22nd June

22nd June
Finisterre to Muxia 28k

Most of today was forest and bitumen and plenty of climbing before finally a fairly long descent into Muxia.  We saw quite a few pilgrims walking in the opposite direction throughout the day. Just when we started to wonder if we would bump into Edgar someone we've been bumping into almost since the beginning there he was as if by magic.  We said our goodbyes as we probably won't see him again. 

Our accommodation was easy to find and we  have a very nice private room in an Alburgue.

As I took my backpack and shoes off I realized it was for the last time I would wear them as a pilgrim as our pilgrimage has finished here in Muxia.  After 46 days on the Camino and 44 of those were spent walking it was an emotional moment.  We've covered over 900k in that time, met lots of wonderful people and seen some amazing sights. We've been incredibly privileged to be able to have made this journey and I know I haven't taken a single day for granted.   We've both been thankful for everyday and all the things and people each day has delivered  We're both travel weary and looking forward to home but a part of me wants this to go on forever.

So now we'll rest up and and have a few days as tourists and who knows maybe start making plans for whatever we'll do next.....so.
Until next time.
Buen Camino

21st June

21st June
Cee to Finisterre 13k

The day started with a wander along the seafront before the climbing began.  It wasn't really too bad but we'd rushed a bit yesterday so our legs were fatigued.

It didn't take too long to reap the rewards of our labours with the views we'd been waiting for.  We arrived at the beach called  Praia de Langosteira and walked its 2k length bare foot and paddled in the cool clear water.....bliss!

We had arrived at Finisterre.  It was believed to be the end of the earth and I can understand why as in the evening we went 3k up to the lighthouse and sat on a rock high above the sea and watched the sun set.  As the sun slowly began to drop there seemed to be a space between the sea and the sky, perhaps it's the space that people thought separated the known and unknown worlds?  As the sun starts to touch the sea it seems the sea bends around it for a few seconds. We felt privileged to be there tonight and not a cloud to disturb the view either.

This would have been a great place to finish our pilgrimage but we had already decided to continue on and so tomorrow we head into our final day of walking and go to Muxia.

20th June

20th June
Olveiroa to Cee 20k

We were excited to be heading towards the sea again today.  It's been a couple of weeks since we headed away from the northern coastline and headed inland to Santiago and it seems ages since we saw the beautiful views we were spoilt with back then.  The Galician countryside is beautiful but after a couple of weeks of it we were looking forward to a change.

We started out climbing for a while and then reached the high moors. The midges were out in force and had a really good feed on me.  We marched on and on waiting for the down hill we were expecting to reveal the views we were waiting for and then finally there it was......Beautiful, we're back at the sea.  No longer on the northern coast with the sea on our right but now on the eastern coast with the sea on our left heading to Finisterre (the end of the earth).

19th June

19th June
Santa Marina to Olveiroa

Feeling tired and weary this morning and grateful to only be walking 13k.  Doesn't sound much but when you're tired it's a very long way.  I think the climbing of the last few days has accumulated in our legs maybe.  Today was no exception to the last few days and we climbed quite a bit.  All of today was on a quiet country road and the scenery was a patchwork of fields broken only by a lake in the distance.  It was  a lovely sight.

We arrived at our accommodation tired but very happy when we saw where we are staying tonight and I'm so glad we've treated ourselves.  We've just eaten the most fabulous lunch washed down with a very nice Chupito and I think we'll need to walk extra fast tomorrow to work some of this off.  We understand siesta now!!!

18th June

18th June
Negreira to Santa Marina 20k

We had some lovely walking in a forest of Oak and Eucalyptus. It was shady, a perfect temperature and soft underfoot.  That didn't last long enough and then there was some road and then some rough dirt track with little shade.  It had become really hot by then so we particularly missed the shady forest.  There were only two bars to stop at for food one of which was off the Camino just a short way. We decided it was time for our well deserved morning coffee break.  Some kind farmer thought we were lost and directed us firmly back onto the Camino and watched us to make sure we didn't take any more wrong turns.  So with our morning break thwarted we pushed on to the next stop and boy did we enjoy that coffee when we finally  got it.

The scenery was much the same as yesterday although we got much closer to the wind turbines today.

Tomorrow is a short day and we're glad about that.

17th June

17th June
Santiago de Compostela to Negreira 23k

It was so nice to be just 'us' again after a week spent with others and while we really enjoyed their company we really enjoy the space of being on the journey with each other.  As we left Santiago this morning  waved off by our new Camigos we made sure we touched the stone in the square in front of the Cathedral  just one more time to make sure we return someday.

What a fabulous day.  It was warm, the sun was shining and we walked in short sleeves for the first time this trip.  The breeze was warm as well but not hot like the sun.  The way was very pretty along shaded paths through the forest with a couple of climbs one of which was long and testing.  We came across a very pretty village with a medieval bridge Ponte Maceira over the rio Tambre.

When we arrived in Negreira we did our usual chores before finding a supermarket to stock up on supplies for the next couple of days as the guide book says there's not much chance to do this before Finisterre.  So our backpacks just got a bit heavier again!

16th June

16th June Santiago de Compostela

Today we had a rest day.  The first day off from walking for 20 days.  We needed it and it was so good to be here in Santiago.  We took care of business today.  We found the laundromat, we went to the hairdresser which was such a luxury.  Oh....you can't imagine and that energized us to get organized for our final push.  About 125k give or take a bit.

The Camino just blows me away......this evening we decided to walk along a street we haven't used much before and we found and older German lady who we call 'Valter' we haven't found her for at least a month and there she was.  It was so nice to find her after all this time.  She is so inspirational.  She doesn't speak Spanish, she is not young and one tough cookie.  She is on a route I  wouldn't tackle alone.  She reminded me of a very special friend at home and tears flowed once more.....so it is sometimes!!!

15th June

15th June
Pedrouso to Santiago de Compostela

It seemed like a really long slog today.  Some of the way was pleasant pathways and some was on the road.  We climbed to Monte Gozo and saw the large sculpture before descending towards Santiago.  It seemed to take forever to reach the old part of the city but once there it was all very familiar.  The sound of the bagpipes not only gave me goosebumps but led us to the square in front of the Cathedral.  There is a shell in the middle of the square and I was told if you touch it it means you'll return here.  I did just that so I'm sure to come back.

It's a really good feeling to arrive in Santiago and not feel the journey is over.  After a well deserved rest day tomorrow we will start out again to Finisterre and then onto Muxia.  I'm not ready for this journey to end just yet.

14th June

Arzua to Pedrouzo 20k

Finally a pilgrims Mass! It was lovely to go to the church in Arzua for the pilgrims blessing.  There isn't any of that along the Northern route so it was really nice.  It was  wonderful and I thought about all the people we were there with last time in 2013.

We had a lovely dinner after Mass with 8 others.  We said goodbye to Karen from Germany who we've seen on and off for weeks and everyone was sad to see her go.

It was much warmer although still cool today as we walked along through the forest over familiar ground.  There are so many other people now we have joined up with the Francais route and I'm really happy.  Others from the Northern route don't like it being so busy but I'm happy to be back.

13th June

13th June
Sobrado do Monxes to Arzua 22k

It was really chilly this morning so we started out well rugged up.  We had some nice country lanes for a while but before too long we were back on the bitumen.  Four of us walked single file marking time lost in our own thoughts for ages.  

I was excited to be on my way to Arżua and to see how my memories of the place were.  It was strange arriving here as we arrived from a different direction this time so nothing was familiar.  We found our accommodation, got cleaned up and headed into town and that's where the memories flooded back.  I wanted to go to the bar where we sat with Pierre and Dave waiting for the laundry to open 18 months earlier and go to Mass where we went with our Camigos last time.  It's great to be back on the Francais Route.  It's comforting in a strange way.  I'm very excited about the next couple of days making our way back to Santiago on familiar ground.

12th June

12th June
Aroxica to Sobrado dos Monxes 15k

It's freezing!  I haven't had my jacket off all day and it's hard to get warm.  Occasionally the sun comes out which is nice but not for long enough.

The way today was mostly lovely country paths and lanes again.  We did quite a bit of climbing again today and reached the highest point of our journey.  We then walked for a while on the road before descending into a lovely little town which is where we're staying.  It has an ancient monastery which is now a massive albergue with 120 beds.  Could be a noisy night in there.  We're now down into the 60's kms before Santiago.  It's hard to believe we're this close and the start of our pilgrimage seems like an age ago.

11th June

11th June
Baamonde to Roxica 25k

It was very cold this morning and we had to move quickly to warm ourselves up.  It was a really lovely walk on country lanes through a few pretty villages and flat for the early stages.  The first 15k went quickly. The sun came out and warmed us just enough to be comfortable.  We found a bar that wasn't mentioned in the guide book and decided to stop for coffee.  It was a sanctuary and had a little private albergue that's brand new.  It's a shame we didn't know this place existed as it would have been a great place to stay. A little while later we started a climb that wasn't too bad but went on for almost 4k.  We walked through some countryside that was very familiar as we could have been in Stanthorpe in Queensland.  That seemed quite odd. 

The last few k seemed to go on but we finally very gratefully arrived at our destination.  All in all a good day.

10th June

10th June
Vilalba to Baamonde 20k

Lovely flat walk today.  Mostly country side with the odd village along the way.

We started out with Jon and Beate on a fairly chilly and windy morning.   It didn't take too long to warm up and before too long we needed to stop to take off a layer of clothing.  It also didn't take too long before we started catching up with quite a few others.  We found Karen from Germany then Edgar and before long we caught up with the Italian battalion, a group of 7 Italians.  The eldest is 79 and the youngest is 68.  We've been passing Camino pleasantries with them for a few days now but today was the first day we really had a conversation with them.  It was a great conversation and they were able to give us a heap of information on the next adventure that Fuzz and I have planned as they have already done it.  It was great because we were wavering a bit so they've put us firmly back on track.

We eventually stopped for coffee in a bar and we bumped into Alan a Swiss guy we met what seems like an age ago.  It was so nice catching up with him.  We all stopped for a break at a pretty place and shared a snack.  I really enjoy days like today. 

9th June

9th June
Abadin -Vilalba 20k

We had a lovely flatish walk through the countryside today.  Nice temperature for walking.  A little windy but mostly comfortable.  We walked with Jon and Biata again and we seem to have formed a little group.

We found our accommodation without any problem and found a nice bar too.  We decided to have a drink after checking in and dropping off our gear.  We had a great time.  The barman treated us like famous people and we had to have lots of photos.  He insisted we all go behind the bar with him for some of the photos and it was quite a laugh.   He kept on bringing out food for us to eat.  Just little snacks but I understand why the Spanish don't want to eat dinner until 8pm.  We won't want to eat much tonight.

8th June

8th June
Lourenza to Abadin 25k

Today Fuzz, Jon, Biata.and I set off after a meagre breakfast from our dodgy pension.  After a few nights of very dodgy albergues Fuzz and I had hoped a pension might be a bit of relief.  Jon and Biata thought the same and joined us but it was only slightly better than the previous nights so we were glad to get going this morning.

We climbed and climbed all day.  Early in the day we were joined by a young German girl named Layla.  She had been told it wasn't a good idea to travel through today alone and asked if she could join us.  We were happy to add another to our group of Camigos and so today our merry band of pilgrims became 5.

We climbed and then climbed some more.  Today was a challenge and I'm glad it was at this end of our trip and not the beginning as we're much fitter now and it was still a very tough day.  We walked  for a never ending 16k without any sign of a bar or barely a village.   The scenery was beautiful.  We're in the mountains now after having turned away from the coast a couple of days ago, heading inland now on our final push to Santiago roughly 140k to the Cathedral.  We were up in the clouds and they got thicker and harder to see through the higher we got.  At one stage we sat by the side of the the road and shared our food.  It was a fantastic picnic before we climbed on and on some more until we reached our pension which is very comfortable tonight.  The Camino  provides!.

7th June

7th June
Vilela - Lourenza 21k

Well last night was hilarious.  We thought we were at Fawlty Towers.  It turns out our Albergue was also run by the bar/restaurant.  This was almost the only building in town and no where else to go so we were stuck there.  The bar owner finally processed the 16 of us who were getting cold and hungry into the albergue that could have done with a good clean.  Then we waited until 8pm to order dinner.  That's how it is in Spain and this part of the Camino is not so 'pilgrim' friendly so that's when dinner so we have to like it or lump it.

We went through to the dining room which was quite pleasant in comparison to the rest of the place.  Our waiter ran around in and out if a flapping door dumping plates in front of us taking orders and rushing back to the kitchen yelling frantic orders.  It was very funny.   Our food once delivered in a flurry of activity was actually quite nice.  We then hurried back to the Albergue that was behind the bar to go to sleep. 

We woke and put our things away before starting out on a nice cool day.  We're in the mountains now so we did quite a few climbs.  There were no bars to stop  at along the way so we had breakfast in a little grotty park and a bit later some snacks by a graveyard.  After about 14k we found a bar and had the best coffee we've had in ages.  It was our first for the day and it was lunch time so of course it was good.  We had a nice bacon baguette (bocadillo) before heading off for the last push to where we are tonight.  It's clean, we've showered and I've fumigated everything so things are looking up.  I should say that our walk today was lovely even with all the climbing and lack of bars. We had some lovely views when we weren't in the forest, a eucalyptus forest actually, but that's another story. Jon joined us again today which was lovely and our German friend Biata has just arrived.  We'll find the others later and we'll see what happens tonight. 

6th June

6th June,
Tapiia to Vilela.  20k

We had a lovely dinner last night even though we had to wait until 8.30pm.  This is how it is in Spain.  We have been lucky mostly and been able to get dinner at 7.30 but not the last few nights.  Anyway while we waited we were gradually joined by more of our Camigos until there were 10 of us.  So we didn't notice our stomachs grumbling and eventually enjoyed a very nice dinner before heading home to our donativo albergue where we had a fairly good night's sleep.

We woke to a wet and windy day so popped on our rain gear and headed out.  Our new friend Jon joined us today and it was lovely to have his company on our walk.  We had to backtrack a bit and take a main road due to some interesting way marking but it was all ok in the end.  The toughest part for me was walking over a very long 500m and very high bridge in very strong wind.  I thought that would never end.

We have arrived in a little town and we're in another albergue with 20 beds which is starting to fill up with Italians.  Dinner is at 8pm so we're feeling lucky.