To Santiago do Compostela

Walking into Santiago this time was different. As Holy Week approaches the crowd was unreal. Noise, cameras, tourists, youth groups, tour guides with speakers, street performers, trolley trains, peddlars, bagpipes, and more pilgrims than I've seen in 39 days all put together! (the large numbers of pilgrims are mostly from the Camino Frances).

I just tuned them all out and walked across the Cathedral Plaza in tears.

I didn't have to ask where to go. I didn't have to ask where the pilgrim office was. I know the routine.

I could concentrate on the pure joy of finishing, the sadness of it being over, the satisfaction of completing a 1000 kilometer trek with just my legs, and the thankfulness I have for so much more than I deserve.

I'm so thankful for:

Ruth Ann - Thank you so much for supporting this trip in so many ways. The Skype talks. The prayers. The permission to risk so much. Tuesday, Baby, Tuesday!
Health - Not a single illness or serious injury, and just having the ability to attempt such a walk.
Pilgrim friends - I'll just say that without Alan, Anne, Nina, and Ralf, this Camino would have been disappointing. With them, it will be remembered as one of my life's favorite times. That's how important good friends are! There were many other folks with whom I had shorter visits. I enjoyed them all, but a special shout-out goes to Doretta a German lady with a dog named "Hoffmann", and the two men from Holland with whom I walked some in the first week, Peter and Albert.
Weather - Only about 10 or 12 hours of rain while walking for 39 days (several other hard rains in the evening or at night). Temperatures from 26F to 85F, but mostly in the 40 to 70 range, just perfect for walking. Unbelievable.
Hospitaleros - These folks help pilgrims every afternoon and evening, and cleanup after them every morning. What an amazing gift.
Food - I'm especially thankful for the good food on this trip, whether the other pilgrims and/or I cooked it, or it was prepared in a cafe or behind the counter in a shop, or just bought in the store.  Food becomes such a passion because a pilgrim must carry the eats for the day, be prepared for tomorrow each afternoon, and find a hearty dinner at the end of each stage.
The Spanish People - So many times on a hot afternoon, I heard a horn honk and saw the driver give a thumbs up. Or I walked by an old woman sweeping her driveway and she says "Buen Camino". These people understand the Camino and the pilgrim experience.
Scenery - The Via de la Plata, and especially the last 300 km (called the Camino Sanabres) is really beautiful country. So much of the time is totally "in the middle of nowhere" with great landscapes: flowers, forests, wildlife, ranchland and farmland.
Peace - I wrote about this a couple days ago. I'll just add a quote: "The Camino is God's dream for how people should be when they are with each other." Hank Leukart quoting a Santiago nun in his film "A Camino de Santiago Story: To the end of the World" - my absolutely favorite Camino film which can be found on youtube now.

Ran into Thaddeus one more time. He was humming or whistling "Amazing Grace" almost every waking moment of his Camino. He's done many Caminos, this is his first since his wife passed away recently.

The best postre (dessert) of the year, at the small cafe Sol y Luna in Cea. This is quince jelly served with a soft Galician cheese. It's more typically an appetizer, but it was a fantastic dessert. Quince is a pear like fruit, not good off the tree, but the jelly!

I've noticed a Brook Trout sized fish in many of these streams along the way.

And I ran into a local that had just caught one. I liked the presentation, held in a fern.

One more hill. Santiago is over the far ridge.

On this entrance to the city, pilgrims cross a pedestrian bridge at the site of the tragic train wreck of 2013. Eighty people died as the train derailed entering Santiago. Some folks leave items on the fence as a memorial.

Shortly after the previous pedestrian bridge, the distant cathedral can be seen. It felt more dramatic than the picture seems to communicate.

I carried the "heart", that our granddaughter Lillian made for Gramzi, for all 1007 km. It was one more small motivation to continue through some of the difficulties.

Lastly, a "shout-out" to the Pilgrim House. A place where you can print boarding passes, leave your backpack for the afternoon, maybe meet other pilgrims, and find a welcome at the end of your Camino. At 19 Rua Nova, from in front of the Cathedral it's around to the right and behind.

To Outeiro

"Eternity is long, especially toward the end."

This quote has been attributed to multiple sources. I hope it was really Stephen Hawking, not Woody Allen. Either way, with over 95% of the walking done, this Camino feels that way.

Near the end of last year's trip I wrote a post about a snail vs. a pilgrim vs. a car vs. jet. It's one of my favorites. The knowledge that cars passing me on the highway today are in Santiago before I take my next break is really wierd. I won't be there until tomorrow afternoon.

On the other hand, I have this desperation for it to NOT be over.  At this point, it's hard to imagine NOT getting out of bed, downing some quick energy, and putting the backpack on. Once again, as it has on previous Caminos, my knee feels better than ever, after 600 miles distance, and more elevation than a climb from the ocean to Mt. Everest's summit, and back down!  Last year the doctor told me if this is what keeps me healthy, then keep doing it! I told her "I can't do that".

The albergue in Outiero is out in the middle of nowhere. It is new and very nice, but quite isolated. I ate a burger and bought some groceries in Ponte Ulla before continuing. Sometimes it really helps to know these things!

Weather: Ditto of the last few days. I know the farmers need rain, so I'm praying it will come - starting next week!
Distance: 23 km
Route: Galicia has marked the path well. But the last few day's I've missed 3 or 4 turns, as it zigs and zags all day long, and I seem to miss one once in a while.

Lots of shadows on this Camino. That's a good thing.

Today's walk was through about a dozen little valleys of forest and farm

The forest...

The last valley was not so little.

The Outeiro Albergue. A nice facility, just very isolated.

To Silleda

My last 25+ km day for this trip. I feel it. Two more "easy" days of about 20 km each to Santiago.

I just noticed in my notes that tomorrow's albergue is remote and did not have wifi last year, so this might be the last post before I reach Santiago. I'll try to do at least one more post before returning home.

I dedicated this Camino to Peace before I began. Peace between me and other individuals. Peace between Americans and citizens of other countries, Peace with myself, Peace toward nature, and Peace with God. I shared specifics about this with folks along the Way, when it seemed appropriate. But mostly I simply acted on this dedication to peace. I've been truly amazed at how it went. I've had almost 40 days of fatigue, pain, lack of sleep, communication difficulties, little control over what is available to eat or where I might stay, and blisters (along with so many blessings). I can only remember one harsh phrase I had to speak, and I believe that one time it was appropriate, as I was defending a fellow pilgrim.

Almost every Spaniard has been so helpful and patient. Almost every other pilgrim has been generous, courteous, and considerate.

Nearly everyone has been kind beyond words. Almost every interaction has ended with a smile and a word of blessing. It is one of the things I love about this seemingly magical experience. Kindness. Is that just another word for Peace?

Weather: Wonderful
Distance: 28 km

Finally a day where the trail really did go 'down' for most of the day.

In this region a type of kale is grown, which continues to produce all winter, growing taller with each picking and commonly reaching over 5 feet by spring. It's yummy in the local soups.

A little more than 38 km by trail, but still two "not so difficult" days of walking.

I think this inscription is written in Galego, not Spanish. But based on the similarity to Spanish -and the scupture itself, it would seem to be dedicated to working women.

View from 4th floor albergue rooms. So many stairs!

To Castro Dozon

On this blog, I try to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth...", taking only an occasional literary license. Today's post is "the truth, ...., and nothing but the truth". I have to leave the missing parts a mystery, for now.

But a will offer a riddle:

Today's 34 km seemed much easier
Because the 17 km in the afternoon
Were much more difficult
Than the 17 in the morning.

(No guesses in the comments, they will be deleted).

Weather: Much warmer. Low about 42F. High 74F.
Distance: I'm in Castro Dozon if anyone wants to do the math.
Route: Once again, a day that seemed like mostly uphill. I've determined that this is the second greatest illusion of the human experience, right behind crepuscular rays (see post "To A Guidiña" from a few days ago).

A few photos to show you my day, including a selfie at a midday break in Cea, and a hamburger that nearly brought me to tears this afternoon.

To Ourense

Three stories for today. First, I told about the bee stings in yesterday's post, but I don't feel like I properly communicated the terror. It really was quite frightening, not knowing exactly what type of bee this was, and not knowing if a swarm was coming in a few seconds. People have died. As proof of the terror I offer this: Both myself and one of the Belgian ladies woke up with nightmares about 3:30 this morning. That's not normal!

The second story involves my previously lost day pack. It was a very small, very light weight bag that actually has it's own stuff sack built in. It only weighed about 2 oz. I lost it 3 weeks ago on a trip to the grocery. One of the other pilgrims was so kind, they bought me a replacement when they took a taxi to a sporting good store in Salamanca for other gear they needed (without me even asking). But then they left it in the taxi when they returned! So until today I was still without a small pack to take to the store, etc.  Today, as I entered the city of Ourense, I took an alternate route, for about 1 mile, along a river walk much like the highline canal trail in Denver. It's a route that almost no other pilgrims take, as it is not marked with arrows.  As I strolled along, the city sounds increased as the downtown grew closer. Hmmm, what is that in the path ahead. It looks like it could be....no surely not. Yes it was a micropack. Exactly what I needed!!! What I really needed was patience. That's what my friend Mike would say. Whatever is needed will come in it's own time. (See picture below).

Lastly, I had to quickly exit the first albergue I went to today. A bed bug on the wall above the bed next to mine! The hosts are so predictable. "No, no, no that's not a bed bug, that bug just flew in the window." Of course, he doesn't know I happen to be a bit of a bed bug fanatic. IT WAS A BED BUG, until he squished it and threw it back out the window it didn't come in, conveniently destroying the evidence. The place I found is much nicer anyway, so another blessing.

Entering Ourense is not the greatest walk. Only a few pictures, showing suburban life of Spain. I did want to mention the nicely carved Way markers in this region. Each one is unique, I imagine they paid an artist a bunch. But I like them anyway!

Weather: Low 32F with just a touch of frost. High 68F with a warming trend for the next few days (80s ahead!!!).
Distance: About 22 km, but a little extra to find a second albergue and walk along the river.
Route: I did miss one arrow today, in the suburbs. The locals are so kind. This woman started calling to me and sending het husband running after me! Aqui, aqui.
Town/Albergue: Grelo Hostal is very nice. I really like the hosts name: Baque, pronounced much like "Becky". The Xunta albergue is where the bed bug was. I only saw the one, so maybe it's OK, but normally there is not just one.

To Xunqueira de Ambia

I must say the Camino Sanabres is not easy. Of course, if I wasn't doing 35 km days it would be much less strenuous. But as we know from hiking in Colorado, the up and down hikes usually reward with beautiful vistas, and that was the case today. Lots of ups and downs the last few days!

Last night there were bagpipes and drums playing in the street in Laza, with folks doing a dance that seemed quite Irish. This part of Spain has deep Celtic roots which I haven't quite figured out.

I took a picture of the first "horreo" I saw today. See the post from November 1, 2014 for more details on this Galician custom for storing grain.

I also met 2 couples from Belgium, who are walking shorter days. They are in the albergue tonight with Eric and I, and I hope we can eat together later. And since we're all planning a shorter day tomorrow, maybe I'll see them for more than one evening.

As I caught up with them this afternoon, we passed a wonderfully arranged group of bee hives. One of the men and I took a slight detour to get a good picture (see below). As we returned to the trail, which was above the hives, we must have startled some of the bees, as several got after us. I was stung once on my arm, and two other folks were also stung. They must be a quite aggressive species, because we didn't really think we had done anything to deserve the treatment we got!

Weather: Low 26F High 62F but still cool in the afternoon shade.
Distance: Eric's GPS says 34.2 km, but I walked bit further than him, so I'm calling it 35.
Route: Better eat your Wheaties leaving Laza. Straight uphill for most of the morning.
Town/Albergue: The municiple albergue here is really nice, but like last nights it's a bit out of town, which is not convenient for walking to the shop  etc.

To Laza

I've spent the last two evenings with a young German named Victor. His parents are Russian and he was born in Kazakstan, but they now all live in Germany. It was interesting getting his perspective on the "east" vs. "west". He said one of the biggest shocks for his father when he left the Soviet Union was reading "real" history. What he was taught as a child was a form of a rewritten "USSR IS THE GREATEST" history. His family loves the west, and even though they have fond memories of their youth, they now have a strong disdain for communist governments.

I'll keep it short today.

Weather: Low 35F with an icy rain hitting me in the face for the first hour. Later it was patchy sunlight, but still an occasional sprinkle with a high of 52F.
Distance: A Camino personal best of 35 km (My guide says 34.5 but I had to backtrack twice, adding 0.5 km. Once to get my rainjacket which I dropped and a second time because I forgot to fill my water bottle at a midday break).
Route: No big problems, just more uphill than the profile indicates. There are two really steep and long downhill sections, much of which is made up for the rest of the day by going gradually up.
Town: I was planning to go to Mass at 7pm, but the kitchen at the bar opens at exactly that time!?!? After 35 km, I won't be cooking tonight, and want to eat as early as possible.

I hope the pictures speak for themselves, it really was a beautiful walk. I think the last picture is the first time I've seen a granite arrow built into someone's rock stairway entry.

To "A Gudiña"

Today we have a science lesson, prompted by the morning sky as I began my walk today (see 1st photo).

I love crepuscular rays. I love them because they are one of the great optical illusions of the human experience. If you think of the point where it seems like they originate, the sun would only be a few thousand feet above the earth's surface, zooming around the earth. For most of human history this was what was believed, partly because of this universally experienced illusion, and partly because ancient texts made it so (think Bible stories of the sun standing still, etc.). How could it possibly 150,000,000 km away?

I love that humans can be SO wrong about something. It should keep us humble about our opinions. Unfortunate, it normally doesn't.

The word "crepuscular" comes from the latin meaning twilight, because they are most commonly seen in the evening. The optical illusion happens because parallel lines often don't seem quite so parallel. Or even if we know they are parallel, it still seems like they meet at a point, usually just out of sight.  See 2nd photo. This is picture of a field which I passed on March 1st as I left Seville. (Wow, today is the 31st!!!!!!). We all know these rows are perfectly parallel, they never meet. But it certainly seems that they meet, right before they get to the buildings in the background. Crepuscular rays are a 3D version of the two demensional field photo, which makes it even more difficult for our minds to comprehend!

OK, enough of that. Today I entered the Province of Galicia. Crossing this border is where I feel like it is the begining of the end. I will continue to enjoy each momemt, and appreciate each sight, sound, and smell (well some of the smells), and be especially thankful for each person I meet. But with the long walks of the last few days, and more to come, I can't help look forward to arriving in Santiago.

Photos: Crepuscular rays. Uniquely sculpted field. A tunnel that was a bit more thought provoking than yesterday's, as it curved and I couldn't see the other end. Green pastures, still water (as in "He leadeth me beside").  Today's trail. The seemingly wild high country of Galicia Spain.

Weather: Low in the 30s, High only about 50F, with strong wind and rain late in the afternoon (after I was safely inside). We also had a very heavy rain last evening after I posted on the blog.
Distance: 24 km
Route: Once again I stayed on the highway until I made it through the tunnel. This saves about 1000 feet in elevation, both up and down. I missed a view from the top, but hey, I live in Colorado, it would have been 2nd class compared to the view from I-70 exiting the Eisenhower tunnel.
Town: The albergue here is a bit prison like, with concrete walls and stairs. The hot shower felt great!

To Lubian

Over the mountain pass today! Up, Up, Up all morning, and down in the afternoon. The guide book says tomorrow is also straight up and straight down.  I avoided some elevation by going through the highway tunnel. On my 4th long day in a row I needed to ease the pain as much as I could. The signs inside the tunnel, showing how many meters to each end, were quite interesting. They were placed every 50 meters or so. (see picture).

I caught up with Eric from France. He was in Castilloblanco way back on my second night! He seemed geniunely pleased to see me. It was definitely good for me to see a familiar face. He doesn't snore, I like that.d

My tablet locked up on my walk, so I missed several good pictures, but I got it going after I arrived. And I still have several pictures that seem to capture the flavor of the day, from before and after the lockup. The heart and coke can (from Cacares) are my only constant companions. The Camino has gone from red tile roofs and palm trees to black slate roofs and chestnut trees. Enjoy.

Weather: Low 32F High 60F with a great mix of clouds and sun.
Distance: The guide says 29 km but it was probably a little less, as the train construction forces the Camino to stick to the highway for most of the stage.
Route:  Right now the Camino is detoured due to construction. On one leg of the detour it is necessary to open a "gate" to an electric fence. Just hold the black handle and don't touch anything else.