Finished!

Here I am in the square in front of the Cathedral in Santiago, on Friday May 30, just after 10am. It is 475 miles from Roncevalles in the Pyranese mountains to Santiago. Because of time constraint & various physical reasons I rode in a taxi or bus for a total of 55 miles, so I actually walked 420 miles. Not too bad. The last few days of walking the scenery reminded me of the rolling hills of Pennsylvania.

It was raining most of the time but not the cold, blowing rain of the mountains. The last full day of walking (the 29th) we walked about 16.5 Miles, my longest stretch. The Cathedral was impressive, a simpler style than the one in Leone. The Apostle James' bones are said to be buried there which is why the Pilgrimage began in the first place. We attended the Mass on Fridazquetaay night where the 100 pound incense burner, with a live flame burning in it, is swung across the church.

I'm still processing what this spiritual & physical journey has meant to me. The hymn that I sang & prayed throughout the long days was 'Change my Heart O God' in TFWS hymnal.

Buen Camino!

Nearing the end

On Sunday I crossed the beautiful Mino River into Portomarin.

From this town onward one of the specialties is pulpo--octopus. They boil it so it is very tender & sprinkled with just the right spices.

Delicious !!

If all goes as planned I will be in Santiago on Friday morning. It seems so strange after all this time of walking all day, every day, that it will be over soon. There is a group of people I have been traveling with for a while. We don't walk together but we stay together at night & eat dinner  together. We'll miss each other. Mary is from Germany (she's the youngest @ 24), Rose & Pat & Bill are from Austrailia, Lynne is from Wales & now from southern  Spain.

There are many things on the Camino that I will miss. I'll miss the camraidery. I'll miss the beauty of the countryside & the fact that in walking you become part of it, not just an observer of it. I'll miss the tenacious flowers. 

I'll miss the villages of stone buildings

and the tables & chairs lining the sidewalks in front of every cafe & bar everywhere, both in the cities & the tiny villiages. I'll miss the warm sun that doesn't set until 9:30pm.

I WON'T miss the top bunks (when you walk on the slower side that's usually all that's left!)

I won't really miss the communal bathrooms either!

But it's all part of experience, & it has

been quite an experience both spiritually & physically. Just finishing dinner @ 8:30.

Buen Camino!

Thoughts along the Camino

When I was going through the long process of being deemed ready for Ordination by the Board of Ordained Ministry one of the 'getting to know you' games we did was to choose a flower we would most like to be & why. I was living in Bangor, ME at the time & the purple crocuses came up & bloomed in early spring. Then we had a foot of snow. When the snow melted there were the crocus flowers as fresh & perfect as ever.  & so I choose the crocus for its strength & endurance.  On this Camino journey I found a flower with greater resilience & persistence. This little morning glory type flower grows on the side of the road, up through the gravel & even the crumbling pavement. It grows in the clay-like soil just off the side of the road in the 'prairie' region--cold nights & hot relentless sun of the day. It gets run over & stepped on. And yet it continues to thrive in spite of all it has to overcome. It blooms. I have a wooden painted tulip that I keep on the windowsill by the kitchen sink.  On the bottom is written 'bloom where you are planted'. Bloom as you are created to do. Bloom. 

Another thought. When I began this journey I was not in good physical shape & I was many pounds overweight.  I struggled. When I turned 66 I felt old. 

That has changed. I am in much better physical shape all around. I don't feel old anymore. I feel ageless rather than aged. 

Today: May 25. Mostly sunny. Walking through lots of farms & rolling hills 

Only on the Camino. Sitting outside at tables & chairs that lined both sides of the street in front of a busy cafe. The farmer led his cows down the narrow street & the proprietor & her dog had all they could do to keep the cows from veering into the tables. 

Buen Camino!

5 days left

I started walking on April 24. We had a couple of days of rain in the Pyrenees and then nearly a month of sunshine, very unusual this time of year. On Thursday , with one of the steepest climbs of the Camino into O'Cebreiro, I entered the region of Galacia. This is Celtic country, misty, swirly clouds, moist air--& rain. That's what keeps the grass so green & the streams running. Walking in the rain has a special kind of beauty but it wears thin after two days of incessant downpour. 

Twins.

 

Then it snowed...

Tonight @ the alburque...

Buen Camino !

Catch up

I can't believe it's May 20th already! I haven't done much with my phone for a few days because I shorted out the charger cord & convertor so I've had it off most of the time. Finally got to a big enough city (Ponferrada) today to buy a new one & get some cash.  Most of the little towns don't have ATM's or banks. As I travel west the scenery continues to change. 

From the bathroom balcony in Astorga. 

On the way to Rabanal del Camino I was drawn in by a little cafe playing opera music. Most of the cafés (which they call bars) have some sort of huge orange juicers that make the best fresh squeezed OJ I've ever had. I ordered a juice here & she had one of those juicers that utilize everything. She put in 4 huge carrots, a pepper, apple, & a couple of other things. Fruits& veggies for the day! I sat with a couple from New Zealand. The wife had been a pianist who played for professional opera soloists all over the world.  They were walking the Camino to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary!  

Speaking of New Zealand (where The Lord of the Rings movies were filmed) these hobbit-like houses are used to store wine in this area of very hot summers. 

Still loving the storks...& the coo-coo's!

Yesterday I walked over the mountain pass,the highest elevation in the Camino: 4,940 feet.  I have hiked & driven in the Rockies, Grand Tetons, White Mountains, Mount Rainior in Seattle, & various mountains in Boulder, Co & Wyoming. These mountains I walked up (& down!) are equally breathtaking & awe inspiring & glorious. The pictures really don't do them justice. It was such an incredible gift to be able to experience them in such a personal way. 

Cute! Wish he was carrying MY pack

Buen Camino!