Random thoughts after arriving in Santiago de Compostela

We walked a full day into Santiago on Thursday. Just like any trip, the last little bit seems the longest. We entered the old city with a wonderful couple from South Africa who were on their first Camino. The conversation helped pass the last hour and the excitement was contagious.

Here are few thoughts on completion of our third Spain Camino:

● I am thankful to be able to share this experience with Ruth Ann. So thankful.
● All kinds of people snore.
● There is no such thing as "good rain gear".
● I wonder why my knee doesn't hurt while I'm on Camino.
● I wonder why so many churches are empty, yet the Santiago Cathedral is packed every day at noon.
● You might say a prayer for Beatrice, who is battling cancer. Her aunt sat beside us during the Friday evening service, after walking 500 miles in prayer. It was a special moment for the aunt, and we appreciated the chance to share in it.
● Sports is the only thing I can enjoy on Spanish TV, but that's also somewhat true of what I enjoy on Denver TV.
● The food in most Spanish restaurants continues to be uninspired.
● Both of us are craving good pizza.
● There are times when a person deserves a compostela even when they can't complete their Camino.
● It has been a good journey, I think we will remember both the joys and struggles with a smile.

On our way into Santiago we stopped by the "celebrating pilgrims"statue on Monte de Gozo

It is always great to see the botafumeiro swing.

This picture is from 2014 as I decided to just sit and take in the moment on Friday.

We were glad to have one more evening with James before he headed home.

We took a bus to the coast on Saturday and the bus stopped at the Rio Tambre where we were able to duplicate a picture from our walk in 2014.

Crowds of Pilgrims?

There's quite a lot of talk about the Camino becoming crowded, and the numbers have increased significantly over the last few years.  In 2006 almost exactly 100,000 people recieved compostelas.  That number had doubled by 2013, and it looks like more than 300,000 pilgrims will enter Santiago this year.

The easiest way to avoid the crowds is to walk a less travelled route to Santiago. If you've been following us, you know that we started this year's walk on the Via de la Plata, a Camino with only 3% of the total pilgrims each year. The pilgrim numbers are less on these types of routes, but so are the number of beds in the refuges. Even though we saw few folks during the walk each day in early April, there were still times when all beds were taken at the end of the day.

After nearly 100 days of walking in Spain, we've found a few things that minimize the 'crowded' feeling, even on the Camino Frances.  First is going in the spring or fall of the year. Many Europeans vacation in July and August, so an October or April walk avoids this surge.  Starting even earlier or later is possible, but you would need to be prepared for cooler weather. Also, some of the refuges don't open until late spring, and close for the season at the end of October.  In 2014 and 2015 the number of pilgrims in September increased dramatically, and this year we've already heard that the huge albergue in Roncesvalles was full on a nightly basis before May 1st.  We would not recommend starting in St. Jean Pied de Port after April 10th in the spring, or before October 1st in the fall (if you want to avoid the crowds).

Secondly, we try to stay in smaller towns which are NOT recommended by the guide books as typical stops. Last night we stayed at Albergue Camimo das Ocas, about 5 km after the major town of Arzua. The result of this was that, in the morning, just as the big crowds were leaving Arzua, we were about an hour ahead of them. We did not see another pilgrim until we took a break, about 2 hours into our walk.

And lastly, we take alternate routes when possible. Along many stages there are two or three optional routes. The best example of this was the start of the trip in 2014.  We took two days to walk to Roncesvalles, stopping in Valcarlos on the night between.  Valcarlos is in the valley, just to the north of the more popular mountain route.  We did not see another pilgrim for nearly two days, even though about 180 folks were in Roncesvalles the night we got there.

Of course, sharing the experience is one of the joys of the Camino, so our goal is never to avoid everyone.  When we want to do that, the Colorado wilderness has some trails where few humans ever pass.

Here are a few pictures from the last couples of days (Days 34 and 35, we hope to make Santiago on Thursday afternoon)

The smell of freshly cut grass was nice.

We've passed many other 'not-so-nice' agricultural odors along the way.

This highway excavation was here in 2012, it still looks like it did then!

Lumber is an active industry here, mostly from planted forests.

These are eucalyptus logs, a tree that was brought to Spain in the early 1900s.

We don't see as many wildflowers in this part of Spain, but the cllimate is perfect for many cultivated varieties, Ruth loves the

Calla Lilies.

Days 31, 32, and 33 To Mercadoiro, Eirexe, and Melide

Leaving Sarria is always busy, and we seemed to have picked the time of a perfect storm to make it worse than normal. We started the Sarria section on a Saturday, but not just any Saturday. It was the beginning of a 3 day holiday weekend in Spain. The number of people on the trail was truly shocking, as weekenders from all over Spain clogged the path.

But the last 100 km into Satiago is beautiful. Rich pasture lands and forests of both conifers and diciduous trees. And by leaving Mercandioro early and staying in Eirexe on Sunday night, we had several hours of solitude along the trail as the folks in Portomarin and Palas de Rei were ahead of us each morning. We've sort of formed a new Camino family with Jonathon, Finn, Laurel, Melissa, and a few others.

The weather continues to be perfect, frost beside the trail in the morning, and mostly sunny all day. In 2012 we had one day below freezing, in 2014 the lowest temperature was about 40F, but this year we've had several days with frost on the fields. The next couple of days are predicted to be much warmer.

We are starting to feel that the end of our walk is nearing. It's a different kind of anticipation than I wrote about in the March post.

Quote from RA's journal: Weariness is setting in, but cannot dampen the anticipation of arriving in Santiago de Compostela.

The Portomarin bridge was still hidden in fog as we crossed early Sunday morning.

We climbed above the fog within 30 minutes, to sunny skies.

We are amazed that the spring colors are so similar to fall

Valentine (from Hungary) and his companion Nora the giraffe

'Dancing pilgrims' sculpture in Palas de Rei

These 48 high school students passed us this morning!