Santiago to Seattle October 15, 2012

I want to thank everyone who followed our blog.  It really gave us daily inspiration.

I made it home safely with only a few minor issues.  It is good to be home and I could leave tomorrow and walk the Camino all over again.  Just a word of advice to anyone wanting to make this journey in the future is to take at least 6 weeks.  This will give you enough time not to need to do more than 20k a day.  I would have loved to have had more time to really visit the towns we were in and to stay a some of the less visited town. 

What I will take away from this journey is that I am a lot stronger than I thought i was and never to focus on what I don’t want but to always focus on what I do want in life and to never be afraid to be myself.

I would like to leave everyone with the Prayer of La Faba.  It meant a lot to me when I saw in in the church at O Cebreira.

The Prayer of La Faba

Although I may have travelled all the roads,
crossed mountains and valleys from East to West,
if I have not discovered the freedom to be myself,
I have arrived nowhere.

Although I may have shared all of my possessions
with people of other languages and cultures;
made friends with pilgrims of a thousand paths
or shared albergue with saints and princes,
if I am not capable of forgiving my neighbour tomorrow
I have arrived nowhere.

Although I may have carried my pack from beginning to end
and waited for every Pilgrim in need of encouragement,
or given my bed to one who arrived later than I,
given my bottle of water in exchange for nothing:
if upon returning to my home and work,
I am not able to create brotherhood
or to make happiness, peace and unity,
I have arrived nowhere.

Although I may have had food and water each day,
and enjoyed a roof and a shower every night:
or may have had my injuries well attended,
if I have not discovered in all that the love of God,
I have arrived nowhere.

Although I may have seen all the monuments
and contemplated the best sunsets;
although I may have learned a greeting in every language
or tried the clean water from every fountain;
if I have not discovered who is the author
of so much free beauty and so much peace,
I have arrived nowhere.

If from today I do not continue walking on your path,
searching for and living according to what I have learned;
if from today I do not see in every person, friend or foe
a companion on the Camino;
if from today I cannot recognize God,
the God of Jesus of Nazareth
as the one God of my life,
I have arrived nowhere.




    







    




    



    








    




    



    











    


 



    



    



    


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Brenda’s Journey home

I left Astorga by cab after saying goodbye to Yvonne and Olga. Arrived at the bus station and met a lady from Germany and we traveled to Madrid together and then took a cab to the airport. She was dropped at terminal 4s and I proceeded to terminal 4.

I looked in vain for British Airways and after speaking with a very tall English man, he told me that Iberia and British had merged I found an Iberian Sales counter.  I talked with a not so nice sales lady who sent me to a pay phone to call British Air.  After trying 3 phones with no luck I decided to try another sales desk. This lady actually let me use her phone and I changed my ticket to leave the next day.

With the help of a lovely married couple who spoke English I was able to have my backpack wrapped so that I could check it in the next day.  There was a nice young man who heard that I needed a hotel close to the airport for the night.  He called someone he knew and arranged for me to be picked up at the airport, taken to the hotel, given breakfast the next morning and taken back to the airport all for 65e.  I said sign me up!

I checked in at the hotel and then walked a couple of blocks to a bar/cafe and had a nice meal, then returned to my room, showered and slept.  Returning to the airport the next morning I checked in and got my seat assignments, flew to London (almost missed my flight), then flew home to Seattle on the 29th of September.

Janet and Sara my niece were there to pick me up and we promptly went to Red Robin for a hamburger.  So good to be home!

I would spend the next two weeks following Yvonne’s blog to Santiago.

Santiago to Finistere October 10, 2012

Found a taxi early this morning and went to the bus station to get a round trip ticket to Finistere.
Got my ticket and had a coffee and croissant waiting for the bus.
It rained all the way to Finistere and was raining a lot when I got there.
There are many towns along the coast that we passed through on the way there. I don’t know why I thought it would be less populated. Finistere is actually much larger than I thought.
Because of the slipperiness of the rocks I made it down as close to the water as was safe to scatter Linda’s ashes. I felt her with me and she made sure I didn’t miss the bus coming back.

Santiago October 9, 2012

My plan today is to go to the cathedral and go to mass and just hang out in Santiago.
I go to breakfast with the Brazilians and end up at the cathedral with Paulo and Erico. We have time before mass to explore and take pictures. One disappointment is that the place where pilgrims placed their hand when walking into the cathedral is walled off because it was damaging the stone.
You hear lots of stories that they won’t swing the fumeria at the end of mass so it was great that they did. Because we were sitting opposite the direction it was swinging the pictures were not great. I tried to enhance them as best as I could. One of the pilgrims from Canada took a great picture and is sending it to me.
Had lunch with Freddie, Lawrence and Francesco and then went to the information office to see how to get to Finistere. I will leave here by bus tomorrow at 9:00 for my last journey of the camino.
When I was returning to the hostel after lunch I ran into Olga as she was arriving in Santiago. It was great to see her, another emotional moment.

 

Had dinner tonight with eight different pilgrims and had the opportunity to see Spain’s famous pigs leg. We had tapas and wine to toast the end of a very long walk. I also met the famous Lisa from New Jersey. You can see photos of all.

Pedrouzo to Santiago

Today I will be in Santiago. You walk with this as a goal but when it becomes a reality pilgrims including myself find it hard to believe. I had a difficult time finding sleep last night, but once I got there it was the deepest sleep of the journey.
Many pilgrims on the road today. We all seem to want to slow the process by stopping at all the bars or cafes in each town. Remember a bar in Spain is a cafe.
It seems as though any face you recognize from any day on the way becomes a very familiar face. The pilgrims become very familiar and friendly. I meet the Brazilians about one hour out and we all stop to have a cafe con leche. I wait till they leave and decide to walk alone. It has been raining since we left this morning and is supposed to rain all day. It is a soft Seattle rain and not a problem. There is a part of me that wants to get to Santiago as soon as possible and a part that wants to delay the arrival.
I enter the place where there is a artistic structure in honor of pilgrims. A lot of buses with tour groups here. There is a all church where I get my second stamp of the day.
And then we walk into the suburbs of Santiago.
I met up with the Brazilians again and we walk into the area where St James Cathedral is and who should appear but Francesco.
I take pictures of the Brazilians and everyone heads to the peregrino office for our Compostella.
Lots of emotion from everyone. Paulo helps me find a room at a hostel and invites me to join there group for lunch. I agree and go to check in at the hostel. I leave to join them and run into Fredy who had just arrived. We agree to meet at the cathedral formats the next day. I look and cannot find the restaurant but run into Fredy again who is now looking for a room. I take him to where I am staying and they have a room. We contact Lawrence later and we invite Francesco to join us for dinner. It was a good night.

Rapadisio to Pedrouzo October 7, 2012

Update from last night: had dinner with a fun group of ladies from Denmark and Australia. Good conversation and good food.

I started walking today with a group who have been traveling together for quite some time. A couple from Delaware, Nancy and Gary and three great guys from Brazil (Paulo, Erico, Jovano). The Brazilians have done the camino before and Gary says they are corrupting him. He is an attorney and I think they are teaching him how to relax.
I took pictures of the landscape I walked through and the city to give everyone an idea of what this is like.
It is hard to believe I will be Santiago tomorrow. I have between 15 to 20k to go depending on whose map I use. Either way it will be the shortest day I have had lately.

I found Francesco again about 4k from Pedrouzo. We walked into town together and he picked up his backpack that he had shipped ahead and decided to move on towards Santiago. He wants to be there by noon for mass.
I decided to stay here and found an albergue a little out of town but a really good place.
A Spaniard who has walked parts of the Camino 9 times told me about a good restaurant. I went there and found the Brazilians and the Delaware couple. Good food and a fun time.

Palais del REI to Rapadisio October 6, 2012

Every day here is so different and yet the same. I had the best night sleep since I have been on the camino. The hotel was a good choice. There were many pilgrims at the hotel. Some pilgrims only stay in hotel or pensions with private rooms, while others stay occasionally and others wouldn’t be caught dead in one.
I met Francesco on the trail today reciting a prayer for the pilgrims who stay in albergues. He is one funny guy. I passed him off and on all day. The last time was at the bottom of a hill I didn’t think he would be able to traverse. Shortly after, a taxi came by and I believe they took him to his next destination.
I met many touragrinos today always looking for a stamp to make sure the get the Compostella certificate at the end of the journey. They still don’t talk to the other pilgrims.
Met a young man ( Ryan) from West Seattle. We were resting where there were unusually high picnic tables. We met again in Melide and shared a table for lunch. He started his journey in France and will finish in Finistere. Seems he loves to hike the long paths and this seemed a good opportunity to hike in a foreign country with many different languages and people.
Continued on my journey and two Italians helped me finds way out of Melide. They stopped for a stamp and I met up with a man from India by way of Toronto, Canada. He was a professor of business who felt he needed to change the way he taught by adding philosophy and ethics to the curriculum. He was fired and his students bought him a ticket to walk the Camino. He gave me his theory of the universe for the next hour.
Met a priest in Melide who was so happy to have someone from Seattle here. He gave me a holy card and invited me to visit his church.
Only two days to go before Santiago. I will be there on time to take the bus to Finistere.

Alto de Poya to Pintin

Yesterday was maintains and avoiding cow pies and today was rain, mountains and not being able to avoid cow pies. The first part of our journey through Spain had people sweeping the streets and growing hay for animals we never saw. With all the cafe con leche the pilgrims drink the milk had to come from somewhere.
We made great time this morning with more than 12k by 10:00. We had been walking  in Seattle like rain.
Our fast descent was slowed by a herd of cows. We made the decision to take the shorter route without many hamlets with bars or cafes. This path truly felt ancient with the old growth forests.

Smiling tractor

This tree looked like it could talk!

When we finally came to a bar/cafe we ran into Francesco and Lawrence and Freddie. Francesco had gotten ill and cut out as much distance as I did. He is still having problems with his leg. We stopped in Pintin and stayed at a pension ( hotel ). It ended up that we were there with Francesco, Freddie, Lawrence and our friends from Belfast, Joe and Pauline.
Francesco was a former mercenary and we had lively political discussion. Francesco suggested we take all the world leaders, the bankers and the major CEOs and have them walk the Camino together. I think our world problems would be resolved.
Sorry there weren’t more pictures today. My phone was running low on battery life.

Pintin to Mercadoira

Good weather and we are heading through Sarria today. Sarria is the 100k mark for pilgrims wishing to have the Compostella. Sarria is a larger city and Olga hopes to find better shoes. We find a pilgrim shoe store and she finds a pair of shoes. Leaving Sarria we pass the monastery. The pictures don’t do it justice. It was a beautiful and peaceful place.

 

We walk on a beautiful path towards Barbadelos. Olga decides to stay at the albergue in Barbadelos and I decide to push on. I decide to walk to Mercadoira, another 12k.

When I arrive in Mercadoira there are more pilgrims than I have seen in one place before. It seems like a mob is trying to get a room or a bed. Francesco, Lawrence and Fredy are in line. I take my place and wait for the line to subside. Joe and Pauline arrive and wait for a beds.
This is the worst albergue I’ve been in. After I pick my bed by moving through many rooms I am not certain I will find it again. We all sit outside drink some wine and wait for dinner to be served. The soup was the best yet.

 

 

 

Mercadoira to Palais de REI

It seemed like I was never going to be able to leave this morning but I finally was on the road a little after eight. Weather is great and didn’t need a jacket. First part of the day was all down hill. This makes it nice to make good time. I didn’t have anything to eat and planned to get something in the first town of Portimarin. This town was moved in the 50’s to make way for a dam. You had to cross a very high bridge that was a little intimidating and then walk down a street and cross another bridge going back over what you had just crossed. I really felt I was going in circles.
There were quite a lot of pilgrims, especially the new ones. They seem afraid to talk to anyone. It is great when you finally see a familiar face.
Ran into Freddie, Lawrence and Francesco at the first town that had food. We ate, took care of our feet and I helped a lady with a tight psoas.
This was my longest walk yet with 27k. I ended up staying in a hotel to catch up on my sleep and to find a place with wifi to catch u on the blogs.
The spirit of the camino has changed with all the new folks. I hope they start to loosen up and communicate.