Category: Camino De Santiago

I have officially completed 901kms on foot! Today I walked the final 28kms to Muxia (pronounced moo-SHE-ah). This seaside fishing town is best known for its church built on the rocky shore. (Spoiler alert) If you watched the film ‘The Way’, this is the church where the dad spread the son’s ashes at the end of the film.

Thinking back over the Camino, it has been an incredible, uplifting, humbling, growing experience. My friend Marco said it best when he said,”It costs a lot; Not in terms of money, but in time, privacy, dedication, physical and emotional energy. But anyone can do it!”.

The best thing about the Camino is that it transcends culture, race, religion, age, and language and just becomes people supporting each other in a common direction. I think the world would be a very different place is all political leaders had to walk the Camino prior to being sworn into office.

I have one more day here, then I fly to Rome for my RobO reunion. Stay tuned for more blog posts. Possible upcoming titles: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” or “Olson Rome-mance”!

TTSOL

Yesterday I arrived on foot to Finisterre, which literally means ‘the end of the earth’ in Spanish. Ancient pilgrims really believed that they were staring out to an empty ocean.

I walked alone for the 3 days leading up to arriving here, which was different but nice. Having this time alone time gave me the chance to really process this journey. I definitely realized that I had a much richer experience when sharing my days with great friends.

Leaving Santiago at sunrise.

First glimpse of the sea!

The remains of the feast!

TTSOL (To The Spirit of Life)

Yesterday we walked the final 20km to arrive in Santiago. The most meaningful moment for me was our first sight of the cathedral from about 5 kilometres away. There’s a monument there, but it’s off the trail so many pilgrims don’t visit it. That meant our group of 4 were there alone to celebrate the moment. This was a welcome change from the bus loads of pilgrims we were seeing over the past couple of days. In the 2nd picture you can see the 2 spires of the famous cathedral in the distance!

Once in Santiago we received our official Compostella for walking the Camino. We attended the 7:30 mass, where we had the lucky chance to see the famous ‘botafumeiro’. This is a big urn-looking this that swings from the ceiling to spread incense smoke throughout the cathedral. It’s so big it takes 8 men to get it swinging and it gets up to 80 kilometres per hour! Originally it was used to cover the stench of the stinky pilgrims, but now it’s more symbolic (I’ve done laundry every day, I swear!).

This morning was a tough morning for me. I decided to stay an extra night in Santiago as I have a more relaxed timeline than my group. So I slept in while they got up to walk again. I actually woke up before they left, but couldn’t bear to open my eyes to say goodbye. We’ve spent 24 hours per day together for the past 30 days! The saving grace is that I will meet them in Finisterre in 3 days for a final goodbye (until I can meet Marco and John in Rome!).

Today was a nice day to explore the city. I went to the Parador, which was originally built as a pilgrim hospital, but now is a ritzy hotel. In keeping with history they still serve free meals to the first 10 pilgrims who arrive at 9am, noon, and 7pm. Surprisingly there were only 3 of us who took advantage of today’s breakfast!

Where breakfast is served! Just kidding, we actually had to go right into the kitchen to pick up a tray to take into a dungeon-y area of the hotel. Who cares! Free is free!

I was especially excited to be reunited with pilgrims who completed their journey today. Some of these people made a big impact on my journey and I expected I would never see them again.

Then I met up with 3 Spanish and 2 Italian friends for lunch before returning to my Alburgue. A pilgrim’s afternoon is full with laundry, filling water, buying snacks, etc. in preparation for tomorrow’s journey. I’m starting the extra 121kms to Finisterre and Muxia.

Buen Camino!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along the trail today:

This isn’t the first time I’ve been moved by this song when travelling. One of my favorite travel moments in my life was when we were couch surfing in Prague. RobO and our host were passing a guitar back and forth for an impromptu kitchen sing-a-long. At one point we were singing ‘Imagine’ and I had tears in my eyes as I realized that we were in a different country, with people we had never met before, living the lyrics of this song.

It was a similar moment for me today as I walked with my Italian, USA, Polish, Spanish, and NZ friends!

And now for something completely different…

In Galicia one of the food specialties is ‘pulpo’ (octopus). Last night we went to a popular pulperia to test it out! Yum! Much better than I anticipated!

This is it! We’re now a mere 20km from Santiago de Compostella!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From my guidebook:

AC/DC’s Thunderstruck was blaring from his boom box. I honestly started laughing out loud!

The only thing that would have made this day better would be RobO waiting at the alburgue, arms open for a big hug! At least I only have 2.2 more weeks to wait!

 

We arrived in León early yesterday and had the whole afternoon to wander around. I feel like it’s something extra special to arrive to a new city on foot. It definitely gives an extra feeling of accomplishment!

Reunited with our friends Dan and Cole, father and son from Phoenix.

We now have less than 300kms to Santiago!

TTSOL (To The Spirit Of Life)!

The routine on the Camino has given me a lot of time for reflection, which I think is something that I don’t do enough of in my ‘regular life’. Even though I am not doing the Camino for a religious purpose, the environment, art, and sculptures definitely make my spirit sing. In today’s post I am including photos of many of the artsy things that have caught my eye along The Way.

This pilgrim is covered in the stamps that we receive at each alburgue along the way. This ‘Pilgrim Passport’ is the way to prove that a pilgrim has actually walked.

This poem is written in both German and Spanish. The English translation is:

“Dust, mud, sun and rain,
is the Way of Saint James;
thousands of pilgrims and more than a thousand years.
Pilgrim, who calls you? What dark force brings you here?
It’s not the Way of the Stars, nor the grand cathedrals.
Neither is it the courage of Navarra,
or the wine of the people of La Rioja.
It’s not the seafood of Galicia;
it’s not the countryside of Castilla.
Pilgrim, who calls you?
What mysterious force attracts you?
It is not the people of the way or their rural customs.
Nor is it their history and culture.
It isn’t the cockerel of la Calzada,
Gaudi’s palace,
nor the castle in Ponferrada.
Everything you see in passing is a joy;
and the voice which calls me,
makes me feel much deeper.
The force which pulls me, attracts me,
I cannot explain it.
Only he above knows why.”
-Eugenio Gariibay

 

 

I guess this restaurant had problems with pilgrims who don’t wear shoes!

This one is a bit creepy!

Full of meaning for me.

What post would be complete without some beautiful scenery shots?

 

We’ve altered our plans slightly and will be in León on Sunday now. That will give us more time and energy to explore the city!

TTSOL (To The Spirit Of Life)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today we’re sleeping in Teradillos de Templarios, which is approximately the halfway point to Santiago! We have had a few days of walking in the Meseta now, which is similar to the Prairies at home. Just like at home, the big sky sunrises don’t disappoint.

By far the best thing along this journey have been the people I’ve met. I see so many people each day that sometimes I don’t know their names or where they’re from, but I can recognize a familiar smiling face accompanied by the phrase “Buen Camino”. All of us are connected by the same goal.

It was a special experience last night when Marco, my Italian walking mate, cooked a typical Italian dinner for Majeik, John, and I. I can’t wait to eat more Italian food with RobO when we meet in Rome at the end of June!

Today I walked for a while with 2 men from Montreal (Marc and Chris) with whom I had crossed paths with before. I found out that they have been reading this blog (I had given the address on our last encounter). When I commented on an amazing pin of a Canadian flag with a Camino scallop shell, Mark generously took his off of his hat and gave it to me. It was a touching example of the Camino bond.

If all goes well we should reach León on Saturday!