FinisTerre - The End of the World

...and the end of the walking. There was some talk about going for 1000 kms, but once I dipped in the Atlantic after so many kms of walking, the motivation dropped to zip.

Santiago Signoff

The rest/party day in Santiago was about as much fun as one body can have in a 24 hour period. The loose crowd of 30+ people that I have been walking with the past few weeks all conglomerated on the Cathedral Square the same day. So much hugging and kissing and smiling and laughter...and then of course, beer. The local police ignored us till about 2 AM, which is pretty good. A few of us tried to do the Paris to Dakar rally (pilgrimage). So silly, I can´t tell you. The earlier part of the day was spent as a late sleep in a bed with sheets, a 2 hour breakfast, Pilgrim mass in the Cathedral (they don´t call out your name, but they call out your pilgrimage (...from Canada, walking from St. Jean Pied de Port), a long soak in the tub, a nice nap and a free Pilgrim meal (1st 10 people only) at the oh, so swank Parador Hotel on the main square, the the Square. Lot of very happy, emotional people.

One of the coolest days of my life.



FinisTerre

The hike to the End of the World is about 90 kms. Barely worth putting on the shoes, eh? We re-connect with old friends and make some new ones.

When you leave people on the Camino, it is rarely a serious goodbye. It is a small Camino, only so many places to be at walking speed. But once you get to Santiago, the goodbyes get pretty emotional. Some people you have been seeing, chatting with eating with, sharing albergues with for a few weeks. Now in FinisTerre, a even smaller crowd and the goodbyes are likely the last ones. The tears are flowin.



Camino Signoff

My little diary has over 70 names of people I have shared time/experiences with on this Camino. When I get time, I´ll type them all up to keep the memory. A bunch of new Facebook buddies and a group to share some of the party pics.

People ask me if I am travelling alone. I think of it as travelling solo. I am open and enthusiastic about meeting new people. I spent 80% of my walking time on the Camino alone with my thoughts. The rest of the time (you only walk about 6 hours a day) was the most gregarious experience I have ever had, not unlike living on a kibbutz in the 70´s, but the whole crowd moves every day at various speeds and for various distances.

My 30 kms a day pace matched up with 20 or so people, and these people I shared the last few hundred kilometers with. The ones at 20-25 kms a day I left in Burgos.

Walking all day outside, your head is filled with the beautiful scenery, the amazing smells of Spain in full, glorious spring (cow dung a free bonus) and a wide variety of very cool people to meet and greet with.

Your walking is usually doen by 2 PM, then it is get the Pilgrim stamp, a shower, little laundry, some lunch, maybe a nap. Supper is Pilgrim menu is some local restaurant with anywhere from 2 to 20 people. So much fun.

Walking the Camino is an extremely cool way to spend time in your life.