So That’s a Wrap (or is it?)

 Today is designated rest day after our arrival in Santiago De Compostela on Wednesday. Our daily routine has been fairly standardized for sometime with an early breakfast, the walk of the day, check in at the hotel, etc. Thus, it was quite different this morning to realize that the Camino Walk is over.

We miss our friends and family back home and are ready to resume our regular lives. Each of us has lifetime memories that we will cherish and share. The opportunities we have had to get to know other people and cultures will expand our world view. Perhaps each of us takes something that is personal and individual from this experience.

For me , there are many positive takeaways from my time on the Camino. But for now…

Phil is signing off.

Today was the arrival in Santiago de Compostela

 

Today, we walked an additional 13 miles to reach the goal of this pilgrimage. We didn't complete the pilgrimage on our knees. Each of us experienced pain, elation, fatigue, boredom, emotional swings, great food, below average wine and most of everything in between.

It turns out that 500 miles (779 km) is a ways. We met others who were going farther and many who walked only the last 100km. We met Spaniards, French, Italians, Brazilians, Germans, Scandinavians, Brits, Irish, Scots, Canadians, Aussies, Kiwis, Koreans, Japanese, Portuguese, and Americans from all over the states. It was a comprehensive experience.

We had the challenges of body, mind and spirit. In discussions, each of us has admitted to growth in each of those dimensions. We all learned that we are determined, focused people. We could keep the goals in mind on a daily, weekly and total effort basis for 37 days. And we are collectors. We were told early on that we had to collect 2 stamps per day and we were collectively dogged about that.

The result was the certificates of completion - Pieces of Paper that offer "proof" of our accomplishment. The only necessary proof is what we each experienced, but paper is not bad.

Tomorrow we rest and then it is just the long trip home.

Just 1 More Walking Day

 We are competing our 36th day of our Camino pilgrimage, 33rd walking day. Tomorrow we walk into Santiago de Compostela finishing our Spanish walking.

 Today we walked the 19 kilometers from Arzúa to A Rua about 12 miles. The path was in good shape but crowded. 

We talked to some of the other pilgrims on the trail and most of them were walking shorter routes than we were because they had recently joined the walk.

Today was one of our warmer days with highs forecasted into the low 80s.  But  we completed our walk shortly after midday, with temperatures in the upper 70s. 

We did see several bike groups but they were not to bothersome. 

We also came across some beautiful flowers and what appears to be corn fields.

Posted by Kim

Another short day

 Hey all, Mitch here. Today was the second part of our fourth "rest" day, which was comprised on one typically longer stage split into two short stages. As a result, we only walked about 9 miles from Melide to Arzúa. The terrain continues to be slightly hilly, forested with many trees (though especially Eucalyptus recently, which will always remind me of the California Bay Area), and well trailed.

Since the walk itself was short and fairly normal by our standards, we instead turned to a question that has been bothering us since we entered the Autonomous Community of Galicia: What the heck are these things that seem to be present in so many yards:

We have been seeing structures like this since entering Galicia, some made of Stone, some of Bricks, and some of Wood. Fortunately, Kim asked someone today and finally got us an answer: they're a sort of primitive refrigerator/icebox. The walls always have some gaps to allow airflow (which in winter would be plenty cold to preserve things), but are closed enough to keep animals out of whatever is stored in there. The real thing we learned from Kim's question is that they are illegal to remove in the AC of Galicia, which is probably why we have noticed them as much as we have.

At the end of the day, we got to settle in early at our accommodations here at the 1930 Boutique Hotel in Arzúa, have a nice relaxing afternoon, and enjoy a truly delicious dinner.

That's all from me, we have two more walking days left before we reach Santiago, so the next time you hear from me we'll all likely be back in the Seattle area.

A Community of Walkers

 Today it’s Phil talking to you.

Our walk today was fairly short, taking us from Palas de Rei to Melide. The nearer we get to Santiago, the more people we encounter on the trail. It’s interesting that as we came into Melide in the early afternoon, the town was alive and full of pilgrims and traffic. As I write this at around 4:30PM, things are pretty calm. Some of this is the custom of late lunch and siesta time in the afternoon.

One thought that comes to mind frequently involves the WHY of each person’s Camino journey. Do people see the path as way to meet new people and foster social relationships? OR…Is the Camino a time for introspection, reflection, and being alone with your thoughts? Of course, the answer is “YES” to both.

Two vignettes from today.

Yesterday we we in a restaurant and a group of Spanish friends were at a long table. They were laughing, loud, raucous and having a great time. Today they are spread out over the trail and just having a moving party. We navigated around and through them like making our way through a big group hug.

Later, I passed two ladies engaged in conversation. I have no idea what they were talking about, but the snippet I heard was “It is what it is. But I’m a happier person now.”

Long day, lots of breaks

 Today was a beautiful day - big blue sky, breezy, great vistas. This was the last long(ish) day of the trip. We have four more days walking after this before Santiago. We left Portomarín at our usual 8:20 and started walking. After 8.2 miles, we met up at a cafe for coffee and croissants figuring that to be about half way. My right foot (this is Bob) has been sore for several days and today was  particularly sore. Mitch and I normally walk together but we were not sharing nicely today because I was in pain. When Kim and Phil arrived a few minutes after we got there, Kim's boot soles were delaminating. Everything that has been stable and good on the road was breaking!

Mitch and Bob split which allowed Mitch to really go fa st, and Bob to set his own pace. Kim taped his shoes on and prepared to walk into his destination. Phil just kept on keepin' on. we were beset by the Italian bike team - 30 hotshot bikers insisted on passing hundreds of pilgrims on the trail - instead of riding on the road immediately adjacent where no pilgrims walk (but cars and farm equipment do pass.

Farming is in full flush in Galicia - the farmers are cutting hay, drying hay, baling hay and feeding cattle.

It seems that there are every new piece of farm equipment that any farmer could want, but they are still farming relatively small fields, so everything gets done quickly and the equipment spends a lot of time on the road between fields.

When we finally arrived in Palas de Rei, there was two miles (by my GPS) of athletic fields for a town of 3.4k inhabitants. It seemed a bit of overkill, but the Camino runs through all of it, so it is a great showpiece. Since it is on this final stretch of the Camino, it serves about 4-6000 pilgrims per day with dinner, breakfast and a bed. This happens 9 months out of the year, so they have the infrastructure for it. We found a little restaurant aptly named Pasta! A British expat couple opened it a year ago. It can seat 12 people, and we waited 45 minutes for a table, but the food was excellent and the four of us had a lovely dinner with wine for $80.

Life here on the Camino has its ups and downs, but it is pretty good compared to the other options.

Big River

Today as we entered the city of Portomarín we crossed the largest body of water since we crossed the Atlantic Ocean, the Rio Mino river. 

Today’s walk was from Sarria to Portomarín about 23 kilometers or 14 miles.  It was a sunny and warm day with temperatures in the mid 70’s. Most of our walk was on good soft paths through tree covered areas and along some streams. 

But we did encounter one steep rocky section.

For those interested in some of the architecture and structures in this part of Spain here are some pictures I snapped along the way today. Note most of the roofs in this part of Spain are made from slate stone. 

 

Here is a picture of Phil at the post marking the 100 kilometers to Santiago point in our pilgrimage. People who complete this last 100 kilometers and receive at least two stamps in their credentials booklets per day qualify to receive Compostela de Santiago.  The Compoststela is a historical document in Latin that certifies the completion of the pilgrimage to the Tomb of Apóstol Santiago. 

Today’s blog posted by Kim