My last day in Spain

Interestingly enough, woke to a day filled with sunshine--but cool. Autumn is in full force here in Galacia. Tried to get my airline tickets straightened out at a Travel Agency. They called Iberia but the best they could get was: ¨well, it ought to work out but that depends on the agent at the airport.¨ His advice is to get to the airport several hours early to give me time to press my arguement (routing my bag from Santiago to Dullas rather than my current flight arrangements which have me going from Santiago to Madrid to Seville and then Seville to Madrid to Dullas. Arriving at the airport that early means getting up for the 6:40 a.m. bus--a 15 to 20 minute walk from my hostal (which also means learning how to set an alarm on my Spanish cell phone). The travel agent suggested I take a taxi instead. Decisions, decisions. Also suggested that since Iberia has one of the worst luggage records (hence the question about baggage handling), I should pack everything in my small suitcase that I don´t care if I see for possibly weeks. So in goes the dirty laundry, my first aid kit, etc. Like before, I will carry my backpack onboard. It has become a part of me.

While sitting with old men on the Cathedral square taking in a little warmth of the sun, who should walk up but a woman from British Columbia, Canada I met at Orisson! I have not seen her or her cousin since Roncesvalles. Turns out her cousin had to leave for family illness reasons so she ended up doing the Camino essentially alone. She took her time and arrived yesterday afternoon. We will meet up at 5p.m. today for wine and conversation. Several others arrived today whom I have not seen since the beginning so it has turned out to be a pleasant day.

May you rejoice in this day the Lord has made and give thanks for all that is good and true and beautiful in your life. And may God´s blessings fill your lives with joy and hope.

And the Lord must weep

Woke up this morning to more rain. I think I´ve figured out the routine. It rains or mists every day until around 3 or 4 p.m. Then the sun comes out until it goes down!

Went to the Cathedral this morning hoping for some quiet prayer time. I think that is an impossibility on the Camino. Got to the Cathedral a little after 10 a.m. and was told I would have to wait until atleast 11 a.m. before I could get in. And the crowds kept coming. Interestingly enough they allowed tour groups in but not those who wanted to pray. Is there something dreadfully wrong with this picture? And then when I did get in, people were pushing and shoving, talking loudly and otherwise making prayer very difficult indeed. And the tour groups kept coming through. Every few minutes there was a reminder that the Cathedral was a house of prayer and to keep silence but no one paid attention. Here were all these people, thousands of them strolling through, talking on cell phones, snapping pictures right and left of little things, and otherwise making the temple into a marketplace. I kept thinking that our Lord must weep to see all these people tromping through with narry a thought of the cost or the opportunity this place represents. I also keep thinking that the tourists buying pilgrim staffs should simply walk over to the Pilgrim Alberque (now admittedly it is a ¨ten minute¨journey--Roman will laugh) and pick up a staff for free that has actually made the journey!

I continue to be astonished by the numbers of people doing the Camino who have little or no religious or spiritual component to their journey. For many, it is a cheap way to travel in Spain and to have fun. For others--and this I can certainly understand--they are in the midst of making major decisions or entering significant transitions and need time to clear their heads in a structured environment. Certainly the Camino provides this. You have lots of time to think. Very few pilgrims actually apply for a Compostela--the document certifying your completion of the Camino (at least the last 100k). This could be discouraging for those who work so hard to ensure the continuation of the Camino. At the same time, it doesn´t take long to discover than many small, small towns along the Camino continue to exist simply because of pilgrim income. How else could a town with one house, two barns and a lot of cows and chickens possibily support a bar and an albergue for 50?

The time here is growing short and I am ready to leave. I think I have explored every nook and cranny of this town--in and out of the old city. Not much left to do but sit around and watch the tourists and incoming pilgrims (none of which I know now--they started later). May you find God´s grace tucked in a person or event today and may you offer a grateful and compassionate heart in return.

It´s raining

Woke up this morning to more rain and it has poured all day.......ugh! I did get laundry done today so that is a big plus. Now I´m down for the count coming home. Will do a few tourist things today and attend the Pilgrim´s Mass tomorrow. And hope for the sun to return.

Today was Finisterre and SUN!!!!

Well, if you count hazy with sun it was a beautiful day to go out to Finisterre and walk the final miles out to the ènd of the earth´. Not too many familiar faces out there but a few. Everyone on the bus out was a pilgrim--the Camino Express to Finisterre (and a double decker besides!). Standing there on the rocks looking down at the ocean and smelling the salty air was amazing. The boats down below looked so tiny. The clouds to the west were big and fluffy but the ocean was a beautiful blue to the north. And just think--you all are on the other side of where I was standing today!

The bus trip out took 2.5 hours but the return took 3.5--the bus broke down and we had to be picked up by another which turned out to be the `milk route´. Oh, well. That´s Camino! At least a portion of the trip was by the ocean. It was the fastest I have traveled in over a month! The bus was really flying. Again I was surprised by the number of tourists and tour buses parked near the lighthouse. There were pilgrims weeping and tourists chatting loudly and snapping pictures right and left. A pilgrim is grateful, tourists expect is a Camino mantra. The tourists seemed unaware that many of the people standing around in awe had walked there. I took a picture of the 0.00k marker in front of the lighthouse. A fitting symbol for the end of this incredible journey--a lighthouse and the wide blue ocean leading home to you.

Last night I ran into two people I had met the very first night in France around the dinner table in SJPP. He had had a medical emergency so I was pleased they were able to finsih. They had just gotten in and were looking for accomodation (which is not particularly easy or cheap here in Santiago). So there are still people I know showing up! I also saw creepy man (of Pamplona fame) yesterday.

May you find a light at the end of your journey and joy at the beauty of God´s creation. The journey does indeed begin with one step forward (with some steps backward at irritating moments!) but it does not end with the destination. God´s blessing be upon you and the peace of Christ be within you. May you be the source of God´s grace to others and may the grace of God encounter you in the crossings.

It´s still raining......

It has been pouring rain here in Santiago. And it is raining in Porto, Portugal and not so good at Finisterre either. I talked with a friend this morning who walked out to Finisterre and she said it was the hardest of the Camino--the terrain, the fact that some of the albergues are closed or very far apart, and of course, the rain. I was hoping to return to Leon where there is a forecast of sun but that is a 7 hour train/bus ride each way. So I am holed up here in Santiago continuing to see people I have met along the way and seeing all the sights. I am SO tired of rain! It has been a week of this stuff. Everytime I think it is clearing, another wave comes through. Walking back from the laundry yesterday (after they lost a shirt and pair of underwear--a crisis when you have only two sets), the sky opened up with wind and rain and everything got wet all over again. With the dampness, nothing dries and you feel clammy all the time.

In addition, I am homesick. I am ready to go but Iberia says I have to stay in Spain until next week. I stopped by the Pilgrim Office to see if my camera had been brought in. Nothing yet. They did take my name, email address and phone number so if it turns up, they will contact me and send it. Only a miracle will bring it back to me, I am afraid. So I purchased a book (in Spanish) that has many pictures along the Camino to remind me of specific places and memories. The camera I purchased does not really take very good pictures so I am trying to make sure I take things in.

I attended the Pilgrim´s Mass yesterday and heard: and one American pilgrim who started in SJPP--that´s me! It was a very moving service even though I could barely understand what was being said. And guess who sat down right near me?? The two German women who kept getting up early and then not leaving the albergue for an hour! God certainly has a sense of humor. A Cathedral filled to standing room with people and they found me! I sat with a woman from East Germany whom I had journeyed with for a bit and two other Germans. I also saw the Canadian women. The young woman from Hungary and so on. So a time of lots of familiar faces and congratulations all around. I will also attend the Mass on Sunday. It is really hard not to take Communion. I desperately miss the Eucharist even though I have been sharing bread and wine in huge quantities all along the way. I must remind myself that table fellowship and the breaking of bread is what Jesus certainly intended. Whenever we do this in his name, we are doing what he commanded. A pilgrim was chosen yesterday to read the lessons which was really nice.

I did the pilgrim ritual early this morning of going to visit St. James in his niche up behind the Cathedral Altar and then sent down to the tomb below. I was surprised by the tears. It has been a long journey with many stories and many challenges. I am truly grateful for a body and a pair of feet that brought me so far. I was not the only one. A number of pilgrims were also crying. Only the mobs of tourists walking past remind you that our experiences of the past month or more have been rich with connection to this destination. The tourists are dressed with nice shoes and clothes and we are still wearing our ¨quick dri¨clothing and boots--the contrast is stark not only in appearance but also in demeanor. The pilgrims walk with reverence and a kind of wondering look (have I really arrived? what has this journey meant? will I ever see so and so again? what will I do tomorrow?) and emotions are keen, while the tourists rush around with their guides snapping pictures like mad and talking loudly. This has been a profound experience which I cannot readily put into words. There have been smiles and tears, grunts and exuberant joy, and of course some words spoken in the heat of the moment that shall remain nameless. I have seen so many beautiful little towns, pots filled with gorgeous flowers, fields filled with all kinds of growing things, animals of all kinds, and of course the people of the country and other pilgrims. I will search today for a journal book (mine is filled) and see if I can use this time to get my heart and mind around it all.

May God bless you as you step out in faith this day. And may what you discover bring a smile to your face.

Arrived in Santiago today!

The past three days have been in intermittent rain. Not nice. Today though was particularly nasty because the rain was heavy and the trail was essentially a small river. I got my first blister of the Camino--always happens when my feet get wet. Arrived in Santiago covered in my tomato garb and when I got to the Cathedral square, the sun shone through for just a moment or two. It is amazing to think that I have made it! I received my Compostela--in some ways a disappointment because you stand in line with people who admit to having their baggage transported and having someone pick them up and take them to a hotel, and there you are standing in the same line, soaking wet and still with your backpack on. You sign a list, your name is written on the Compostela, you put in your money, and there you are. I did manage to leave my very wet hat there on the counter though. God willing, I won´t need it any more! It has served as my pillowcase and as a hat when the sun has been intense or the rain unrelenting. And by golly, it does not have a pleasant fragrance. But neither does anything else in my pack right now! Thank goodness we were able to get our clothing washed and dried yesterday at the albergue because nothing has been dry for at least three days. Do you know what happens to damp clothing stuffed into plastic bags? It is not a pretty picture--or rather, not a very nice thing to open up when you need to put the contents on your body.

We wandered Santiago for a little bit trying to find a cheap place to stay. Ran into familiar people. It would be fascinating to sit on the square (when it is sunny, of course) and see all the pilgrims arriving. There are many people from the beginning that I have lost track of. Some I learned today had to drop out for health reasons, some for discouragement. What makes the pìlgrim arrival a tad bit strained is that the square is filled with tourists who wonder what in the world all these wet, smelly people are doing wandering around amongst them. I cannot tell you how many times we stopped people to ask for directions only to find out that they were tourists! But again, the Spanish are incredibly kind to pilgrims. When we couldn´t find the alberque, one woman walked us to it--and we are talking about a twenty minute walk. The albergue is outside the old city and huge. I opted for a single room tonight. I needed a night in a room by myself. As a pilgrim, you learn to appreciate the simple things. Like going to the bathroom all by yourself without having five or more others also in there with you. Like taking a shower without having to take everything you own in with you. Like sleeping through the night without having the sounds (of all kinds) coming from a multitude of others waking you up.

I stayed in a private albergue in Santa Irene last night--was one of four in the attic. A pleasant change--there were real sheets on the bed and she handed us a bath towel. Imagine. A real towel and clean sheets! See what I mean?

Tomorrow I will attend mass at the Cathedral and do the pilgrim rituals. Today I was simply far too tired. It is still raining tonight. So had a simple dinner of lentil soup, Russian salad (a really pitiful excuse for a vegetable salad), and flan for dessert. And of course, lovely bread and Roija wine. Tomorrow I am going to have to start cutting back on the food intake. Without walking 20-28k per day, things will begin to get out of hand if I keep eating the way I have been! So I´ll taper off. A sad, sad thing!

May your journey take you to the place where you will encounter the grace and love of God. May you bask in the sudden sunshine when you are surrounded by rain. I give thanks for the opportunity to take this amazing journey. It will take some time to unpack--not only the backpack, but the memories and stories. I look forward to sharing them with you.

In Palas de Rei

OK, I did a 28k day today. I didn´t intend to but it happened. First of all two German women got up at 5 a.m. this morning and bustled around rustling bags and flashing their flashlights until the whole room was awake. I finally got up at 6, ate my yogurt and banana, and got under way around 6:30 a.m. in the dark and with mist that was almost rain. I wasn´t especially happy about this but it is Camino. It is not a pleasant thing to sit in a room when you can´t really sit up (because the bunk above you prevents such a luxury) and there are lots of smelly boots made even more so by the humidity of Galicia. Luckily the pathway today was pretty good underfoot. Soft with needles and clear dirt. Not too many big rocks. It doesn´t begin to get light until 8 a.m. so you have to be pretty alert watching for arrows and direction changes. Luckily there was one person far ahead so I had it a bit easier. I arrived at my intended destination around 10:45 a.m. and then several people I know came along and convinced me to walk with them to Palas de Rei. They wanted to walk slowly so it worked out alright. And the walk was very pleasant.

Arrived here around 1 p.m., found the albergue quickly, took a shower, did laundry and took a brief nap--interupted by the two women who woke everyone up this morning!!! They got here two and half hours after I did. What in the world took them so long? And now I have a preview of tomorrow morning as well since they are in the beds next to mine. One lesson of Camino is that you have to let go of a lot of your irritations at people and with people. You live in such close community--sharing intimacy in ways you don´t even share with your own family--that you simply cannot indulge yourself in petty frustration. Otherwise you´d never have enough energy and enthusiam to get up the next day and do it again. I continue to be surprized by the men who think nothing of walking around in their briefs (and these are NOT boxers) for extended periods of time. Today I saw men walking without shirts--how do they avoid pack burn??

So much for slowing down......I could actually be in Santiago two days from now. And then the question becomes do I attempt to walk to Finisterre. It is supposed to rain hard for the next two to three days so we will see how things look ¨from under the poncho¨! It is hard to believe Santiago is so near. I keep watching the distance bollards counting down the kilometers. Some of us were talking today how it seems as though the time has gone by so quickly and yet in some ways, it feels like we´ve been here doing this for a very long time. Or maybe I should spend a little hotel time in Santiago and begin to get over sleeping with 10 to 100 of my Camino friends! I am beginning to get excited to see Santiago, experience arriving on the square in front of the Cathedral, going to the pilgrim mass, and then coming home! Thank you for all your prayers and support. I have been vigilant in my prayers for you (and especially those who wrote out their slips with particular concerns) and for St. James´ and our future together.

May God bring you sunshine and grace.

In Portomarin

A short day today. Got up at the late hour of almost 8 a.m. and left around 8:30 after coffee and toast. A delightful misty day in Galicia. Again was surrounded by cows and sheep this morning. It is amazing how much this area looks like Ireland--from the slate slab fences to the layout of the farms and the terrain. Huge trees--how many pilgrims have touched them? Walked the morning with a woman from--guess? Canada!! A nice conversation and then she and her walking companion were off. At the albergue last night, met a woman who is a relative of the French Canadian couple I was walking with the first few weeks. This is indeed a very small Camino world! Met a woman outside the supermercado who is suffering from bed bug bites big time. She got the bites in a small albergue in Burgos. She has had an allergic reaction and is covered, and I mean covered, with pustules as big as your thumb. She was waiting for her doctor appointment. She is the third person I have met with bed bug bites.

Not much time today as internet access is VERY expensive here and slow. I am trying very hard to slow down to around 12 to 16k per day. I may still arrive in Santiago a little early. There are some positives to that--I just might catch up with some of the people I have met along the way and lost track of. Surprising though how people pop back in.

The walk this morning in the mist was restful. What a wonderful world we live in. May God bless you this day and always with grace and eyes to see what is spread out before you.

In the middle of nowhere close to Portomarin

I walked from Fonfria yesterday (a wonderful albergue by the way, with GREAT homemade food: homemade vegetable beef soup, chorizo sausage and pasta, followed by Santiago almond cake) to Samos. My leg made the decision between the two routes--the longer one to Samos or the shorter one to Tricastela. Samos is the location of the oldest existing monestary in the western world. It is a beautiful little town in the midst of the mountains. Went to mass last night and heard the Gregorian Chant in a beautiful space. Really made me miss the Eucharist. As a non-Roman Catholic I have been respecting their unwillingness to extend an invitation to the table to us. I did not stay in the monestary albergue. While I was waiting for them to open, I realised that the bar across the street offered bunk space for 8 euro (and only 10 bunks in the room which becomes a real luxury on the Camino!) with a clean bathroom with a real tub. I looked in the monestary albergue--metal bunks very close together and 3¨mattresses. Sorry, after a long hard climb and many ups and downs, this old body needs a better bed than that. Turns out only four of us stayed in the room--including a Canadian couple I had met early on. Small world, the Camino!

Left Samos this morning around 7:30 a.m. Dawn is now coming close to 8 a.m. I did not see another pilgrim until I arrived in Sarria about 11 a.m.! Not a one! It was a cool, misty morning with lots of fog around. At one point I was concerned that I was not in the right place because though I was following arrows, there were no other pilgrims. I asked an old woman sweeping her step if it was the Camino. She nodded yes. I thanked her profusely and she gave me an apple to ¨restore my spirit.¨ I am still amazed that there was absolutely no one! It was both nice and worrisome at the same time. This afternoon was completely different. Upon leaving Sarria, there were lots of people. Sarria is the last place where you can begin walking to Santiago and still receive a Compostela. I´m glad it wasn´t a weekend because it would have been much worse. You can tell the long distance pilgrims from the newbies almost in a heartbeat.

Today was one of some asphalt walking (which absolutely destroys my legs) and some really wonderful and beautiful trails in woodlands and country roads. The mist continues into the afternoon, though the sun is shining. So it is difficult to see very far. I followed several herds of cows being led in for milking (no, I didn´t go THAT far) and was surrounded at one point with a herd of sheep. The amount of manure on the roads and trails is incredible. At some points, it is as though the farmer took a hose and cleaned out the barns right onto the street. You have to step carefully or you will carry the ¨fragrance o´barn¨with you for many miles.

I am staying tonight in a room above another bar in Morgade. The 99k marker to Santiago is right outside. So far three women in the room with 8 beds--and none of the beds are bunks! It was a 24+k day today. Though the legs are sore, as long as I stop regularly and stretch and drink lots of water, I can coax them into going a little farther.

Less than two weeks to go! It hardly seems possible that I have been doing this for a month. I am still grieving the loss of my camera and the memories it contains, but I have also been making a point of savoring the moments as they come along. The Camino is an incredible experience. From meeting people from around the world to the difficulties of the day to day routine and challenges that you share with one another.......I don´t know that you can find this anywhere else in the world. I did meet a couple today from Florida. Only the sixth and seventh Americans I have met.