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We are still adjusting to being home.  It is harder than we thought it would be.  We need a bit more time before we finish this blog.  In the meantime, we have posted our pictures on our Picasa site.  You can find those by clicking this link

Closing Time

After sadly leaving Muxia, we have been hanging out in Santiago de Compostela, catching a glimpse of what we may have missed when we were here last week. Santiago is quite a commercial tourist city and as such comes with many of the tourist town trappings. We have been fortunate to weed through the chaff and find some hidden gems that have made our stay and trip very special. (on a side note, the weather today is rainy, cool and very windy.....we never had to endure anything like this the entire time on the camino) Our time here concludes our trip as we fly home tomorrow morning. Our emotions are quite mixed right now but we know it's time to return home. We will conclude this blog after we return home and have had time to digest what we have been through and try to adequately put into words about what has been an incredible journey.

What a Day!

We decided to walk to Muxia, a coastal town 30 km to the north. It was a nice quiet walk even though we missed one turn and ended up walking along the road and not the path. We found our way back to the path and had a picnic on a new bridge that takes the place of large stepping stones, some of which are partly submerged. We arrived, found our hotel (yes a hotel, we are done with albergues).. The "bad" news was they had over booked, but the good news was they had a place for us to sleep. A modern, two bedroom apartment on the 4th floor overlooking the bay. Very nice place for the night. We got cleaned up and went to explore and found it to be quiet and peaceful. There were large rocks on the coast and the waves came crashing in and we could have sat for hours. It reminded us of how life's lessons crash around us and hopefully we are refined and get smoother around the edges. Next we walked to a high point on the point where there was a large simple rock cross and we knew that at that point we had completed our camino. Our plan was to finish in Finisterre, but we had time and walked on, not knowing at the time why, but we now know it was God's plan all along. It was now getting past 8pm so we searched for dinner and it was superb.

A Chill Day

Ah, to sleep in. Even if the rest wasn't the best, not having to leave at 8 like most albergues was a luxury. Standard bread, bread and more bread breakfast prepared us for a day of exploring in Finisterre. What we found? Not much going on in this fishing port town. Of course we can always get into something so we spent some time near the water hanging out and climbing on jagged rocks. Watched a local fisherman collect bait by turning over rocks and catching small crabs with his bare hands (ouch!). Spent some time chillin' on the beach. We are now preparing to make our final walk; 30 km to the (supposedly beautiful) town of Muxia tomorrow. Probably wouldn't be making this jaunt but we finished our camino two days ahead of what we thought it would take. We'll keep ya posted.

Yes!

Well, we made it to Finisterre (the end of the earth). We almost made it here yesterday but fatigue and lack of resources landed us just short in a great place called Playa De Estorde where we landed a great ocean-front room and a relaxing, almost therapeutic time on the beach and in the cool Atlantic ocean water. This morning we casually strolled by beautiful views to our destination. After spending the day scoping out the town and getting a short rest we made the 3.5 km walk to the lighthouse which is the traditional end of the camino and watched the sunset. We also followed pilgrim tradition and burned some of our personal items we used in our trek. In our case it was a pair of each our socks and a couple of old, smelly shirts. Tired and ready for a day of relaxation.

Buen Camino!

Atlantic Ocean

Almost to Finisterre

By The Seat of Our Pants

Exhausted. 33 km today. Few provisions. Avoided rain. Finally found an albergue. Found some real food. Bellies full. Too tired to write more.

On To Finisterre

After a wonderful dinner with our friends from Denmark, we retired for the evening and got a good night's sleep in our HOTEL room. We awoke to what Joan deemed to be our best breakfast yet. We gathered our gear, said goodbye to Santiago and hit the road for Finisterre. Our walk this morning was the most relaxed we had since before Sarria. We walked close to 6 km before we saw another pilgrim. Very quiet and peaceful. We logged 22km and stopped in a small city where we were the first peregrinos to check into this particular albergue. It is filling up now but we don't recognize any of these people from the trail. Thinking they must be mostly weeklong walkers just heading for the ocean. We have found that we can tell the people that are new to the trail. First, we look at the shoes. If they look fairly new, they probably are. Second, if their pants are tight, they haven't been walking long. The only thing keeping our pants/ shorts up are our belts. Anyhow, we are feeling good and looking forward to the road to Finisterre.

Santiago De Compostela!

We are sitting in the square looking at the cathedral. There are still pilgrims coming in at 6:45pm. We arrived just after noon and ended up at the Pilgrim's mass when we were looking for information and so we stayed. There were many people and hard to see, but a good celebration. We have been to the peregrino office and received our Compostela. Since arriving, we have seen a great deal of other pilgrims that we have seen or gotten to know over the last 15 days. It truly has been quite a journey, one we obviously will never forget.

Will There Be Room at the Inn?

Due to many more joining late on the Way, finding a bed can be difficult should one arrive late in town so we keep a strong pace with short breaks. Our discussion was about Mary and Joseph on the way to Bethlehem and having to sleep in the stable. But once again God provided for us just as He did for us them. Once again we have been blessed with beautiful weather, but our greatest blessing today was seeing Christian and Doris at our albergue tonight. We haven't seen them in two days and look forward to arriving in Santiago tomorrow!

Keep on Truckin'

After a rejuvenating dinner of lentil portage and a couple of other soups and baked chicken falling off the bone with an amazingly beautiful and tasty salad and pasta with large meatballs in a wonderful tomato sauce, and a decent nights sleep, we were our way this morning. The air was cool as we crossed through several small river valleys and we were rewarded with an unattended serve yourself fruit and refreshment stand. We purchased homemade berry jam and a piece of pound cake-like bread to eat with it. After 25km we arrived in Arzua and found a place to rest our heads. We are finding that God provides more than we need and always meets our current needs right on time. Last night we needed a hearty meal after a long day and a couple of days ago we came upon two angry dogs just as we came to a man carry a large stick. The large dogs were barking and close enough to bite my calf off, but we were able to pass safely. Whether it's been food, water, cloud cover, shelter......physical or spiritual, we have been well taken care of. The journey continues.

Long Haul, Worth It

After having several days where we felt we still had something left in our tanks, we decided we would put some miles behind us. The forecast was for fog and the temps were to be cool so we hit the road and quickened our pace. The amount of people on the camino seems to have risen exponentially. This is due to many tourists who just want to do the last 100 km and get their compostela. We also see many people taking taxis to bypass the tough sections. So we decided to forego the city where most peregrinos are staying tonight (Palas de Rei) and head for the countryside again. We have found Casa Domingo, an old restored farmhouse that is operating as an albergue. It is really neat and serene. We were the first pilgrims to check in. We covered 30 km (around 19 miles) in six hours with only a couple of short stops. We probably didn't have to go so quickly except the new pilgrims on the camino are snapping up the beds. If our European bunk mates would shower (whoa!) this could be quite a nice stay. Just enjoyed a "Peregrinos Communidad" supper. May have been the best meal we've had in Spain. Home cooking' Spanish style.

We have been on the road for 12 days now and not only has the scenery changed but the people have as well. Although we still encounter many friendly people we encounter many who are not so much and seem to be solely focused on the destination and not the journey.
We truly enjoy interacting with the people, especially the ones we have come to know and keep running into at various spots along the way . I think if people would slow down and enjoy their life's journey and treasure their many relationships I believe they would find quite a bit more fulfillment.

My Shirt Stinks

Yes, my purple shirt stinks even though I have had the luxury of bathing everyday and wash my shirt the day I have worn it. It makes me wonder where I stink...Where I have been rude or unkind or fallen short in other areas of my life. I would like to discard the shirt as I would like to discard the bad ways in my life. For now I will keep my shirt as a reminder and also because I only have one other.
We woke in our lovely county room and were soon on our way. We walked over an hour before coming to a cafe and I was quite hungry and ready for coffee. The Way was beautiful this morning and we walked mainly under a canopy of oak trees and gentle rolling hills. Many of hour paths were lined with old mossy stone walls. Quite picturesque. We made it somewhat of a short day as the forecast had a slight chance of rain AND it is quite a distance to the next possible evening shelter (which could be full). A couple of the albergues here were full early this afternoon. This can be attributed to the fact that some peregrinos only walk the final 100 kms. We are resting now, gearing ourselves for a good walk tomorrow.

Joan enjoying the best yogurt and honey ever

Another Day in a Pilgrim's Life

Our day started earlier than normal due to the monastery requiring us to leave by 7:30 (normally 8:00 at most albergues). The camino took us through some beautiful rolling hills and lush farmland with plenty of corn and cattle (Joan has dubbed the cow pies "vaca tartes"). We met with several of the folks we have gotten to know here. We are now in the part of the country that is known as Galicia which is known for it's lush land and Celtic background. But we find it looks a lot like the Blue Ridge Mountains. We concluded our trek today in a town called Barbadelo at a place called Casa de Carmen. It's high on a hill with great views and is very quiet here. Catching up on our rest and will hit the trail again in the morning.

A Nice Trek

This morning we left the busy albergue in the village of Fonfria. We had to watch our footing as the previous night's storm had moistened the many cow pies we have to dodge in this part of the country. Messy. When we leave small villages in the morning, walking on the camino is so cool, peaceful and serene. All the "crack of dawn" pilgrims are long on their way so it's just us. We stopped for cafe con leche in tiny Biduede and watched the sunrise. After a few more kilos we stopped in Triacastela and went to a supermeracado where we bought some fruit and nuts (our standard nutrition), some yogurt and these crazy treats of mini croissants dipped in chocolate. The small tray of ten cost only one euro! We then came to a fork in the road. We had to choose a more direct route (which a majority usually pick) or a longer, more scenic route. We chose the latter and were well pleased. Quite rustic and quaint and very quiet with few perigrinos. Although we had to dodge the vaca (cows) that were being herded down the trail by a very small man. This landed us in the small town of Samos where we will stay in one of the oldest monasteries in the western world. Had a picnic dinner by a calm river at 6 p.m. (yay!) We have learned a lot and have come to many conclusions, many of which are far too long to share here but suffice to say this is quite an introspective adventure. More to come.

Day 8

It is hard to believe we have been eight days walking, looking, and keeping it simple. We carry some basic personal hygiene items, two pairs of pants, a pair of shorts, three shirts, and about 2 pounds of water and a few snacks. My pack weighs about 14 pounds and Ed' s 18 pounds. Thinking about all the stuff we keep in our home, this is very little and surprising that it is all we really need.
Today we left a sweet little hamlet of Herrerias and made a climb of about 500 meters to O'Cebreiro. Today they are having a celebration of Mary . They were having music and a huge market with people selling their wares and food. We partook in some good food before moving on. Our walk landed us in Fonfria at a fairly large albergue. We saw our first rain this evening with lightning and hail. We are posting this on another day as Internet is very scarce on our path.

Distance traveled so far: approx. 175 km (105 miles)

The Road Less Traveled

This morning we have three options. The mountainous poorly marked with no towns along the way or the path that was actually just the road or the path we took. Our path ascended upward for 2.5 km with beautiful views and we continued up the mountain, passing 4 German peregrinos . The views reminded us of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We eventualy came to some wonderful chestnut groves. After crossing the mountain we rewarded ourselves with an ice cream bar. The rest of the day we passed through some small hamlets and passed a few peregrinos we know and stopped to chat. We also passed by several fields of cows who all had bells on their necks which prompted us to coin the phrase "cow music". Eventually we wound up in a very small village named Herrerios where we found an albergue in which to stay . After our afternoon ritual, we spent some time by a cool creek relaxing while we await the dinner hour......hours away! Joan has been communicating quite well with the spanish folks. Impressive!

What a Difference a Day Makes

What a Difference a Day Makes
... And a fist full of euros. Yesterday we decided to stop early and so we got our own room at a hostel with a balcony looking at the castle. We had sheets and towels and little shampoo packets and plenty of hot water and room to change. We felt like the king and queen of the castle and slept like babies.
Today we had a lovely hot day walking through the vineyards and have arrived in Villafranca del Bierzo.

The Templar Castle

Day by Day

It is hard to tell what day it is. We wake early to multiple alarms. We can't figure out why other rise so early only to walk in the dark. We slowly repack our packs and start walking, looking for a cafe to stop and get some cafe con leche and then walk more. If we are hungry we stop and eat at a cafe or just have some snacks we carry. Today we have walked to Ponferrada and have visited the huge 12th century Templar castle.

Typical night's accommodations. Multiple bunk beds in this room.

Adios Rabanal

Today it was sad to leave our albergue as our hosts we're so kind, loving, and encouraging. We saw our camino family at our first cafe con leche break and enjoyed some good conversation. The asked Ed, who they now call Father Ted after he read at church last night, to share some insight. Then it was on to Cruz de Ferro. There is an iron cross at the top of a high pole and one throws a rock onto to the growing mound to represent casting off ones burdens. After that, yep, we walked. Later we found a place to lay our heads, wash our bodies and clothes, and fill our bellies. Now I lay in bed as I listen to the symphony of snores.

A picture with our friends Brian and Allison from Iteland

El Dia fantastique

What an incredible day. You wouldn't have thought so with the way it started. Awakened by our roommate's alarm at 6 a.m. We eventually left Astorga around 8:30. More incredible cathedrals there. So ornate. Our pace was slow to start but quickened as the day progressed. Super weather, cool mornings. Stopped at several small villages . So quaint. Met many new friends today. Paul and Trish from New Zealand. Spent an hour having lunch with them. Their son goes to Canterbury (where Bryce did his study abroad). Ended our day after 20 km in a sleepy town called Rabanal. Found an incredible Albergue run by the dearest people. After having afternoon tea we attended the vespers service at the cathedral across the street where I was asked to read scripture on behalf of the English speaking pilgrims. Afterward, we found a place for dinner. Much to our amazement, everyone that we had come to know on our trip so far came in for dinner as well (unreal). We spent two hours eating and talking. Very good times. We retuned to the cathedral for a special service where they bless the pilgrims. We find ourselves feeling sad for the people of these churches as it seems they more concerned with ritual than spirituality. But for the leadership, we admire there faithfulness. After some conversation with our hosts, finally to bed. But overall, it was truly a special day.

What were we thinking?!?!

Well, after a decent night's sleep in Mazarife we had a Cafe con Leche and headed out on the camino. Our plan was to walk 17 km. In our infinite wisdom we walked 31 km. We are now a little bit ahead of where we thought we would be. Tonight we have checked in to a municipal Albergue. We have showered and washed clothes and now need to feed ourselves. Of course, they don't serve dinner until later in Spain. Waiting. Learning much. We'll share our insights soon.

Madrid to Leon to Mazariffe

Neat city but onward. Fast train to Leon (150 mph). U.S. needs trains like that. Super smooth and comfy. Leon... Another cool city, incredible cathedrals with crazy architecture and intricate stained glass. We are slowly adjusting to "Spain" time. Meals are later and they party all night (and smoking cigarettes is popular). Little sleep before first day walking. Were to take bus to place to start camino but info for that was bad. So we start walking! 14 miles to Mazariffe with good, refreshing stops. Found decent albergue. Shower and clothes washed. Time for food. Had peregrino dinner. Excelente! Ate with Steffi from Germany. Young pilgrim who just started walking today. Spoke very good English. Time for rest but little town is just coming to life. Citizens all walking the streets. Nice. Hasta luego!