Oct 1: in closing.......

Well, our Camino is over and we're currently enroute back to the United States.  The past 2 days, we've talked about how we both began to feel "re-entry" back into our previous lifestyle: the stress of having to be somewhere at a certain time, starting to think about all of the things we need to do when we get home, etc.  Hopefully, though, we keep some of the new routines or ways of approaching things that we learned along the Camino.  I've talked to Linda about how I'd like to continue walking (just not such long distances :-), for giving my mind a break and to remind myself how to be more in the present.  Also, reaching out to and helping others more, and trying to reduce some of the everyday stresses in our lives (which is definitely a struggle for me.  I was all stressed out today about getting to the airport on time because for international flights in Barcelona, they typical close the check-in desks one hour before the flight.  Anyway, if you see me getting all stressed out about something, please feel free to remind me to return to the "ways of the Camino").

In closing, I wanted to share something that was in one of the credencials we used for collecting stamps at many of the places we visited along our trip.  While it definitely applies to the Camino, I think it also applies to our everyday lives.  It is called The Spirit of the Camino, and it is a list of things to remember as we each walk The Way each day.  It says:

-Live in the moment.

-Welcome each day - its pleasures and its challenges.

-Make others feel welcome.

-Share.

-Feel the spirit of those who have gone before you.

-Imagine those who will follow you.

-Appreciate those who walk with you today.

Buen Camino.
Rob and Linda

Sept 30: Finisterre and Muxia

Today, we drove out to Finisterre and Muxia.  As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, these 2 places are now being considered more and more a continuation of the Camino, after visiting Santiago.  Both are on the coast.  Finisterre was visited often back in the Middle Ages because it was considered to be "the end of the world" (finis is "end", and terre is "earth", so it's name literally means "end of the earth").  It was thought to be the point farthest west on all of continental Europe, and since people thought the world was flat back then, the point farthest to the west was considered the end (looking at a map now, it appears there are parts of Portugal that are actually further west, but hey, this was back in the Middle Ages so we should cut them some slack).

There is a nice lighthouse out on the point of Finisterre, and there were also really nice beaches in the town of Langosteria, which is right before Finisterre.  There is a tradition for some of the pilgrims who go to Finisterre to leave something there.  Typically it was shoes, or socks, or something else that got worn out along the way.  Álso, we saw a lot of fire pits in amongst the rocks, so we were guessing that people came out to watch the sunset and built a small fire to stay warm.  And there were also some stacks of stones called cairns, which people built as a good luck "charm".   We saw a lot of these cairns along the Camino.  And lastly, there were a couple of crosses that people had made from sticks and then stuck them in the ground.  The first picture is looking across the way to Finisterre to the left and Langosteria to the right (with the nice long, curved beach).  The second picture is of us at the outcropping that extends beyond the lighthouse at Finisterre, looking up the coastline.

While Muxia was also right on the coast, it definitely had a different feel to it.  It was down closer to the water, and the rocks were much bigger and went out more gradually into the water, so you could go out and climb around on them.  You could also see that the water came in pretty far at high tide.  But what probably created the most difference was the church that was built out on the point in Muxia, which is the final picture (you can also see the Muxia lighthouse just to the left of the church).  Unfortunately, the church was hit by lightening back in November, which caused a fire.  Hence, all the scaffolding around the building for restoration work.  Anyway, the rounded rocks and the church made for a more serene feel to the whole place.  And there were a lot fewer people, too, which made it quieter as well.

All in all, Linda and I both agreed that if we had had more time, we would have really enjoyed hiking out to both Finisterre and Muxia and spending an extra day out there (the beaches would make for some good R&R as well).  People told us it takes 3 days to hike from Santiago to Finisterre, and 1 day to go from Finisterre to Muxia.  So for any of you who are considering doing the Camino, I would highly recommend adding this on to your trip if you can.

Sept 29: Santiago day 2

The attached pictures are of some more scenes from Santiago.  The first one is of the cathedral at night.  A lot of the churches in Spain are lit up at night with the lights pointing up at them, making them look even more spectular (of course, they look even better if they don't have scaffolding covering them).

The second picture is of the wooden choir loft that used to be in the main Santiago cathedral but is now in the Saint Martin's church in Santiago.  The amazing thing about the choir seating is it was all carved out of walnut back in the late 1500s.  As you can see, there are two levels of seating.  Looking vertically, there are typically 3 sets of carvings, but each set of vertical carvings is of one of the Catholic saints.  The first, lowest level carving (which makes up the back of the first level seat) is usually a carving of the saint from the waist up.  The middle level carving (which is on the back of the second level seating) is a full body carving.  And then the uppermost carving, which is above the second level seating, is from a key moment in that saint's life (for those saints who were martyred, they typically depicted the martyrdom itself, which in some cases was pretty gross).

The final picture is of a band of guys who were dressed like minstrels that we found on the big square right in front of the Santiago cathedral.  We were walking back from dinner a little after 10pm, and we thought we would go by the church to see how it looked lit up at night.  When we got to the main square, we could hear this music and clapping, and saw a bunch of people gathered together.  So we walked on over to see what was going on, and we came across these ministrels.  We stayed for some songs and also to talk with some people we had met along the Camino, but around 10:45pm we decided it was time to head to the hotel to go to bed.  We are getting up tomorrow and renting a car to drive out to Finisterre and Muxia.  These are 2 other sites that are often associated with the Camino, even back to medieval times.  It is becoming more popular nowadays for pilgrims to continue their hike on out to these 2 locations, but it takes at least 3 days to walk to Finisterre and another day to walk to Muxia, and we just don't have that kind of time.  So we're going to drive out there, and then back to the airport for our flight to Barcelona.  Then Wednesday, we'll fly from Barcelona back to the States.

Sept 28: we made it!!

Today, we hiked into Santiago.  In order to make it in time to attend the 12 noon Mass (which is the Pilgrims Mass), we decided to set our alarm for 4:45am.  We got on the road around 6:30am, so it was still very dark out.  Just as we were about to leave the road at the end of O'Pedrouzo and enter the woods, we met a woman from Ireland named Mary.  Between her handheld flashlight and the one on our cell phone, we were able to negotiate our way through the woods, avoiding the roots and large stones while also keeping track of the markers telling us which way to go.  Sometimes we could see the lights from other Pilgrims, so we would follow those, but always we were looking for the yellow arrows to confirm that we hadn't inadvertently left the trail (and thus were acting like a bunch of lemmings).  Once the sun came up, Linda and I both agreed that we preferred walking with some daylight, but it was interesting to try hiking in the dark, as we had heard about so many other people who'd done it.

We arrived at our hotel in Santiago around 11am.  You're not allowed to bring backpacks into the Cathedral, so we wanted to drop our stuff off before going to the mass.  We arrived at the Cathedral around 11:25, and it was already packed.  I found a ledge for us to lean against.  Some poor unfortunate souls who had found a primo spot on the stairs were later told they needed to move because it was a fire hazard for them to be there.  The whole reason we were pushing so hard to make today's mass instead of just waiting until tomorrow is that we had heard that the botafumeiro (swinging incense-burner) would be used on Sunday.  That is one of the things we really wanted to see, and from some research on the internet a couple of nights ago, we found out that there are only certain days when the botafumeiro definitely swings (typically only holy days).  However, if there is a large enough tour group and they are willing to pay, the church will swing the botafumeiro for them.  The group of girls Linda talked to were seniors in high school, and every year their school scheduled this trip just for the seniors. They said they their school had arranged for the botafumeiro to swing on Sunday when they were there, so we hustled to ensure we got to experience this very cool event.

The first picture below is of the outside of the cathedral in Santiago.  As you can see, it is undergoing some restoration.  The church dates back to the 12th and 13th centuries. It has a fabulous door with amazing carvings called the Door of Glory that was built in the 1100's.  Tradition was for people to place their hand on the central column of this entry way when they first arrived, but the marble has been so worn down over the centuries that they no longer allow it.  The doors were undergoing heavy restoration, too, so we don't have any really good photos of them.  In the picture, you can also see all of the people (particularly Pilgrims) hanging out in front of the church.  It was the main meeting place for everyone.  After Mass, we sat and had lunch in the square, and saw several people come in from their hike that day that we had met along the Camino.

The second photo is of the botafumeiro swinging from one section of the transept in the church to the other (so it swings perpendicular to the long part of the church).  It requires 6 men to pull on the ropes to get this thing going, but when they get it going, it really swings high.  It is filled with incense.  It's said that the practice of using the botafumeiro started centuries ago because of all of the smelly pilgrims attending the service, and I can attest to the fact that we did not have time to take a shower before going to the Pilgrim's Mass.  The final photo is of the relics of Saint James.  They are in a silver casket, which is underneath the altar.  In the church, they keep the area behind the altar open for people to visit, even during the service.  But the people are pretty much blocked from the view of the rest of the church, so you only notice them when they are being ushered into the back as they enter from the sides of the church.  

After our early morning departure, we are going to need a nap this afternoon, but we are staying 2 nights in Santiago, so I'll post some more pictures of the city in tomorrow's blog.

Sept 27: 1 day and counting

Today we hiked from Castaneda to O Pedrouzo, about 25km.  However, before getting into that, I wanted to share a picture Linda took of the inside of a church dedicated to Saint James (Igrexa Santiago) that was in the town of Boente, just before Castaneda.  The view is of the altar, and Saint James appears 2 times.  He's at the very top, riding a white horse and holding a flag that has the red Saint James cross on it.  When he is portrayed this way, he is Santiago Matamoros, which means Saint James killer of Moors.  Back in the 1200s through 1400s there was a lot of fighting in Spain between the Christians and the Moors, and the Christians often invoked Saint James to help them in these battles.  The second place where Saint James appears on the altar is smack dab in the middle, where he appears as a pilgrim, wearing his hat with the scallop shells in the top and cloak.  This is the milder, calmer Saint James.

The second photo is of the inside of our room in Castaneda.  The hotel was called Pazo de Sedor, and it was a 400-year-old stone manor house that had been converted into a boutique hotel (I call it boutique because there are only 14 rooms in the whole place, and it has more of a homey feel, ie. there's no reception desk, but there are two different sitting rooms with comfortable chairs, and one of the sitting rooms has a fireplace).  Anyway, as you can see from the picture, a lot of the original stone walls are still in place and being used.  And these walls are typically 2 feet thick.  Also, it had a swimming pool and a tennis court.  Linda took advantage of the pool to cool off her feet.  The tennis court was untouched (somehow, we didn't find room to pack our racquets :-).  This place was about 1 km off of the Camino.  We were told about it by some other people from Cincinnati who had done the Camino a couple of years ago (thanks Roger), and we were thankful for the nice stay there, as it was out in the country and very relaxing (and very popular, too, as the night we were there all 14 rooms were booked).

The third picture is of eucyplytus trees.  They have been around a lot the last 2 days, and when you see the trees they are all in exact rows, so you know they were purposely planted there.  In the picture, the left hand side of the road are the more mature trees that are getting close to being harvested, and on the right side of the road are some younger trees.  The interesting thing about eucyplytus trees is it appears that the shape of their leaves change as they get older.  They go from looking somewhat like maple leaves to something that is much longer and skinnier.  Actually, on some of the "teenager" trees, you can find both kinds of leaves on the same tree.  Anyway, they are not native to this area.  Our guide book says they were brought in for the pulp industry, and there have been a couple of times when we have heard a lot of chainsaws hard at work, but we still appreciated the nice shade they provided along our hike.

Sept 26: Galician corn cribs

There are a lot of farms in Galicia.  One of the distinguishing characteristics, though, versus other farms in Spain is they have built little elevated structures to store their corn in.  The following are some pictures that Linda has taken of some of the different corn cribs we've seen as we've been hiking in Galicia.  If you look closely, you'll notice there is a lip about one-third of the way up, just under the main structure that the corn is stored in.  This lip is to keep the rodents out (sort of like how some people put metal rims around their bird feeders to keep the squirrels from getting into the bird food).  As you can see, the structures are all very similar.  The main differentiation is how they decorate them, ie. their color, or the types of spikes they put on the top of each structure.  These corn cribs are so common that some people even use them for decoration.  We even saw one miniature corn crib where one half served as a mailbox and the other half for bread to be delivered in.

One other thing about hiking in Galicia: while we have definitely enjoyed all of the green and all of the trees, there is one drawback.... the smell.  I have mentioned before about all of the wonderful "presents" that the cows (and horses) have left along the Camino.  Well, they use the same dung to fertilize their fields.  So even if there is no caca on the path that we are walking on, if the wind is blowing in the wrong direction, you still get a strong order of dung.  And if there isn't any dung, there is another smell that sometimes permeates the air: rotting fruit.  There have been a lot of apple and pear trees along the Camino in Galicia, and a lot of the fruit falls to the ground, where it begins to decompose.  And as you all know, the smell of decomposing fruit is not pleasant.  So again, while we have definitely enjoyed the change of scenery,the cooler hiking weather, and the clouds/fog, the smell is one other thing that will always stick in my mind about hiking through Galacia.

Speaking of hiking, it's hard to believe we only have 2 days left on the Camino.  As I near the end of this trip, it is with mixed emotions.  I am definitely looking forward to seeing family and friends again, and to sleeping in our own bed.  However, my body has gotten into a bit of a rythm, now that we have a routine and I have gotten over my physical issues.  It feels like I have finally learned to not be so focused on just reaching the next destination, but to also take the time to enjoy the scenery and appreciate other small things along the way.  And I have also enjoyed the quiet time for my brain when we are hiking, to contemplate whatever comes to mind.  It's also been fun exploring all of the history along the Camino, as well as meeting all of the people, and the camaraderie and caring among the fellow pilgrims.  I hope to carry some of these new habits and learnings going forward, and incorporate them into my life going forward, so I can to be more "in the present" and enjoy more what I have versus worrying about what I don't have, or worrying so much about the future.

Sept 25: who would have thought we would need gloves

When I did my research for our trip, I checked on weather.com what the temperatures were supposed to be like in September for various cities along the Camino.  It said that it would be between the mid 50's and the mid 70's.  However, the first 2 weeks, the temperature was in the 90's (some people said it even got into the upper 90's).  And today and tomorrow, the low is in the mid 40's.  When we left this morning a little after 8am, it was around 47 degrees, which makes our metal hiking poles feel very cold in our hands.  Linda was smart enough to buy gloves back in Astorga, when it first started to get cool.  I, however, have resorted to just sticking my hands up inside my jacket and holding the hiking sticks through the sleeves.  The first picture is of the fog envoloping a bridge we crossed as we left Portomarin. The fog didn't lift until around 9am, when we got to higher altitudes.  However, later in the day, the weather was great for hiking, with a high in the upper 60's.  So by 11am, we both were down to shorts and a short sleeved shirt, and it felt wonderful (which is good, because we did roughly 29.5 km in total today).

The second and third pictures are of a detour we took today to see the church that acted as the "home base" for the Knights of Santiago, a group that helped protect and defend pilgrims for over 600 years (starting in the 1200's and going until the 1800's, per the guide at the church).  The first picture is of some of the sepulchres used for the knights who were buried underneath the floor of this church.  The second picture is of murals that were drawn back in the 1400's in the altar area of the church.  The church is a national monument in Spain.  It's 2.3 km off the Camino, and we definitely thought it was worth the extra 4.6 km to go out and back to see this special place.