a new journey begins.........

So much has happened since our last post. We made our way through Galicia...small little hamlets where you trek through cow pies and dirt or stone paths...sometimes along the river but no main roads really. The feeling is awesome....I sang to myself outloud, carried stones and left some behind...holding my thoughts and intentions...and walked completely alone for long stretches...The closer we got to Santiago the more new pilgrims we saw on the Camino. The truth is we avoided them...they were too perky and asking the early questions we had left behind.."Where did you start, why are you doing the Camino?" We avoided the large Albergues choosing instead the smallest ones in the lesser known areas.We averaged 25 to 30 km a day.

By the time we reached Santiago...we were tired and excited...also strange to know we had arrived. Our pilgrim familia waited four hours for us to enter the plaza l`Obradoiro in front of the main Cathedral and sang to us as we walked in!! It has been an emotional experience...all the endings and good-byes that have come up one by one as each of us have departed! We decided to go to Finesterre for three days and return to Santiago for the Holy Day. Finesterre is known as the end of the known world...it was wonderful to go there and do a bit of decompression...and spend time with our friends. Alexa and I spent the night out by the light house...at the edge of the Atlantic ocean..It was awesome! It will be remebered as one of the top moments of our pilgimage...So beautiful....we just slept outside between the big rocks...

We returned to Santiago for the Holy Day...streets super crowded as we expected...apparently the King and Queen of Spain were there...didn´t have a clue...there was so much going on...fireworks, huge fun carnival, bands, parades all night long! We visited the cathedral and got ourselves commemorative small siver medallions which we are wearing on our wrists....

We are now in Oporto, Portugal...been here three days ans heading to a small seaside town tomorrow.
I am filled with a mixture of emotions...a sense of accomplishment for having made the 800km journey across Spain...oddly empty at the ending of it all, new inspirations for the next part of my journey...and missing the walking and our friends....we´ll be home soon and that will be good too...

Planning to post photos upon return....I have a gazillion to share!

In the flats...

We're in flats headed toward the city of Leon...this is the stage of the Camino called La Meseta...known for being flat, long hot stretches with nothing in between...few trees if any and not many places to stop for water. It is time you spend with yourself. Peregrinos get up and out early...5am or so to try to avoid the hot afternoon sun. On our way to the small town of Berciano, we found cool shade under an overpass under construction...under some scaffolding! We are more than half way to Santiago.... though there is much ground to cover still as next we'll head into Galicia. There are new pilgrims just starting as we get closer to Santiago. This Ano Jacobeo, which won't come again for 11 more years, attracts twice the number of people to the Camino. There is concern about overcrowding but we will take it day by day and focus in the moment and aren't worried about it. We met a French man who is walking with his donkey named "Licorice". It wears a straw hat with holes for it's ears! We have been staying in smaller parish albergues where dinner is served communal style and everybody helps prepare the meal and clean up. In Berciano we stayed in a 16th century adobe monastery. It was very cool...Despite lack of television there is alot of enthusiasm for the on-going World Cup soccer championships...Spain is still in and it matters in a big way to Spaniards...I'm sure we'll stay informed on this subject.