Day 24 To Santiago de Compostela

April 28, 2018: Saturday

This is always the most difficult post to write. I've always got so many mixed emotions when arriving here. Is there any really important item I've missed on this years blog?

We've been blessed with "success" on all 5 of our Spanish Caminos, and by that I mean that neither injury, nor illness, nor weather, nor any other obstacle has ever prevented us from walking into Santiago as planned. But success on Camino could have so many definitions. Our friend James was not able to walk into Santiago in 2016, and I know that specific Camino was one of his best journeys.

I've come to believe that a good Camino is soul cleansing. The spiritual and physical are separate, but deeply connected. This connection is revealed in Camino, just as it is around the Eucharistic table mentioned in yesterday's post.

  

I think several photos from around the city might be the best way to end this years journey. (for unknown reasons, these pictures are not in chronological order).

 Cathedral square selfie.

 Only about 14 folks ahead of us when we got to the pilgrim office. Later in the year the wait will be measured in hours.

 The number of tourist attractions near the cathedral is disappointing.

 Our friend Mitchell is particularly disturbed by the nonstop bagpiping.

 So many beggars around the bigger churches in Spain

 ". . . and from Madrid, two pilgrims from the United States. . ."

 The first-timers in the crowd were amazed by the butafumeiro. Even with us, it remains one of the satisfactions of a completed Camino.

 The crowd outside the cathedral entrance.

 "Never will we forget what was paid in lives for the errors of others." At the location of the 2013 train wreck.

 We followed this "Mom and Pop" bread truck into town. They were stopping once or twice in each block to deliver to the door and collect payments.

 The southern entrance to the city offers a great view of the cathedral from about one mile away. After 250 miles of walking, it is a good sight.

Day 23 To Vedra (or Outeiro)

April 27, 2018 Friday:

In most guidebooks and maps this place is called Outeiro, but when you arrive the signs say Vedra. Take your pick.

Now to last nights stay in Dornelas. Almost every pilgrim stops there for a snack or a drink, but very few spend the night. It's about 26 km from Santiago, which makes it difficult to make the noon pilgrim's mass. It's too bad more folks don't stop.

Andreas and Christina are a wonderful Italian couple with four year old twin girls. They have a perfect little albergue of 5 bunks and provide dinner for 10 E, called Casa Leiras. It was a picture perfect afternoon. Joining us was one woman and two men, one each from Spain, Italy, and France. It was like a scene out of the movie "The Way". There was even a little argument about Charlemagne between the Italian woman and the French man, similar to the movie. I'm certain the matter was not settled.

These are the times that make Camino so special. Yes, there is the walking. Yes, there is Spain. Yes, there is Santiago, both the city and the saint. But those times around the table. It is the reason the most commonly celebrated Christian sacrament remembers the night Christ "gathered with his faltering friends around a table that tasted of freedom". Barriers are broken. Bridges are built. The world needs more bridges.

The Italian woman and the French man walked out together this morning.

 Our home for the evening.

 A chimney smoke filled morning.

 New leaves are just peaking out on the trestled vines.

 A huge eucalyptus tree, and Ruth napping. We both got bottom bunks!

Day 22 To Dornelas

April 26, 2018 - Thursday

The blog has not been highly personal this year. The main reason for this is my "writer's fatigue", as I published my first 'real' book just days before we left Denver. For the last few posts of this trip I'll shift to a more thoughtful approach, sharing a few of my feelings about this year's journey, and the Camino in general.

If you followed along in 2017, you know I had a great "Camino family" for the middle part of the Via de la Plata. The group I was with from Merida to Salamanca spent many hours walking, eating, and dorming together. We heard each other's stories. We listened to each other laugh, cry, and snore. And I'm certain that none of us will ever forget those two weeks.

In the last couple of days, we've met an amazingly similar pilgrim pod: one older North American man, one young German student, and one english speaking married couple with non-American accents. The four of them seem to get along very well, and we did have one good conversation with two of them, last night in Sellida. But Ruth and I both noticed that they are clickish. When the four of them are together, it's like they don't even recognize anyone else exists. No inclusive conversation, no extended invitations, no offered introductions, and even more than one abrasive response toward others.

One thing I've learned, in recent years, is to consider my own contribution when I observe uncharitable behavior. Did I offend? Was I unthoughtful? Was I rude? And most importantly, have I done the same?

I really, really hope that other pilgrims have never viewed any of my Camino families that way. The first picture below is of a book that was recently translated into english by Rebekah Scott as "The Great Westward Walk". It is a fantastic reveal of Camino life. The Spanish author talks about a bubble of space and time in which the pilgrims lives. It feels like the rest of the human race resides in another universe. Even other pilgrims, just a few days ahead or behind you, are only distant members of an otherwise close fraternity. The one thing that matters is the where and who of today. Ruth and I have experienced this feeling many times. We've made several close connections along the Camino. Stuart and Andrew in 2012. Elizabeth in 2014. Joe's group, earlier in 2014. James and a few others in 2016. Izak and Antoinette this year. And several times we've even felt that just the two of us were in a Camino bubble all our own.

With the additional barriers of language and culture, when you find yourself in a close-knit group, it is easy to pretend that even the people at the next table belong to "the others".

May I never make another person feel unwanted. May I be forgiven for doing so.

We've also met so many wonderful folks in the last three weeks. Hospitality and Generousity have dominated our experience. Over the next two days we will make a paper list of names we plan speak in the silence of the Cathedral, in an act of Thanksgiving (yes it is possible to find a quiet, nearly empty Cathedral in Santiago - early in the morning). We will also make a list of requests to pray. People say miracles happen there. So many miracles are needed.

The wonderful experiences of the evening in Dornelas will have to wait for tomorrow's post. Be sure to read it if you are walking this route.

 "The Great Westward Walk". I ask our host in Dornelas about the personized copy on the shelf in the dining area. He said he had not read it. He could not. He could not because every time he tried, he cried. He knows the end of the story.

 A typical pilgrim pod.

 A 40 year old pine stump shrinks my 11.5 W Vasque boots. And a grassy Camino path shows how few folks walk this route.

Day 21 To Silleda

Different year, different path. Just over a year ago I walked from Castro Dozon to Sellida, just like today. This year we took a different route for much of the way. Last year I missed a turn in the trail and ended up way off course. Last year I choose to walk the asphalt highway most of the afternoon. This year we did neither of those things.

We actually didn't intend to walk this far today. We got to the refuge in Laxe about noon, and the sign said they didn't open until 1 pm. It was just cool enough to be uncomfortable sitting (but perfect temperature for walking) so we walked on to Sellida. What's another 10 km? (About 6 miles Ruth reminds me.)

The Albergue Touristica here is excellent. It is unique, being a former hotel, but they've set it up well, with a nice sitting area and a kitchen.

Now the next 3 days will be very short.

A few pictures. Can you tell by the dominant color that we are in Galicia, with it's incredible rainfall amounts?

 The sharp left turn I missed last year. The paved road ahead did not get me to where I expected last year.

 Much of the day (and the entire Sanabres route) is on country roads surrounded by forests.

 Most horreos are old, but once in a while a new one can be spotted. I wrote about these in 2014 on this blog.

 A young colt, with Momma giving me a watchful eye.

 Freshly mowed hay. And an excellent salad Ruth made for dinner.

Day 20 To Castro Dozon

Another super day. Short and sunny.

Ruth did take a tumble along the way, but just a little mud on the knee and elbow. We were planning a big laundry day anyway.

A few more folks caught up with us, and a second room had to be opened about 5 o'clock.

I do want to warn future pilgrims, the 20-ish km from Cea to Oseira to Castro Dozon was quite muddy, even with all the sunshine we've had recently. During a rainy time there would be no way to avoid ankle deep sludge. The direct route from Cea to Castro Dozon offers the possibility of asphalt (which is not great either, but better the deep water and mud).

Day 19 To The Monastery at Oseira

We are now planning to do mostly short distances each day into Santiago, today being the first, at 10 km.

Our stop today is at an active monastery. The monks are Cistercian Catholics, who live an austere life which is dominated by silence and manual labor. We plan to attend evening prayers where we expect to hear the Psalms chanted in centuries old style.

The monastery is just off the normal route so we have only 6 other folks in a very large, very un-heated room of stone. Blankets will be used.

We took the 3 Euro tour of the site just after arriving. A busload of Spanish tourists had also just arrived. Ruth was the tallest woman and I was the tallest man in the group, feeling like giants, and probably looking quite German to the local crowd -also being the blondest.

One of the unique features of the church here is a sculpture of the Virgin Mary breastfeeding the infant Jesus. It is not the only such statue in existence, but is believed to be one of the oldest. Honestly, I wasn't impressed.

We are now well into Galicia. Rolling hills dominate the landscape. Large portions of this region were burned in wildfires in 2017, and we passed several burned areas this morning.

Pictures added later...

 I think this picture would make a great 1000 piece puzzle!!!

 The yellow arrows survived the fires.

 The two young Spanish girls particularly enjoyed the fountain at the monastery.

 A workman hammers away on the exterior as we tour the church.

 Our tour paper said it is "known commonly as Virgin of the milk."

 Angie from Barcelona arrived late after a long stage from Ourense.

The poster explaining the ongoing repairs called the lichen "biodeposits".

Day 18 To Cea

Last year I took the right option from Ourense to Cea. This year the left. The left fork seems easy enough for the first hour, but then! About 3 km of 20% grade, and a good bit of uphill after that.

Galicia is a totally different climate than what we've been in. Palm trees, blooming tropical flowers, and parasitic vines everywhere. Very humid.

We had no shortage of company on the trail or in the albergue. There are plenty of 100 km pilgrims on this stretch.

Here are a few pictures.

 Leaving Ourense.

 My cell phone cannot do good pictures of flowers, but this was not too bad.

 The fork in the trail.

 Afternoon at the albergue. And finally, Eucharist, pilgrim style.

Day 17 To Ourense

Saturday April 21
"A funny day", that's what Ruth said as she journalled this evening. We planned for only 11 km of walking (from San Ildefonso into Segovia), and then a 5 hour train ride to Ourense.

We had been to the Segovia train station just two weeks ago, and walked right to it, after two quick stops at grocery stores (the second stop was for the all important "crema de cacajuette" (peanut butter). But we got to a seemingly abandoned station. Nobody at the ticket window, nobody on the platform, and only one other prospective passenger. Segovia is not a huge city, but trains are at the heart of Spanish life, so something seemed amiss. We inquired of the one other human, who quickly pointed out we were at the "middle distance" train station. The long distance station was about a one hour walk from there. We knew how to walk and had 90 minutes before our train left, so off we went, following google maps instructions through light industrial and commercial districts on the south side of Segovia. We made it with just enough time for a sandwich and a banana before departure time. In just seconds we were zooming along at 250 km/hour.

After arriving in Ourense, it was another 30 minute walk to the albergue, so our 11 km day turned into 16 or 17.

It was a funny day.

 The 1/4 of baby pig we shared on Friday evening.

 Looking back at the mountains on Saturday morning. Below, the high speed train station in view.

Day 16 To La Granja de San Idefanso

What a beautiful day. Up over the highest point on this Camino. And yes there was plenty of snow. It was old snow, so we could mostly walk on top of it, with just a few post holes up to our knees.

It seemed like there might not be any snow at all as we were within 30 minutes of the top before a few small patches appeared in the shade. Then larger patches and at the top we were able to step over the closed gate while standing on two feet of the white stuff. The trail then leads to a north slope with even deeper drifts. We saw two local hikers and no pilgrims.

The temperature was perfect, in the 40s and 50s all day, with mostly sunny skies.

We choose the right turns on the north side, leading to Valsain and San Ildefonso, having made reservations in the later. It's a resorty type town with high prices. The left fork, directly to Segovia might be equally good.

We hope to complete the Camino Madrid in the morning and take a train to Ourense, the 100+ kilometers point on the Sanabres/Via de la Plata route.

It's been a wonderful route, I'll try to summarize my thoughts about it in tomorrows post.

Several pictures:

 Leaving Cercedilla at dawn.

 A Roman road for a while.

 Only a few yellow arrows, just keep going up.

 Probably 3 or 4 kilometers of walking on snow.

 Selfie in the snow.

 Some logging going on just below the snow line. Many trees were marked with red, white, or green dots, which signify different trails. Just keep going up to the pass and follow the main road down the north side. It is a very long trail with no resources, bring plenty of food and water.