Post script

The latest now is that there have been more than 100,000 views of this blog, who knew, and it must be accidental that so many people have chanced on this. On the other hand Joyce and I are constantly running into people who know about the Camino. It's always coincidental, but then again maybe not. Our local and favorite book store has just put out an email featuring a list of books about walking and how this offers opportunities to relax, recharge, reflect, renew energy and so on. It's ancient and yet contemporary. I remember reading stories as a kid where the main character would throw a knapsack over his shoulder and set off to see the world. And now there's a book out about a grandma who decided to walk the 2000 mile Appalachian Trail with a gunny sack slung over her shoulder. What goes around comes around. For sure we have finished the Camino, but we haven't stopped walking. 

Recapturing the spirit of the Camino - 

And So There We Are

And that's it and it's over and done with and we are on our way back home after an adventure that already seems to have happened long ago. And here we are at the airport waiting to go back to the good ol' US of A. 

Joyce and I reminisce about our favorite parts of the journey and we agree that oddly enough we actually like the first part the best, and that was the hardest part. But we were the freshest then and it was the most rewarding and inspiring and interesting. And it was the part where we proved ourselves by meeting the challenges. 

We somewhat recovered in the Parador. The Parador in Santiago de Compostela was originally a hostel/hospital (like the one in León) founded and paid for from their own funds by Isabella and Fernando in the late 1400s after they discovered there was no where that sick pilgrims could recover and that many actually died on the floor of the Cathedral after their journey. 

When we get back home, we'll be telling stories about how it went and what happened and the whole experience will become part of our greater story.  But the refrain remains: "Buen Camino" everyone!!!

The End of the World got Canceled

Apparently they decided that the rain would spoil the trip out to the coast, or something, and canceled the excursion so we are stuck in the Parador. Disappointing because it would have put the frosting on the cake. On the other hand, it is indeed a torrential downpour that only lets up for a little and then starts again. Their drainage system is truly impressive....

Seriously? CLIF Bar has been copying us ... (Today's snack)

More pilgrims arrive every minute - these riders left all their bicycles in a big pile to have their picture taken. If you do the Camino by bicycle, you have to ride 200K, not just 100K, to get the Compostela. 

We took advantage of a brief respite in weather to walk, hahahaha, to a park

 overlooking the old sector and the cathedral, where I left my rock. On a ledge with a view of the cathedral, guarded by an important citizen of Santiago.

It's the last thing we needed to do before the return home. Very symbolic and I had to find just the right place since it wasn't going out to Finisterre.   Tomorrow the plane to Madrid and then home. 😀

The Religious Road

Tuesday, September 16, 2014, 11:10 a.m. Joyce and I walked into Obradoiro square and looked up at the cathedral. We had done it! Our goal was accomplished and we were both glad and amazed that we had. 

Then it hit us. Ok, now what - and then we looked around to see that the square was somewhat smaller than we had thought it would be, and the cathedral facade was under wraps for renovation, and yes, there were pilgrims in the square but also lots of groups of tourists and day trippers and no one was delirious with religious exaltation - oh, and it was gray and rainy and windy.  In short, kind of anticlimactic. Maybe that's how it also is for marathoners and other people who put out lots of effort for a project and then it's over... 

Well even though no pilgrims prostrated themselves before the gates or walked in on their knees, there were plenty of religious/spiritual examples that we saw on the way, big and small. 

And we had our own spiritual moments

And we saw that people had tried to commemorate important things

This was an awful monument, but it was dedicated to the visit of Pope Benedict on the Camino. 

And stands in sharp contrast to these humble crosses intertwined into the fencing along a roadway

And we went to the evening mass, even though neither of us is Catholic, to participate. Because that's what a pilgrim does. The altar area was beautiful and we did experience the swinging of the huge incense burner, the botafumeiro. 

We also got our "Compostela" the official paper acknowledging your pilgrimage, that is, after a two hour wait in line in the rain... 

And tomorrow: to the end of the world - we are taking the bus to Finisterre, right on the Atlantic and once considered to be exactly that, the end of the world. 

For Joyce's Family

Remembrances of 19 Ferry Street - just like the rock they spent so many happy hours playing on. 

Santa Irene

Our dear friend Irene lost her husband to Parkinson's very recently. They had spent many years living in Spain while he worked. She wanted us to leave a lock of his hair on the Camino so he could return to Spain and when we discovered the tiny chapel of Santa Irene en route, we decided it was the perfect place. Joyce placed the lock at the cornerstone of the chapel and put her wishing rock on top. 

 We almost didn't find it because it was on a detour route. This was graffiti put to good use... 

Walk Walk Walk

Another day on the Camino - one foot in front of the other - we don't remember the word "impossible" (thanks to Mickie Price) 

We are doing great but after 14K two days in a row, we are tired. The younger hikers can do 30 but we have learned that 30 would not be age-appropriate. We have actually learned a lot of things on the Camino: 

1.  A lot of short uphills and downhills is just as bad as a long uphill and therefore a long downhill

2.  Take the whole roll of TP, you never know....

But don't leave it in the woods or along the way - the litter is horrific - and so is the graffiti 

3.  You can distinguish the presence of different barnyard animals by their noise or what they leave behind on the paths

And, also, you could get along with much less stuff in your luggage... 

To be cont.