DAY 40 To Santiago

  I had a strange feeling as I applied the Omniflex blister tape to my feet this morning.  I was doing this routine for the last time.  After today, we will not be wearing hiking shoes or the uniform of the peregrine.  No more backpacks all day.  Still, this has been our life the last forty days.

We are happy to finish and move on.  We feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to be on this Camino.  We know not everyone has the health, inclination, or resources to walk the Camino.  We have met some peregrines that have walked the Camino multiple times.  For us, we are one and done.  So now we are off to Santiago to finish.

We walked quickly toward Santiago.  We passed the Pilgrim monument in Monte de Gozo.  It is our first glimpse of the city.  With the morning haze it was impossible to see the Cathedral.  We already obtained three stamps on our credential this morning, one more than was required on the last day.  Except for a pit stop at the Farmicia for ibuprofen, we would head straight for the Compostella office.

The Camino seems to take a long path through the city.  It probably doesn't, but with the anticipation we were experiencing it did seem like it.  To quote a friend from the past, Doug Orth, we had smiles on our faces like a 90 cent slice of watermelon.

We reached the historic district and raced even faster until we reached the Cathedral.  You pass through a tunnel and there are musicians playing as you enter the square.  We were pointed to the Compostella office and got in line.  It took about an hour before it was our turn to process.  The time in line didn't seem that long to me.  I was busy talking with new friends from London, Scottland, and Germany.  All sharing moments we had on the Camino.  They were younger than us and in much better physical condition than me, but commented about all of the aches and pains they had endured on the Way.  We agreed that everyone is challenged to some degree if you walk far enough. Vic's foot was hurting so she decided to wait by the steps by herself and thought it took forever.

In an effort to accelerate the processing, a volunteer started inspecting the credentials of pilgrims while we were still outside.  This helped some.  We were relieved we she said congratulations.  We went in and were presented with our Compotellas.  We are no longer peregrinos.  We are finished!

We dashed off to find a room near the Cathedral.  We are staying at a Pension one block away.  The Pension is named "la Casa de Peregrinos."  Appropriate enough for these few days we will spend here.

We decided to celebrate by eating American. I know, but we miss our food.  We asked the hotel for directions to Fosters Hollywood.  To Vic's pure delight they are located at a large shopping mall.  After a quick bus ride, we arrived,  Vic ordered ribs and salad.  I had nachos, bourbon Salisbury steak, and profiteroles (a pastry with a cream filling topped with whipped cream and chocolate).  No I don't think I lost any weight.

After lunch we went shopping for beach attire. We will leave for southern Spain on Friday to spend a week in the sun.

Vic said now that our Camino is over, she will miss getting to see a new place everyday.

Many people walk the Camino alone and I respect their decision.  For myself, I know my steps on the Camino were both easier and happier with Vic by my side.  Buen Camino to all!

DAY 39 To Monte de Gozo

We  awoke before sunrise but didn't leave the Pension until 10.  My knees were still hurting.  Vic said it was okay with her if I wanted to take a rest day.  We had walked the last five days.  I didn't want to have to walk all 18 to 20 Kms on our last day so we agreed to walk to at least San Marcos.  We ended up stopping at Monte de Gozo, just a couple clicks further than San Marcos. We are now just 5k from the Cathedral in Santiago.  Hopefully, we will arrive with fresh legs, bright eyes, and light hearts.

We continue to marvel as we walk through the Eucalyptus forests.  The trees dwarf us.  As in Burgos we find ourselves walking around the Santiago Airport perimeter fence.  I know St. James didn't walk around it.  We soon found a marker for the Santiago catchment area.  We got a cyclist to take our picture together.  Gracias and Buen Camino to him.

There were numerous small waterfalls; we could hear their passing in the trees.  Unfortunately, they were seldom seen.  Beautiful flowers, though some would call them weeds, were everywhere.  We would have missed them had we taken a car.  And my favorite, the many cats on the Way today.  I was too slow in getting the iPad mini out to capture a shot of most of them.

At every bar we stopped at we ran into peregrines that we've met along the way.  We are close to the finish and everyone is very excited.  The bliss is infectious.  In spite of our pains, we are joyful!  We are staying at a hotel.  Our German friends Andrea and her daughter Angella are also here.  We along with many others will finish tomorrow.

There is a camaraderie among peregrines regardless of where they are from.  It is truly a high point of your Camino.  You can sit in a bar and talk to just about anyone.  There are no hidden agendas, we are all just walking.  We are all having the same experiences and are open to sharing.  It is one of the things I will miss most about the Camino.  It is a very human experience.  Maybe if all the leaders of the world had to walk the Camino with each other there wouldn't be so much animosity.

DAY 38 To O Pedrouzo

  We buy cokes at the store and set them outside overnight on our window ledge so we will have cold cokes in the morning.  Spain has not embraced the concept of a mini fridge yet.  We woke to a warm morning and warm cokes.  Oh well, we still needed our caffeine fix.

The km marker indicates we are 38 Kms from the Cathedral in Santiago.  We are getting close, but we are both tired from walking.  We will walk 20 Kms today.

The walking was very hot today.  At least my face and hands are getting tanned.  I wish I could say the same for my scalp. Oh hair where did you go?

We passed through a couple of small hamlets today with nothing open.  We finally came to a bar and it was packed.  The two women running the place were very enterprising.  The couldn't take the money fast enough.  They even had a toilet seat, soap and towels in the restrooms. Yay!

We arrived in O Pedrouzo hot and tired.  We rented a room at the Pension Maribel. It is nice!  We are now 18 Kms from Santiago per the markers and 20 per our guide book.  The guide book says the markers are wrong due to changes in the Camino over the years.

We may or may not make it to Santiago tomorrow.  My knees and Vicky's foot are killing us.  We've got to stop at a Farmicia to restock our supply of aspirins and ibuprofen.

Everyone on the Camino is excited about finishing.  Well almost everyone.  There is a young Irish lady that said she has slowed down because she doesn't want her Camino to end.  I call her Ireland.  She started in Burgos and has passed us several times.  She stops for a cold one and we catch her.    Then she will pass us again.  It is the proverbial hare and the tortoise tale.  She will finish on May 6th.  Hopefully we will get to have a cold one with her in Santiago.

DAY 37 To Arzua

We stopped by the store and bought us some hot, fresh croissants for breakfast.  They were delicious! It is getting much warmer.  The sun has been very hot.  Vic even used my hat for a while.

The countryside is full of rolling hills.  None as high as mountains, just a lot of ups and downs.  This type of walking is hard on the knees and toes.  We have been eating aspirins and ibuprofen like candy.

We spent the day walking through some nice forests.  This is the first time we have ever been in a forest of eucalyptus trees.  Surprisingly, they smell the strongest in the mornings.  I suppose from all of the humidity from the morning fog.  I errantly thought the solar heat what activate the smell in the afternoons.

We crossed several streams and creeks today.  Vicky is getting better at walking the rock stepping stones to cross them.

We crossed another old bridge; this time to enter a small hamlet.  I would love to swim in the creek there on a hot day.  Clear, cold water and a rocky bottom.  It reminds me of Barrenfork Creek in Oklahoma.

We arrived in Arzua and rented a room in the Pension Rua.  We are at the end of the hall and have a tub.  Yahoo!

Tomorrow we walk to O Pedrouzo.

DAY 36 To Melide

What a difference a good night sleep makes.  With just the two Italian ladies in the Albergue main room and us in the private room, all was quiet.  We all awoke after 7am  and didn't leave until after 8am.  We were feeling good and ready to knock off some more Kms.

While walking we met a nice college girl from Virginia who is attending a semester at a college here in Spain.  She decided to walk the last 112  Kms  of the Camino to earn a Compostella while on spring break.  A noble pursuit given her other options.  I am forced to rethink this whole touragrino thing.  I wonder if this is how the Grinch felt?  You go girl!

As we entered Palias de Rei, we were momentarily halted by a group of teenagers.  Their number had to be over 35.  They were being gathered for a group picture and we used the chance to put some distance between us.  Our escape was slowed by picture taking, a rock bridge, and cows on the Camino.

I guess you could say we had a Pamplona running with the bulls moment.  Okay, so maybe it was more of a fast walk in front of the cows, but it made our morning.  Hey that brown cow had a set of horns on her!

Before long the youngsters caught up with us.  Yes they were loud, but a few of them were very polite, respectful, and nice.  Who knew?  While taking pictures of the sheep, we met a couple of girls from La Mancha.  They were happy to learn that I knew about Don Quiote and Sancho.  A couple of others had been exchange students in the US.  We all stopped at the bar for lunch.  Being old and cunning we hit the restrooms before the herd.  We left knowing they would be in line for some time.

We stopped for our chocolate break.  This was the last of our orange chocolate from Astorga;  Alonso brand for anyone visiting Astorga.  We had passed a mom walking with her young son.  She was
heavy laden with her backpack on her back and her son's on her front.  Boy when it is humble pie day for me it comes in a delivery truck.  We asked them if they would like some of our chocolate.  The boy was timid at first, but his mother assured him it was okay.  They thanked us and enjoyed the chocolate .  We heard the mother say Umh a couple of times.   It is fun to see  the amount of joy a little chocolate can bring.

As we walked further we heard the cookoo birds again.  I told Vic there sure were a lot of cookoos out today.  She said "yes, including us."

As we made our way to Melide, we came to the old bridge.  We were happy to cross it until a car came up behind us honking for us to hurry along.  Apparently in Spain it is okay to hurry turtles.  That's what I've nicknamed peregrinos since we wear backpacks and extend our necks to look both ways before we cross the highway.  I took a quick picture of the car as I was running away.

The oldest cross marker on the Camino is in Melide.  When I took the picture I didn't even see the palm tree in the background.

After a hard day of being chased by teens, cows, and a jeep we retired at a nice Pension for the night.
Tomorrow we go to Arzua.