Tuesday, July 28: Madrid

Ana:  We wrote this to keep our memories alive and keep our families up to date with our travels.  We never had an idea so many people would be reading this and cheering us on.  We thank you for the comments, encouragement and enthusiastic responses.  You were a part of the Camino.

Our last 2 days have been spent in Madrid.  It has given us a chance to relax the muscles, repair the feet, and slowly let our minds return to the world.  Sleeping in, short walks, long dinners, a movie and of course Sangria.  We are ready to get home.

These pictures are from Madrid.  We visited the palace, cathedral, and Plaza Mayor.  Saw a military parade welcoming dignitaries, opposite street entertainers.  A delight to the senses.

 

 

  

I can’t speak for the others, but I know I will return here someday to perhaps take another route, or finish the Del Norte.  The Camino has captured my heart.

Saturday, July 25: Santiago.

Yudi:  Good morning dear blog followers.   An apology for no blog yesterday, lo ciento.

I want to revisit my beginning blog entry where I discuss moving into the 4 th quarter of my life and how appreciative I am for the wonderful life I have been blessed with.  I am blessed, and so very appreciative of all the love and prayers which have accompanied this pilgrimage.  Thank you.

No surprise to anyone that I found the Camino to be extremely challenging physically, emotionally and spiritually.  As I have come to know that is the Camino’s purpose, to be a vector of time that one ponders one’s life and path.  Many days I seriously questioned my fortitude and abilities- but my fellow pilgrims and family did not question these.   At these times they encouraged, coaxed and challenged me to pull deep from within, because I had what I needed.  To me they are heroes.  What a wonderful family, both my family of origin and my wonderful husband, sons, daughters and grandchildren!

And then the reward.  Coming into Santiago was incredible- full of energy, people, music- bagpipes and drums,   There were pilgrims everywhere in different stages is reality that this walk is done and here we are standing in front this ancient Catholic Cathedral in this spiritual pathway.

After depositing our packs and showering we entered the Cathedral.  I would like to think I know my churches after a trip 11 years ago where my husband and I motorcycled throughout the eastern part of Spain visiting churches as well as two trips to the Vatican in Rome- but this Cathedral is nirvana.  I was speechless and joyfull to be in this holy shrine.  I felt as though something very deep, very primal was being fed.

6 masses and one vespers later I am unchanged in my belief that Santiago is truly a special, spiritual experience that is unparralled.   My heart is singing.  Last night the botafuneiro flew for only the pilgrims- once in a lifetime experience.   The Camino was a spiritual gift

I will never forget this Catholic Cathedral, the priests and sisters, the choirs and sitting with my fellow pilgrims and loving every moment.  And yes, walking the Camino was worth this reward.

Ana: Since we entered Santiago my mind has been on overload.   So many sights, sounds, and feelings swirling around my brain.  Meeting friends from the journey and making new friends at mass.  An incredible event that has left me speechless.

We have walked the streets of the old city, dined in small cafes, shopped for the first time( no worry now about extra weight to carry), shared stories with many others, and marveled at this holy place.

Mass was held twice a day, we have been to six very different services. From the priests and nuns, the choirs, and organ, the awesome cathedral, to the swinging of the botafumeiro, everything has been as close to heaven on earth as I have ever seen.  All this for the pilgrims!

Thousands of people have descended upon this church this weekend for the feast of St James.  It has been a party atmosphere with rock bands and full orchestras, fireworks, and the strangest sight(for me) of kegs being rolled in front of the church to set up in a side court for the party.  Since I am having a hard time describing this, I will insert some pictures and let them tell the tale.

 

We ended today at a pilgrim mass and are now tucking in.  Early flight to Madrid and on the way home.

I bring home with me the greatest memories of time shared with family, hard work and laughter, and most important, at the center of it all is the love of God.

I remember something John told me before he died, “live everyday, do your best, and go to sleep at night in peace.  I am there, I am at peace.

Friday, July 24: Santiago de Compostela

Carola: I was supposed to do this yesterday but it was a pretty full day and I was just too tired. I’m going to back up to Thursday for a minute and address how it was for me to finally enter Santiago.
We left our pension early on Thursday for our final walk. There were several pilgrims turned away as it was completely full, but there were also several in the hallway as we were leaving, and we wondered if they slept in the hall! Turns out they had just moved all their stuff out of the room and were re-packing. We wondered how you got all your stuff together when you had such a small space to work from. Our stuff is always all over our room.
Once on the trail it was business as usual, but I didn’t think it would ever end! We ran into crowds, which got you to thinking about finishing that last cup of con leche.
We did see many pilgrims peel off into the woods(some not far enough), and we didn’t want to go there. We got to a beautiful monument that Ana posted yesterday and saw our first glimpse of commercialism. People had a booth set up selling lots of memorabilia that you would have liked to buy but didn’t want to carry. We stopped at around the 10 km left to Santiago mark and had lunch. Once again a huge booth of stuff to purchase along with a guy taking pictures of you if you wanted to put on the cape, hat and hold the staff similar to St. James. Ugh, my heart was sinking! I know this is how people make their living, but somehow I just felt like we were becoming cattle.
Oh well, onto finish our walk. We finally saw the huge city of Santiago with all the things big cities have. We stopped and had our picture taken as we entered the city. It was an exciting moment!

We walked what seemed forever(guess I was a bit anxious) and finally entered the old city and funneled into the tube-like roads along with other pilgrims. There were people playing bagpipes as we entered the tunnel, and they sounded beautiful. We rounded the corner and saw the cathedral partially covered due to cleaning. A huge sound system was blaring and a little Disneyland train was loading up for some sort of tour. Pilgrims were everywhere cheering for others as they entered the square. It was quite moving. We were so happy to finally arrive.

Ana already posted our day, so I will now go to Friday. We went to the pilgrim office at 7:45am for the 8:00am opening. There were about 20 pilgrims already in line. It moved rather quickly, due to there were eight people working in the office servicing pilgrims. As our turns came up, I got a little nervous. I don’t know why. Just wondering if I could screw this up somehow. We all got our compostela and purchased tubes to put them in for safe keeping.

Our next goal was to go to the pilgrims mass and hopefully see the botafumeiro swing.
We arrived at 11:00am and met half of the California cousins – Hayes. Keith had walked onto Finistera. A spry nun led us in singing before mass and had the voice of an angel. The service was packed, but they had special places for pilgrims to sit so we had a great seat.

Before the service a person read the different places pilgrims started their journey. Hayes, who is a Spanish teacher in Oregon, said they called out Americans from Irun
We think a cardinal was leading the service but not sure. There were probably 10 priests in the procession. The priest we met along the way was an honorary guest priest and that was so cool seeing him there with the others. The organ was huge and unbelievably beautiful. After the service it was announced that the botafumeiro would swing at the 7:30 pm mass. We were a bit disappointed but certainly would be there along with many others.
We spent the rest of the day shopping and looking at sites. The church had sent out huge people to stand in the square.
We returned to the church at 5:30pm, and it was already packed but we were lucky and got our regular seat. What we didn’t know was there was a 6:00pm mass, so we got to take communion for a second time! After the mass nobody left! Everyone there knew the swinging was going to take place at 7:30 and there was apparently a huge line to get in just for standing room only. They closed the doors and many people were left outside only to hope to see the swinging Saturday. A magnificent choir started off the mass. We could have stayed all night listening to them sing. They had a young girl singing soprano and we’ve never heard anyone so perfect. The male conductor was very animated. I’m not sure if Yudi, Ana and I were watching him because of that or because he was a great looking man!
Once the service was over they brought out the incense for the big swing! In the beginning of every service they announce many times “absolutely no photos or videos!” The robed men untied the huge rope and the botafumeiro was loaded. Smoke poured out and it was hoisted into the air and given a huge push. The men pulled on the rope and it started up. I’ve never seen cameras whip out so fast!! It was like the paparazzi! Awesome is about the only word to describe it and that doesn’t ever adequately describe how magnificent it was for all pilgrims there. It was finally the event we had been waiting for and it was worth the wait!

After the mass we were starving. We had a linner earlier with Hayes around 1pm before he headed out. It was now 8:30pm. We will miss seeing our California friends! We went to a wonderful, beautiful restaurant in a garden that Hayes recommended. It was quite chilly by this time and the waiter brought us blankets before taking our order! We roamed around a bit after dinner, but the square was blocked off because it had reached its capacity for people. Amazing, as that place is huge and there were still tons of people on the streets. We headed back to the hotel and ended our awesome day!

Thursday July 23: A Brea to Santiago (17 mi)

Ana: I will return to write the blog this evening.  Right now, I would like to let the California Cousins (Hayes and Keith) know we are here, cleaning up and will be at the cathedral around 3:30 this afternoon. Hope to see you before you leave.

Sorry to leave you all hanging.  What an incredible day!!!!!!!!!

We started out early to try and avoid the crowds.  Weather was perfect.  Weren’t 2km in before meeting a large group of teens from France.  Bypassed them and kicked up the speed, watching behind while they merged with a large group from the albergue.  The Camino was heating up.  You could feel the excitement as everyone was nearing Santiago.  The crowds thinned a little and there was a steady stream of walkers, cyclists, and an occasional horse.

All languages were heard as everyone was chatting, laughing, and some singing as we approached the city.  Everyone greeting each other with Buen Camino as they passed or were passed.  Our usual bar stops for coffee were so different.  On the primitivo and Norte we would see a few (5-8) other pilgrims, today it was upward to 30-40 in each bar.  No one was interested in taking their shoes off and relaxing.  It was all business today, everyone was on a mission.  Tired feet, sore shoulders, shin splints didn’t bother us today. As we approached the city, we looked for the famous statue that overlooks the cathedral.  It was in the movie.  We found one statue about 5km out, but not the one we knew was there.

We went down a hill and walked for what seemed a life time before getting to the old city.  No statue!  Apparently, it is on the south side of the city and not visible to the majority of pilgrims.  Another miracle of Hollywood.

We saw the cathedral from a few blocks away and walked to the square where a hundred other pilgrims were celebrating.  There was a loudspeaker with music and a little train taking people around the square.  I felt like we were at Disneyland.

The outside of the cathedral is being restored so there is a large amount of scaffolding in front.

From there we found the hotel, cleaned up and returned to meet with Hayes.  Keith had left for a side trip to Fisterra.  Hayes took us on a guided tour of the inside and gave us all his intell on when to get to church for mass and where to sit for the best view.  Thank you so much.

The alter The organ.

As expected, the cathedral is breath taking.  We spent a great deal of time looking up in awe. The church is undergoing major repairs and the statue of St James was undercover, as well as the front doors being inaccessible.  A disappointment to all.

We then adjourned to a local bar for afternoon refreshment and a time to relive our adventures. So many others were doing the same and the area around the square was alive with laughter and joy.  Cheers were heard when people who met on the trail arrived in town.  So festive and so different from what I expected.

Dinner was the usual, except tonight I ordered the pulpo.

. Yes, that is octopus.  Yummy!

After dinner it was off to 7:30 mass.  Indescribable, is all I can say.  The choir was heavenly.  Mass was said by several priests with a cardinal overseeing it all. There are several rows reserved for pilgrims and I felt so honored and humble to be seated up front.  Tomorrow we will attend mass once again, get our compostella’s and formally tour the cathedral. More pictures to come. The next blog we will all have entries with our thoughts on Santiago and this pilgrimage. For now, I will finish this and get to bed. Rest well my shoes, you have served me well.  907km or 567 miles we have been together.

Just our last day on the Camino.

Wednesday, July 22: Melide to A Brea (18 mi)

CC: We had breakfast in the hotel at 7am and started out at 7:25am. This was a little later than normal for an 18 mile day, but with only two days remaining, we didn’t much care if we got in later in the day. Here’s the obligatory hill that we climbed leaving town. It was cold out, and the girls stopped to put more on.

There were several groups of pilgrims leaving at the same time.

Oops, that’s the sheep photo. Well, try this.


After reaching the top of the hill, we passed a large cementary then entered a small footpath with about 20 others. You had to jockey for space and then maintain a certain rate to keep your space. There were also many bikers. They would sneak up on you and expect you to know they were passing. After a few miles it thinned out to a reasonable density.

The miles went by quickly as we strolled through the country. On one particular hill, a tall girl passed us slowly on the left. Ana was walking next to me and asked me if that girl looked like the Spanish teacher from Iowa. You may recall back on June 14 when we were standing in the boarding line in Charlotte for our flight to Madrid, we met a girl from Iowa who was a Spanish teacher and planned to walk the Frances. We talked with her for about 20 minutes and then wished her luck. The girl passing us resembled her. So Ana says as she passes, “Are you from Iowa?” She reared around in total astonishment and yelled, “I thought I recognized you guys!” We all hugged joyously. What are the odds? Incredible. We caught up for a few minutes and took this photo.

What a sweety! We walked together for a little while, then she poured on the coals. She was staying in albergues and did not have reservations. The competition was fierce, so she was trying to get to Arzua as quickly as possible. We got to Arzua about an hour later, had lunch for an hour, and then as we were leaving we saw Lisa in line waiting for the albergue to open. It was a long line. She said it was already full and they all were hoping to get in somewhere – perhaps on the floor. We waved goodbye and moved on. Now the herd was significantly thinned out, and the route much more enjoyable. A couple things about the signage changed. First, the shell no longer had a blue background. Second, the blocks of cement holding the shell had the number of kilometers remaining to Santiago.

Nice countdown, but slightly annoying. As we walked through one town, I heard a couple approaching from behind speaking fluent Spanish. Must be some Spaniards coming by. Nope. As they were passing, the girl (a beautiful 20 something girl with an American flag type shirt draped across the back of her pack) yelled, “Hey, where ya’all from?” We said Florida. She said she was from Georgia. I said, “You look like a Georgia peach!” She laughed and said she was. Then she said, “Goodbye you Florida oranges.” You sure meet all types out here. As we continued on, we saw numerous vans transporting back packs and luggage to future stops. We’ve read about these services but didn’t notice them in operation until now.

The day wore on, we kept walking. The last mile seemed forever, and finally we came upon the sign for the pension. The place is fairly new, probably built after the 2010 movie.

Nice place, very clean and somewhat isolated.

Well, the big day is almost upon us. By ‘us’ we mean the four of us and all of you. You have been along from the beginning, shared in the exploits, and provided the necessary support that kept us going. Twenty three kilometers (about 14.4 miles) remaining to Santiago de Compostela. Everyone is clicking on all cylinders. Tomorrow will be a grand day.

Tuesday July 21: As Sexias to Melide (9.5 mi)

Ana:  We spent our last night on the primitivo. What a glorious ending to a demanding journey.  Out in the middle of nowhere in a humble farmhouse we found paradise. Carlos wrote about this in the blog yesterday. I will add some photos to relive this wonderful night.

Dinner

Breakfast was delightful with a full spread of meat, cheese, toast, fruit, and cereal.  It was difficult to leave this morning, but we are thankful for this slice of heaven on the Camino.

We had a short walk today because yesterday was so long.  Weather was perfect and all we had to do is conquer our last hill.

Not a problem, on the other side we could see Melide in the distance.

Our first morning stop was at a bar where we got our first taste of the mass humanity to come.  I watched several groups wearing very small packs and couldn’t figure out how they could carry enough for four days.  Upon arriving at our hotel, the answer was evident.  By the check in desk were 50 suitcases all with transport tags. They had sent their clothes ahead.  You mean, I didn’t have to lug this backpack all over Spain?  Actually, I did.  Those doing the Norte and primitivo don’t have as much access to the transport services, so we all carried full packs.

At the bar, we were watching 2 dogs guard the area and devour the scraps.  Junk yard dogs who love boccadillos.  They were a couple and had 2 puppies.  The hostess brought out the pups for us to see.  Momma watched Carola very carefully.

Arriving in Melide today we went in search of the hotel.  We were all turned around and saw pilgrims everywhere.  Time for a consult.

Found  the hotel and did our usual cleanup, then off to find supper.

After food we visited the church of Iglasis in Melide.

We watched hoards of people arrive, on foot, bicycle, and horseback.  After the last 35 days of solitude, we are in shock.  The Cailfornia Cousins warned us, but there is nothing like being here.

We plan on leaving early tomorrow.

Carlos: What do you want to do tomorrow?

Ana: How about taking a long walk with a lot of other people?

Just another day on the Camino.

CC: There was a bet placed yesterday in the comments that I would make sure all the Frances pilgrims knew that I had accomplished the Primitivo. After reading those comments, I submitted a comment that said you all would lose that bet, and I would explain why today. So here’s why: The camino is not a distance. It is not a contest. It has nothing to do with anyone else. It derives whatever meaning it has from the individual doing it. I wanted to do a lengthy one, because I felt that it would have more meaning to me if I was out of my normal element for awhile. We collectively chose the del Norte/Primitivo as a consequence of schedule conflicts and pilgrim density. At no time did I pick the Primitivo because of its reputation or difficulty. I just felt that it would be nice to go through some mountains verses stay near the coast the entire route (as the del Norte does). While there were difficult parts, I’m certain it was no more difficult than hiking in 109 degree temps. And that’s what the folks were doing for weeks on the Frances. So you lose the bet for two reasons: what others decide to do for their camino has no relevance to my camino, and even if it did the Frances was tougher during this time period.

Monday, July 20: Lugo to 2 km past As Seixas.(21 mi)

CC: We had a good time n our last night in Lugo. There was a dance group in Plaza Major that was performing the Tango to several different songs.

They seemed to be inviting people from the crowd to dance with them. It was probably advertisement for their studio. I wanted to dance with this one gal that was incredible, but I knew the price would be steep with you know who watching. After the dancing we went to our rooms. I went down to the lobby to do our online check-in for the flight from Santiago to Madrid next Sunday. It was interesting, as most actions were in Spanish. And this airline tries to charge you for more than you want. To get my seats eight days ahead of time, I needed to pay an extra 10 euro per seat. But if you’re within seven days, it’s free. I waited till the next morning and signed us up.

A photo from our room before we started this morning.

We started at 6:25am on a long day – our final long day. Right off the bat we missed an arrow, probably because it was still dark out. That caused a couple block detour. Another mile and we missed another arrow. This mistake took us up a long hill before we discovered the error. We couldn’t find any arrows at the top and went all the way back down to a fork in the road that contained the marker. Both errors were caused by starting in the dark. But now we were on track and making good time. The day was perfect. Slightly cool and cloudy. We had a few hills to climb, but nothing like we were used to.

This was an interesting day from the perspective that we were inside 100 km and were only four days from achieving our objective. The day moved quickly and the miles peeled off. Here’s an interesting photo of shoes left behind at one of the markers. We saw this type of thing frequently. Either the shoes were blown out, or they were the wrong kind for this type of hiking.

There was nothing particularly remarkable about the hike, so here are a few photos on the way.

What was remarkable was the place we stopped at for the night. It was about one mile past As Seixas. Going up a hill, we came around a corner and there it was – a beautiful oasis in the midst of the rocky trail. There was no warning of a hotel coming up, and there was no sign with the hotel name on it. All we saw was a split door with the top open and a small sign that said Pilgrims and pointed to the opening. I poked my head through the door, and a man came to greet me. He was British! He welcomed us in, took our bags, and led us to our rooms. No check-in routine with passports, etc. He told us to relax, take a shower and when we’re ready, he would make us a drink and take our orders for dinner. Our rooms were 5 star quality, with beautiful stone walls and ornate furniture. After cleaning up, we went out to the garden and had some sort of cocktails. We ordered dinner off of very high quality menus and were told that it would take 90 minutes to prepare, as everything is made from fresh ingredients. At 6pm, we sat down to a fantastic meal served on the finest linen. Everything was top quality. It was a strange experience, especially compared to the previous five weeks. Here’s a photo of our hosts Kim and Sue.

Sue mentioned that they have not done a camino. They were planning on next March. She said they bought the land for the hotel about five years ago. The place was a broken down house with barn. They had builders come in and restore the place, finishing about three years ago. Then they sold their business and home in England and moved here to manage the hotel. There are only five rooms, which book up early. And they do everything. Sue is a chef extraordinaire. They love what they are doing, and so do we. Tomorrow we will have breakfast here and then go on a short 8 mile hike to Melide. The California Cousins, who are two days ahead of us, sent a warning. At Melide, the Frances and Primitivo routes join. They said to be prepared. It’s even worse than you think. The number of pilgrims coming from the Frances is huge. That means that we have enjoyed our last day of solace. But that’s ok. It was a great day.

Sunday July 19: Lugo

Ana: After 9 days of hiking in the toughest section of our route, we are taking a day off.  Time to let sore feet, sore shoulders, shin splints, and tired legs have a rest. We dined last night in the Plaza Maior near 2 churches.  This seemed to be a central meeting area and was very busy.  We watched a large group of very excited pilgrims enter the plaza with cameras.  Immediately we noticed how clean they looked.  Shoes perfect, backpacks spic and span and perfectly packed sitting on squared shoulders.  They were enjoying the moment when this trek becomes real.  Oh how little do they know!!!!

Lugo is the start of the final 100km, and these pilgrims were just starting their Camino.  We sat remembering the excitement we felt starting out and wished them Buen Camino.  Everyone’s Camino is different, some just walk the final 100km, some walk 800-900km like us, and we have met 3 people who started in Holland.  It is a very individual experience as are the reasons for hiking.  Most are in search of a religious experience, some just enjoy the challenge of hiking Long distance, and others are here for reasons unknown.  Whatever the reason or distance traveled, we will all meet in Santiago.

After dinner we all went separate ways.  Yudi and Carola headed for the super mercado for food.  Carlos went in to finish the blog, and I strolled to the church to check out Sunday mass times.  The church is enormous and there was a wedding taking place in one of the side chapels.  The most beautiful voice I have ever heard was singing Ava Maria.  It was breath taking, and all I could think is how blessed this couple is to start their lives together in this holy place surrounded by the love of family and friends.

Today we walked to the Cathedral de Santa Maria.  “Although construction began in 1129, the building combines Romanesque, gothic, baroque, rococo, and neo-classical styles”.

There was a 9am mass that we attended.  Although it was in Spanish, the Catholic mass is the same anywhere and we were able to follow along.  The priest was as old as the chapel but managed to handle the enormous chalice with ease.

The inside of the cathedral is stunning.

Once again, these pictures do not reflect the beauty of the cathedral.    Or maybe, it is standing there in the midst of angels that makes everything look so beautiful.

After mass we went for breakfast.  One of the differences we have noticed is that the Spanish eat eggs and ham for dinner and spaghetti for breakfast, if not just eating toast and cafe con leche.

After breakfast we headed for the roman wall. This wall was built in the 300’s to defend the city.  It is 2km long and 8.5meters high with 85 rounded towers.  It is the worlds largest surviving Roman wall and was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 2000.

I lovethis photo of the wall with a satellite array in the background.  A blending of old and new.

The afternoon was spent in a plaza bar drinking sangria and watching dancers enjoy the tango.

All along the trail we have met many people and if we don’t know their names, we give them a nickname.  This is toilet paper guy.Notice the roll placed on the bottom of his pack, ready for action.

Just another day on the Camino.

Saturday, July 18: Cadavo Baliera to Lugo (20 mi)

CC: We started at daybreak, no breakfast. The route leaves the mountains today and heads for the lower hills, where we will remain for the rest of the trip. But first we had to climb our last significant hill shortly after we started. And of course, that heated us up quickly requiring the obligatory stop to take off outer layers. Now, I always start out in my merino wool t shirt. Yes, it’s a little chilly at first but only until we start climbing, which is usually within 5 minutes. But not the girls. They come out like we’re in the arctic, and then we have to stop right away to change. Just keeping you up on some of the issues 😉

We made good time out of Cadavo. All business. The weather dropped a few degrees after a couple hours due to fog setting in. Towns were spread far apart, so we decided to take advantage of a bar in Castroverde. We had some breakfast and stocked up on cokes. As we were leaving the town, we came across this fountain.

Shortly thereafter, we were passing a small farm, and a man gestured for us to follow him into what looked like a small barn. We followed and found wall-to-wall tables displacing hundreds of whittled objects.

We weren’t sure if he just wanted to look, or if he wanted us to buy a few of them. After a few minutes, we thanked him and moved on.

A few miles farther, and we came upon a woman carrying a bag with vegetables. She was great. Spoke no English, but indicated we should follow her. So we did. She led us into a large garden with a cloth greenhouse in the middle. Then she pointed at the grove of trees and pointed to the fruit on them. The fruit was a type of plum. Some of the higher branches had very ripe ones. She grabbed a pole and knocked a few down, handing them to us. They were delicious. We ate them on the spot. Then she knocked down some more, and had us do the same. I took this photo of her, and she thought it was funny.

She pulled her dress aside and showed her leg, just as you see it in the photo, and just shook her head laughing. After we each had several plums, she took us into her greenhouse. It was chock full of different plants with ripening peppers, cucumbers, melons, and several other vegetable. She was very proud of her garden. A few more minutes, and we had to go. The next town, Santa Maria de Gondar, was still a few miles away. As we approached this small hamlet, we were greeted by these guys.

Their owner, a young woman, watched us pet them and waited just up the road. She was trying to move her cows and couldn’t do so until we left. So we moved on. The next few hours were a little monotonous, as we meandered the country roads. Around noon, we had been at it for five and a half hours. The day before had been tough, and now it was showing up. But we still had over five miles remaining. Carola made the comment that at least it was a nice day. Yudi replied, “Yeah, it’s a good thing the sun isn’t out.” Thanks, Yudi. Right then the sun came out, the clouds cleared away, and it started warming up. You have to be very careful with your comments on the camino. Our pace was subtlely slowing as fatigue set in. We took another break. Another couple miles and the city appeared.

As we approached, the route took us downhill a ways and then back up even more. Finally we saw the famous Roman wall that rings the original city, built two thousand years ago. This is a photo of us arriving outside the wall. Ana will provide much better photos tomorrow when we walk on top.

Another twenty mile day in the books.

Friday July 17: Fonsagrada to Cadavo Baleira (17 mi)

Ana: Our last day in the mountains.  Tomorrow we head to Lugo and a change in everything.  Lugo is a big city and the beginning of the last 100km to Santiago. We expect to have many pilgrims join us at this point. First, let me thank the California Cousins for the heads up on the hill.  That was equally as hard as any hill we have done so far, then what came as a surprise is the hill after, when my legs were jelly.  More on that in a while. We started our day as usual, in about 55 degrees and clear skies.

A lovely walk through trees, and pastures with beautiful vistas.  We climbed, then descended, then climbed again enjoying the peace of the countryside.

Birds singing, bells ringing, lost in our own thoughts, once again reaching a ridge lined with windmills.   At the top was the ruins of a pilgrim hospital.

We passed a pasture with this very busy fellow.  There must have been 30 babies who call him poppa.

There is a bar in this next valley that is a favorite of pilgrims.   It had been almost 3 hours of hiking so we stopped.  The owner runs the whole show, waiter, cook, clean up and bar tender.  We ordered a chorizo boccadillo, sangria, and a coke. It’s the simple things that are so enjoyable. We had been reading the guide and knew the “surprising” hill was coming up.  Yudi and Carola were still limping along and decided to stay on the road.  Carlos and I took off for the next adventure, filled with sangria and chocolate mentos.  We went up and could see the girls on the road below, then down and the path crossed the road.  Then down again and up forever.  I can usually attack a hill and keep going till the top.  I had to stop half way up to catch my breath, then invent a counting game to take my mind off the pain to reach the top.  Covered in sweat, panting, calves burning, and exhilarated that I had conquered the last big hill on the Primitivo.  WRONG, once again.  The Camino has a way of letting you know who’s boss.  Just as I was comfortable again, the path went up.  We walked another kilometer uphill with tired legs and empty water bottles.  A real smack down, I give in, the Camino wins again. At least I  wasn’t barefoot.  We talked with some American girls today, one was barefoot, walking the same trails that made my feet sore in high tech trail shoes.  I will try to get a picture of them when we get to Lugo. At the next coke stop we noticed there was wifi so I fired up the iPad to get the golf leaderboard.  Carlos was going to check email when he discoverd his iPad missing.  We all discussed where we had seen it last, even the American girls chimed in and we determined it was at a barn we rested at before the last uphill climb.  Carlos geared up and headed back.  First up the hill we just came down, then down the last hill that humbled me, then back up that hill once more, arriving at the hotel with iPad in hand.  An extra 5km for him today.

Clean up, clothes washed and hung out and we headed to dinner.  You never know what you will be getting even if the hostess speaks English.  Carola and Yudi ordered pork loin and was served fried balonga. After dinner, we arrived back at the hotel to turn in for the night when I discovered my underwear missing from the balcony.  I ran downstairs and into the alley looking for the delicates.  Carola, Yudi, and Carlos watched from the balcony cheering me on in front of the somewhat packed hotel bar.  Yes, I found them and acknowledged That in front of everyone.  Another exciting day on the Camino. Joe, I think it is time for a checklist, we are losing things far too often.

Just another day on the Camino