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Walk as a community and arrive as a community.
Ken, Tori, Catherine, Ludovic and I all arrive together. Catherine and I set off the same day from the same Albergue in St. Jean Pied de Port as well. Met up with Jon and had two days of relaxation and mayhem in the evening.So am now here in Santiago. Have to say it was a little bit of a let down arriving here. Perhaps let down is the wrong phrase really. I guess we, everyone has said the same, were expecting excitement and jubilation in front of the cathedral. This didn´t happen in fact most were sad.
Don´t get me wrong Santiago is a beautiful town and I could definately spend a few days here wandering the streets eating fantastic seafood and spending time with good friends. Sam summed it up best yesterday with an analogy of the Wizard of Oz. The Camino is our yellow brick road and Santiago was our wizard. However, upon our arrival we found out that Santiago was nothing really. What makes the real Camino is those tinmen, Scarecrows and Lions we meet along the way. All of us confused and fallable in our own ways but also with strengths and beauty which on a very long walk can´t help but rub off on each other. The Camino is so long and the questions we ask each turn around in our minds as we put one step in front of the other. Eventually coming up with the answers to
The Wizard is here - Santiago Cathedral
A beautiful Cathedral but its only a finishing point. The friendships you form on the Cathedral will be will be with forever. those thoughts and queries that at other times we never get to finish. I should have walked this years ago. It is one of the best things I´ve ever done and I have some wonderful new friends. Yesterday in the Cathedral we attended the Pilgrims mass. In it a huge incense burner is swung from the one roof of the Cathedral too the next by a group of up to 6 men, it gets very close to the heads of the seated congregation. The mass was beautiful and I could tell there was many a damp eye amongst the pilgrims and even the tourists.
So what next? My Camino is not quite finished as in a minute I will carry on to Finisterra next to the sea. Something about walking from the mountains to the sea. Not all the lions and tinmen will be proceeding but some will. We have become a walking community or communities as you drift in and out of different groups. It´s only 3 more days to finisterra but I am not scared of the future. I look forward to it and am happy and grateful for being given the opportunity both pre and post
Boris and Beutrand - The Paris connection
Boris and Beutraund walked from Le Puy. That is a bloody long way indeed. Camino to follow my heart and my love. Very few people get this chance. In the past 5 years I have followed my heart and I have not gone wrong anywhere. It has taken from the Himalaya, diving the reefs of Indonesia, living amongst a completely different culture in Japan and standing on the Eastern tip of Timor. To name a few. The Camino has shown me this and it is a great feeling. Take care all. Buen Camino...
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Catherine
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tu me manques!!!
La plus belle arrivée...j'aurais même pas pu y rêver...parfaite...juste parfaite...avec des gens que j'adore et qui me manque maintenant! À quand les retrouvailles? Pour mes 55 ans, donc dans 23 ans? à Finisterre cette fois?...non, trop long...Aller Ben: c'est pour quand le Qc? Et Tori et Ken et Ludovic? Je vous attends!!! On se fait une bonne randonnée de raquette cette fois et un aussi succulent repas préparé par...Ken? En souvenir de cette dernière scène d'avant l'arrivée? Bon voyage Ben...avec tout l'amour du monde au fond du coeur!