Camino Finisterre - Day 1 Vilaserio to Oliveiroa

Christa and Ute brought us a point where we hoped to find the Camino to Finisterre crossing a road. The G P S could not find any of the villages on our map so we had to try and find it the olf fashioned way by actually reading the map and looking for the turns. We did quite well but never found the village we were looking for . Suddenly at a crossroads we saw peregrinos walking along the road. I jumped out and they said, yes, this is the Camino so Werner and I got our backpacks out of the car, said a quick goodbye to Christa and Ute and joined the others. It was about 8:30.

We were looking for a village called Vilaserio and after about 2 km we came to it. It was not where our map showed it so we probably would not have found it driving. Christa and Ute had their own program for the day so continued on their way.
We continued on the Camino which is well marked. The weather was cool and soon we had to get ponchos out for a heavy shower with enough wind to make sure our trousers also got wet. It only lasted about 15 minutes and then there was sun again. The trail was hilly and went from gravel roads to asphalt but there was not much traffic except farm vehicles so the walking was quite easy.

We continued on for about two hours before we came to a café where we had a café con leche and bought a boccadillo to share later.

While we were having our coffee a second heavy rain shower came by so we missed that one. Back on the road continuing on towards our planned stop for the night at Oliveiroa.

One more hill to climb and then we could see the lake Embalse da Fervenza. A lake formed by a dam.

Another rain shower, this one only about 5 minutes but enough to make us get ponchos out again, and then we descended towards Oliveiroa which is near the end of the lake.

Over a bridge and another 2 km to the Albergue which is modern and very nice. It was about 2:00 pm. We were assigned beds and then a beer to go with our boccadillos for a late lunch. We would have stopped for lunch earlier but there were no dry places to sit after the rain showers.

The Albergue is called Albergue Horreo. I now know that is the name for the grain storage buildings we see everywhere. They are "Horreos". There is a big one in front of the Albergue. In this part of Galicia the walls are made completely of stone rather than wood.

Today we walked 22 km. Tomorrow we will have 30 km to Finisterre. The weather forecast is for rain most of the day. If that happens we may take a take a taxi and bus to Finisterre. We'll decide in the morning. We don't want to walk all day in the rain.

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Day 32 - Lavacolla to SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA

We were awake early and ready to leave by 6:45. Breakfast was set to start at 7:00 but they were ready when we came down so we had our breakfast and were ready to leave by 7:15. It was once again a cold morning, about 4°C but the sky looked as if the few high clouds would soon clear. The first part of the final stretch was uphill and we soon warmed up as the sun rose.
We continued through woods and small villages, past the Spanish TV station studios at the top of the hill then started our descent towards Santiago. Soon we were in the suburbs having stopped to get one last sello (stamp) in our pilgrims passes before we entered the city. It was exciting to get our first sight of the cathedral towers and then to stand in front of it at 9:00 am. There were very few people about and it was still cold in the shade by the west end of the cathedral as the sun was still quite low in the east.
Our first view of the spires of the cathedral

We arrived at the back side of the cathedral but soon we were around it.......

 

And stood in front of the impressive west façade

We made our way to the Oficina del Peregrino, Pilgrim Office in a street behind the cathedral which had just opened at 9:00 and soon we were in front of one of the people who examine the record in the Credential (pilgrim passport) with all the stamps and decide if the record meets the requirements for the Compostela, a document in Latin that certifies that you have completed the requirements of a true Christian pilgrimage.
We all received our Compostelas and our journey was officially completed. It was a very special moment for all three of us. Now we are entitled to a 50% reduction in our time in purgatory when we die according to the ancient doctrine.
There was also a place where we could leave our backpacks for the rest of the day for €1 and we all took advantage of it. At that moment I received a text from Christa that she had arrived and was waiting for us in the square in front of the cathedral. We soon met her and of course it was photo time and also emotional.

Since Werner and Josef wanted to get some information about their return travel from the Pilgrim Travel Office, Christa and I went to look around the cathedral. There were not many people there yet and I found it both exciting and humbling to be able to visit the tomb of St James, my patron saint in a crypt below the high altar. The relics are in in a silver casket in a small chapel that at one time was part of a Roman building but the cathedral has been built above this so most of the original Roman building is no longer there. No crowds yet and there was time for a moment of prayer and thanksgiving at a prayer desk in front of the casket.
The cathedral is huge and was built especially as a pilgrim cathedral with he high altar above the tomb and smaller chapels around the outside. It was built in the 12th century and like the other great cathedrals in Burgos and León we have visited on this journey it is an amazing accomplishment. Huge high arches with only simple decoration and unlike León not much glass. Now there are lights but in early days it must have felt very different. Pictures are difficult and I was too excited to take many. Christa has some and I will try and add them to this blog at a later date.

We still had time to find a cup of coffee and then meet up again with Werner and Josef to find seats for the noon pilgrim Mass. Back into the cathedral at 11:00 and already many of the seats were occupied. We found seats and waited. By 11:30 all the seats were full and the Mass began promptly at 12:00.

A nun led the singing but the whole service was in Spanish including a long sermon. I did not understand much but my Latin from 55 years ago let me believe he spent a lot a time talking about sinners. After the pilgrimage I did not think that was a very appropriate way of encouraging us further to good works. However the most exciting part was at the end when they lit the worlds largest incense censor "botafumeiro" which with the help of 8 men is lifted up and swings across the whole church almost up to the ceiling spreading smoke as it flies. An amazing site! This was followed by a blessing and the service was over.

We left the cathedral, bought a few souvenirs and found a place to share a final lunch together. Josef is leaving us and heading out tomorrow for Finisterre. Werner and I are going with Christa for a few days to the apartment she has rented to give Werner's leg a rest. If he improves he and I will probably walk part of the Camino to Finisterre and on to Muxia.

 

Well, this will be the final blog from this adventure. For me it was spiritual, physical and as some would say "Adventure before Dementia" .

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Day 31 - Burres, near A Calzada to Lavacolla

We woke up to another cold but clear looking day and set off at about 6:45. Soon the sun came up the birds were singing and even the cuckoo called to welcome us to a new day and say goodbye because tomorrow we will be in Santiago.

We walked along lanes cut below the level of the surrounding fields, often with stone walls on either side. It reminded me very much of England with the narrow lanes and stone walls.

At times we were in eucalyptus forests. Rather strange considering that these trees are only native to Australia but apparently they were introduced years ago for paper making. We also saw some harvesting with heavy equipment pulling the trees out of the forest. Some of the trees are huge.

In between there were sections of old growth hardwood but it looked as if the eucalyptus were taking over since they grow so fast in the wet and humid climate.

We passed small farms. Here is one with about a dozen sheep. It must be very difficult for them to survive on this scale.

We caught up with a family walking the Camino. They were Germans from Cologne and had two small children in the cart with them. They have been walking for six and a half weeks after starting in Pamplona! They had taken a taxi over the high mountains but I still think they are crazy!

We are getting close

We stopped once for coffee and again about two hours later for a beer and we shared a boccadillo between the three of us. Our goal was a small town called Lavacolla.. Now it is very near the airport and has lost much of its character but we found a hostal that will be fine for one night and only 11 km from Santiago which will be about a two hour walk in the morning.
However, as the name of the village suggests "Lava" relates to washing and it is where the pilgrims would traditionally wash and cleanse themselves before entering the city. Today there is still a small chapel dedicated to the pilgrim saint St Roque. It has a covered portico and sits in a shaded grove of trees on the edge of the village.

Everything around was very overgrown and it looked as if it needs a lot of renovation. The door was locked but I was able to take a picture through a window.

Next to it is a field with a few sheep. It was very peaceful and I sat there for a while thinking of all the pilgrims who had stopped there to prepare for their entrance into the city the next day, like we will.

The hostal is nice enough for us and we will be fine. They also offer a Peregrino menu for dinner but not until 8:00 pm which is a bit late but we can manage.
Well, the dinner was interesting. We had the unusual selection of about 3-4 items for each of three courses. For the first course we were offered, mixed salad, Russian salad, empanada (a kind of meat pie), or minestrone. I chose the empanada. It was warm and good and I had eaten about half of it when I saw two ants crawling out of the middle of it! I showed them to the waiter who immediately took it away. I said I would have the minestrone expecting soup. What arrived was not soup but a plate of vegetables but it was excellent.
The next course was offered as escalope of beef or something with fish. We all chose the beef but what came was a delicious beef stew with boiled potatoes. There was more than we could manage between the three of us.
For the postre we were offered three things including yoghurt, torte de Santiago which we have had several times and is very good and something we did not recognize. Since we had all had enough to eat anyway we all selected the surprise. It was a very good orange cream cake. So we all felt we had hit the jackpot with dinner tonight, our last night together. The wine was also excellent, but we only had one bottle.
Now to bed. I do not know when I will have internet again so I will try and post this tonight.
Today we walked 23 km. 14 miles and we are now within 11 km, 7 miles of Santiago.

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Day 30 - O Coto to Burres, near A Calzada

The night in the hotel was fine but it felt strange sleeping between sheets after so many nights in a sleeping bag. We were up at the usual time, had our café con leche and tostadas at the restaurant across the street and were on the road at about 7:15. Breakfast in the hotel did not start until 8:00 which was too late for us.
The morning was overcast but not cold enough for gloves and we made good time along a very pretty path through woods, across streams ( that our book called rivers) and up and down several hills. We passed through Melide where a lot of people joined the path since there are a lot of Albergue beds there and also the "bus pilgrims".
Here are some of the medieval bridges, still used today, some even by cars.

The view from the bridge

It was a pretty and relaxing walk. We stopped in Arzúa for a snack and a beer. It was about noon and we had been walking for almost 5 hours except for a brief coffee stop. Here is a church we passed in the town and one in the countryside.

We had decided to stop at an Albergue which was about 600 meters off the Camino but the only albergue within the distance we had decided on that would give Werner's leg a chance to rest and still allow us to get close to Santiago tomorrow. The weather became beautiful as we walked and I am sure you will be pleased to hear that the cuckoo was singing for us.
When we arrived we took our showers and sat outside in the sun (with my hat and sunscreen) and enjoyed a beer. I hung my sleeping bag out in the sun to air. It has been quite a while since I have been able to do that and I am sure it will feel fresh tonight. No washing needed as we got it all done yesterday so a lazy afternoon with no chores today.

It is a nice modern albergue with only 10 beds (5 double bunks) and we were the first to check in so each got a lower bunk which is much more convenient, especially if we have to get up in the night. It looks as if there will be 3 other people in here with us. We are the only walkers here tonight. Everyone else are cyclists.
No peregrino menu so we had pizza which was quite good and red wine to go with it.
Today we walked 26 km, 16 miles. Only 32km, 20 miles left to Santiago. We have covered 768 km, 480 miles, all on foot.
It is difficult to believe that tomorrow will be our last normal "Camino" day. It has been our routine and our lives for exactly a month. We left St Jean Pied de Port on April 24 and today is May 23. Tomorrow we plan to go about 22 km and find somewhere to stay near the Santiago airport. There are no albergues there but we are sure there will be plenty of other options. We could go another 8km and be at the city limits of Santiago but the albergue there has 400 beds and we don't fancy being with a crowd like that and we don't need to be in Santiago before about 10:00 am to collect our Compostella (certificate of completion) and be at the cathedral at 11:00 to meet Christa and go in for the noon pilgrims mass. I think it will be very emotional for me. But it is not until Saturday and we hope that tomorrow we will have a nice walk through the countryside as we approach the tomb of St James

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