Therese even tried some thinking it was calamari. Oops. We never made it to dinner. The wine and tapas were enough.

Our second day's walk to Finisterre was long at 34K, our longest walk yet. It was another quiet day with few other peregrinos along the way. We had a bit of a slowdown for a few minutes while a farmer and his grandson herded this cows to a pasture after milking. 

Tomorrow we will arrive at the sea. We are both looking forward to it. 

 

The End or the Beginning

Thirty-three days. Seven hundred and ninety kilometers (594 miles). Mountains climbed. Rivers forded. Beautiful skies. Torrential rain. Cooling breezes. Blazing temperatures. Dozens of people from around the world befriended and now lifelong friends. 

It's been quite a journey. 

I had a restless night last night. It was hot, but that was not the cause. I think that it's because the incredible adventure was coming to an end. 

Therese and I rose early and left in the dark, a few minutes behind Melissa and Jamie and Katie. We walked quietly though very dark forested trails under the eucalyptus trees. 

We walked quickly and came together with the group just before a coffee stop. Together, we walked the last few kilometers into Santiago. Melissa was on a mission and was passing dozens and dozens of "day pilgrims" who started their walk at the edge of town to get the Camino experience.

As we entered the old part of centro Santiago, we could glimpse the spires of cathedral between the buildings. We were getting close. 

Down a couple of narrow, winding streets, under a bridge, through a tunnel, down a set of stairs and we were in the grand plaza of the cathedral. Many of our Camino friends who arrived earlier or yesterday were there greeting fellow travelers -- Vera came running up to give us a hug; Leone was there; Singing Phil; Dark Phil; Larissa; Chris and Bonnie; and others. It was quite a welcoming committee. 

Here's a video just after our arrival at 10:00. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhi_VWP6Dk4&sns=em

The famous Pilgrim Mass is at noon every day at the Cathedral. It gets very crowded with arriving peregrinos and tourists. We decided to go into the church at 11:00 to get seats. Even at that time it was crowded and we were near the back row to the right side of the main alter. 

Mass was an elaborate affair with a band, multiple priests, and the bishop presiding. The highlight of the Mass was at the end when they used the giant incense burner, known as the butofumeiro.  It takes eight men to operate and purportedly was used to cover the stench of the filthy pilgrims in the Middle Ages. Some things never change. Check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwvzqQn1v_k&sns=em

After Mass, we got our Compostella at the Pilgrim's Office (in Latin and suitable for framing).  Then we found our hotel. It is a lovely, small renovated place but it has no air conditioning and our room is on the top floor. It's pretty hot, but we're used to it by now and they will change us to a better room tomorrow. 

Tonight, we will gather with our Camino comrades for celebrations, drinks, dinner and farewells. It will be bittersweet. 

Therese and I have reserved the daily good intentions of the last day of our Camino for ourselves. We decided to make this journey at a time of transition in our lives. We are crossing from the predictable world of working to the unknowns of retirement. While we are off to a magnificent start, we know that every moment won't be like the last five weeks. We've had a lot of time (really a lot some days) for reflection during this trip and think that we will be fine. But we will need your help. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. 

Buen Camino. 

The Penultimate Day

Last night, we stayed in O Pedrouzo about 39K from the cathedral in Santiago. So close and yet so far. It was another miserably hot afternoon. 

We stopped at noon at our planned albergue only to find that it was completo -- full. We checked out another place close by but it wasn't very nice and didn't have any outdoor space. So we ended up at our third choice, a large private albergue. The facility was nice though a bit impersonal. The dorm rooms were large with 20 beds each but were stifling hot. 

We spent most of the afternoon on the town plaza which was shaded and had a nice breeze was blowing through the trees. When you got out from under the shade, however, it was blazing. 

Our traveling companions for the last week -- Canada Mark, Singing Phil, Quick Melissa and Chris and Bonnie stopped at the same town. Also, Jamie and Katie from Northern Ireland, who had been a day back, caught up. It was a grand reunion and the group spent a better part of the afternoon try to teach Phil to speak proper English, e.g., "teeth" rather than "teet" and "thirty" instead of "tirty". It was a challenging effort.

Sleeping last night was difficult because of the heat and the recent peregrino starters deciding to stay up late and party.  I guess we've seen the last of the generally-understood 10:00 pm silencio.  

Despite the late partying last night, everyone was up early. We left the albergue just after 6:00 am in the dark. Really, it was way too early to start since we planned to do just a short walk today -- 20K or so. It was so dark early that I had to use my iPhone flashlight a couple of times. At least Therese liked it, I think. 

Everyone came together at the first coffee stop and we walked together watching the kilometer markers tick by -- 25K, 24K, 23, 22 . . . .  

We were soon at the 20K marker. Near this point was a memorial to a friend of an Irish woman, Bridget, whom we met on the Camino. This friend had just completed her second Camino a couple of years ago and died in her sleep at a hotel in Santiago. The seven of us, Phil, Jamie, Katie, Melissa, Mark, Therese and me listened to Bridget sign an Irish song to us over the phone. It was a very touching moment. 

A kilometer later, we reached O Pedrouza, our planned stopping point for the day.  It was only 11:00 am.  Our albergue was a couple hundred meters back on another road. We had a moment of group indecision. Some wanted to backtrack to the albergue; some wanted to go to the next town 5K away where there were hostels; others wanted to push on further perhaps all the way to Santiago which is tantalizingly close. 

We ended up splitting up: Therese, Melissa, Jamie, Katie and I deciding to stay put in this town, avoid the afternoon heat and have an easy stroll into Santiago tomorrow. The rest went on. I wouldn't be surprised if they are already in Santiago.  We'll have to wait until tomorrow to reunite. 

Fortunately, the albergue opened early for us and the hospitalero gave us the first choice of beds. It actually is quite a nice facility and we had a grand lunch in the garden. Katie, the sandwich master, made a gigantic sub. 

Tomorrow we make our last walk on the Camino to Santiago. 

Today's good intentions are for all of the fellow peregrinos we have met along the way. Coming from many different countries and backgrounds as well as different reasons for walking the Camino, we all have become fast friends and traveling companions. Some have already arrived in Santiago, others will arrive tomorrow or the next day. We look forward to reunions and farewells over the next few days. It will be hard, but joyful, knowing that we've had an incredible journey together. 

What Is This?

Since entering Galicia, we have seen these small buildings everywhere. Usually, they are 10 ft. in the air on top of a tall rock wall. They are narrow, with a small door at one end. They have tile roofs with large overhangs on all four sides. The side walls are slatted wooden planks with a bit of space between the boards. And they always set on stone pedestals. These buildings have been used for centuries. 

Any guesses?  Come on, you farmers out there.  

These little buildings are where farmers store their grain and feed corn, keeping it dry and safe from vermin. The key to the design is the pedestal. There is no way mice or rats could climb upside down to get into the building from the ground. It's a pretty ingenious design. (The one in the picture is from our albergue yesterday and is just decorative. A working building would not have a bush next to it or be so close to the ground.)

Today's 24K walk to Arzua was pretty hot from the start at 6:15. However, much of the hike was along shaded lanes so it was relatively cool until 11:00. Along the way we crossed several Roman bridges which dot the countryside. 

We stopped walking right at noon but the albergue where we planned to stay was already full. They must have opened early and this reflects the increasing crowds on the Camino. 

We have seen a lot of larger groups and families walking, usually with just day packs or no packs at all. The local taxis are very busy carrying backpacks and often tired hikers to the next town. It's a little disheartening to walk into an albergue hot and sweaty after a 6 hour hike carrying a 12 kilo backpack and have someone jump out of a taxi or find his/her pack waiting for them in the lobby. 

It's hard not to feel a little resentful after walking for almost 500 miles, but everyone experiences the Camino in their own way. Just being out there walking, in whatever manner, is a good thing. I just need to keep my perspective. 

Today's good intentions are for all of you who have been following this blog for the past 4 1/2 weeks. I appreciate your interest and comments and hope that you have been able to get a little taste of this journey that Therese and I have been on through Spain. It has truly been a wonderful and eye-opening adventure.