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Published: October 13th 2016
This is my last blog related to my walk along the Camino to Santiago. My previous blogs started with
Planning My Camino de Santiago de Compostela Pilgrimage, followed by
Barcelona, on the Way to the Camino de Santiago,
Camino de Santiago - Navarre - Getting to Know You,
Camino de Santiago - La Rioja - I´ll Be Seeing You, and
Camino de Santiago - Art, Architecture, History, and Recovery. This blog relates to my journey of 100 km from Lugo along the Camino Primitivo to Melide where I rejoined the Camino Frances, my arrival in Santiago, and my time in that area.
I knew that this walk would be much different from the walk from Pamplona to Burgos, where I skipped sections of the Camino due to an ankle injury. By skipping ahead I was able to hop scotch fellow pilgrims with them catching up to me, although in highly improbable circumstances. For the final 100 km I would have to walk every step to receive my Compostela, the certificate of completion. This meant I wouldn't be meeting pilgrims again unless they walked my pace or walked to the same albergue I was staying at. I was praying for the same sense of family that I had experienced at the beginning of my pilgrimage, and especially hoping to meet Camino angels...those who were a blessing to me or that I would be a blessing to. Although the circumstances were different, I was not
disappointed. So here is my story...
25 September 2016 Sunday. Weather: perfect. Distance from Lugo to San Vincent del Burgo: 10 km or 6.2 miles.
Lugo is the town on the Camino Primitivo closest to the 100 km mark from where a pilgrim must walk the rest of the way to Santiago! The walk to the first albergue beyond Lugo is 20 km, which I did´t think my ankle could manage...or the rest of my body. So I took a taxi to a bar in San Vincent del Burgo, which was the half way point, and walked back from there to the hotel in Lugo where I spent a second night. I could handle this walk, so I was confident my ankle had healed enought ot be able to walk the 10 km to San Roma de Retorta the next day. However, today´s walk was without a backpack and was mostly slightly downhill, so this was not a true test as I would learn the next day. After returning to Lugo I walked around town, getting my two
sellos for the day, and had supper at my favorite café. I then returned to my hotel to repack my
backpack, which I would continue to carry to Santiago, and my carry on with all the non-essentials, which I would have shipped to Santiago and see again in nine days.
Lesson learned: We are all pilgrims walking our own Camino.
26 September 2016 Monday. Weather: Perfect. Distance from San Vincent del Burgo to San Romao de Retorta: 10 km or 6.2 miles.
I took a taxi to the bar from which I had walked back to Lugo the previous day and continued my walk from there. The countryside was definitely different from the first two weeks on the Camino with mostly dairy related agriculture. I passed one field where the cows were scattered about and moo'ed to get a reaction. The cows all walked over to the fence where I stood lining up and watching me expectantly. I wasn't prepared to milk them so moved on. I also passed many large dogs who ignored me, which was my desired response as I had heard that some dogs can be aggressive. I soon learned that the Camino Primitivo is almost deserted by Camino Frances standards. I met very few people along the way. Soon the flat path left
the road and went through damp dark forests, another change from the earlier sections of the Camino. And I started to climb hills and through small farming communities.
I arrived at my albergue, the Candido, about 2 PM and being rather tired plopped myself on a couch in the common room. At the other end of the couch was an Italian girl named Paola who told me that she was a slow stroller, like a turtle. She had spent the day here, which would be slow indeed! I showed her the patch on my backpack which says "Slow Strollers On the Camino" with a turtle symbol. She had to have one, so I promised to send her one once I got home. We exchanged addresses and become Facebook friends. She was my first Camino angel on this phase of my trip, providing me the ibuprofen pain relief cream that actually worked as my ankle could attest. The cream I had purchased in Barcelona smelled good, but did nothing to ease the pain.
She and a Dutch couple, Peit and Maritza, were doing a load of laundry together and invited me to add mine to the load. So I
added mine to the pile that the hospitalero washed, saving us the effort. I then showered and took a siesta. That evening we all ate together for dinner. The hospitaliero had the three course meals brought from Lugo, but it was a one man show making sure everyone was served what they wanted. Then it was off to bed (bunks?)...it's an interesting experience having dinner together then sharing a bunk room together, but that's the Camino experience.
Lesson learned: Pilgrims are the same all along the Camino...caring for each other.
27 September 2016 Tuesday. Weather: The rain from the previous night was just ending and the conditions improved throughout the day. Distance from San Romao de Retorta to As Seixas: 13 km or 8 miles.
I was going to walk with Paola as she was a "slow stroller," but she was taking her time getting ready. She told me to go ahead and that she would catch up. Along the way I came to a fork in the road without any
fleche amarillos (yellow arrows) pointing the way. Fortunately an older French man who had been at our dinner table the previous evening was just coming from
the left direction and told me to go right...another Camino angel giving me directions. I used my walking stick to draw arrows on the path so that the pilgrims behind me would know which way to go. Evidently, Paola missed my arrows as she went six kilometers out of the way and only caught up with me at the next albergue.
This section of the Camino was all hills...lots of ups and downs, which my ankle didn't appreciate, and through eucalyptus forests. I noticed some pilgrims walking behind me at about the same pace so I sat down on a rock in a field to wait for them to catch up. When they caught up with me I tried to stand up, but fell on my knees and landed on my forehead. They helped me up and assessed my injuries...fortunately I landed in soft grass (and no cow patties) so only sustained a slightly hurt left knee. They were my next Camino angels. Eduardo, Maria, and their son, Luis from Sao Paolo, Brazil...and were great fun. So we joined up. They had music from the '60s with which we sang along, and then added such favorites as the "Girl
From Ipanema," which they sang in the original Portuguese and I sang in English. I also taught them "99 bottles of beer on the wall." It think we got to about 80 bottles of beer on the wall before stopping at a bar in Ponte Ferreira, about 7.2 km from the start of the day, for refreshment. I was tired so decided to stay at the popular albergue here as they continued on. I soon discovered that the albergue was temporarily closed...not something one wants to see when tired knowing that the next albergue was 6 km further. So I dug deep into my reserves and pressed on hoping that Paola would soon catch up.
I arrived at the Albergue As Seixas totally exhausted and with a very painful ankle as the daily limit to avoid pain seems to be about 10-12 km. The hospitalerio deduced that fact and decided to give me a single room by myself....something unheard of in state run albergues...and the only room on the ground floor. The As Seixas albergue is a beautifully restored farm house. I took a shower in what turned out to be the ladies shower, but we won't go into
that! After a short siesta I gathered enough strength to wash my clothes by hand, hang them to dry, and then used the dryer after determining they weren't drying fast enough. The nearest hot food was at a bar a few hundred meters away, which I wasn't up to walking. The albergue had a vending machine, so I ate a cold sandwich and just relaxed while waiting for my clothes to dry. I talked a bit to the Brazilian family and other pilgrims. Paola eventually showed up having gone the wrong way. She missed the arrows I scratched out on the path. I turned in early as tomorrow would be my longest day of walking.
Lesson learned: The Lord gives strength to the weary and companions in times of distress.
28 September 2016 Wednesday. Weather: Sunny and hot. Distance from As Seixas to Melide: 14.7 km or 9.1 miles.
As today would be a long walk, I shipped my backpack forward. In one hand I had my walking stick and the other a 1.5 liter bottle of water. Today Paola walked with me. We soon discovered that she was not a "slow stroller." She kept me company
for the first six kilometers or so talking about life. The day started with a steep climb up the mountain followed by a steep descent down the mountain. In the process the sciatica in my lower back pain returned for the first time since beginning the Camino. Paola had to push on as she was going 10.8 km further than I was this day, but before leaving she rubbed some ibuprofen cream on my lower back. Then she made me promise to wait for the Brazilian family to catch up so that I could walk with them.
The Brazilians never did catch up so after waiting awhile I started walking again. Soon Alfred, a German from Heidelberg, caught up to me and observed that with only one walking stick I was walking off balance. He insisted on giving me his walking stick stating he didn't need his any more. Alfred was my next Camino angel, and his walking stick now has a place of honor in my office at home. However, the back pain persisted and I prayed that it would go away. It did...perhaps from the ibuprofen cream and/or the extra walking stick...but it did...for the rest of
the Camino.
I also had a choice to make regarding water...it was either the second walking stick or the liter of water that had to go. I chose to give up the water, which is high risk walking on a hot day. I chugged as much water as I could and then left the bottle with the remaining water on the side of the trail hoping that some pilgrim would need it. I prayed that I would find water along the way. This prayer was answered shortly with a potable water fountain and then subsequently with bars about every two kilometers for the rest of the way. I met Alfred again at the first bar where I joined him for lunch. He introduced me to alcohol free beer which was ideal for pilgrims...carbs without the diuretic effects of alcohol.
After lunch the Camino leveled out all the way to Melide. As I neared Melide I asked a nice lady, Christine, who was watering her garden, whether I could have a drink of water. She fetched a half liter bottle and filled it with her hose. So Christine was another Camino angle on this long day. I kept that
bottle for several days, as it fit easily in my pocket.
I arrived at the Albergue Pereiros in Melide about 5 PM; much later than my normal arrival times. I took a shower, washed clothes and hung them to dry, used their computer to post my blog about my second week on the Camino, used the dryer to finish the clothes, and went to the pharmacy to buy ibuprofen cream that Paola had recommended and reading glasses to replace the ones I lost along the way, and then had paella for dinner.
After dinner I returned to the albergue to revise my plans for the rest of the Camino as I didn't want to arrive in Santiago before my scheduled 4 October date as that's when my reservations at the San Martin Pinario started. I had just walked 48 kilometers in four days, leaving me six days to walk the remaining 53 km. I could take my time and enjoy myself for these six days!
Before going to bed I shared my ibuprofin cream with a German lady in the next bunk. The next morning she told me her ankle felt much better. I was happy to
Camino angel Paola provides me her address
so that I can mail her a Slow Pilgrims on the Camino patch as seen on my baghave been a Camino Angel for her.
Lesson learned: I am surrounded by Camino Angels. God answers prayers through each of them.
29 September 2016 Thursday. Weather: Warm with a breeze...perfect. Distance from Melide to Ribadiso: 10.8 km or 6.7 miles.
I started the day with singing "Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day." I sang a lot on the Camino. I soon learned that my camera wouldn't take pictures. I stopped mid morning at a café to try to figure out why. This is where I met my next Camino Angel...Kylie from Australia together with her companions Brigid, Kristy, Lisa and George. They were part of a tour group walking the Camino from Melide to Santiago. It seemed that most of the pilgrims I was encountering were part of such groups. Kylie examined the SD chip and discovered that the slide on the side had been moved to "read only" the previous evening when I inserted it into the computer to complete my blog. She slid it back and I was operational again!
Then the terrain became very difficult with steep climbs. Albie, an Australian who was part of a different larger
tour group, offered to carry my backpack up the hill for me. My resistance soon wore out and I gratefully passed my backpack to him...another Camino Angel.
Upon leaving the next bar I joined with three English ladies, Mary, Sharon, and Bernie, who were slow strollers. They mentioned that the day was heating up. That's when I discovered that I left my hat at the previous bar or sometime earlier. Mary from Brighton said she had a spare hat and dug into her backpack to find her spare hat...did I mention how pilgrims are so generous! She was my next Camino Angel. We stopped at the next bar for lunch and refreshment, just a couple hundred meters above my next albergue in Ribadiso. Finally, I decided I had better check in as I didn't have reservations and this was a very popular albergue; arriving there about 2 PM.
The albergue Ribadiso is located just over a Roman bridge (the oldest structure in Galicia) on the banks of a cool stream. I was met by two American hospitaleros, Brad and Cheré, provided by the American Pilgrims on the Camino organization to which I belong. Brad checked me in and
showed me to my bunk and then around the compound. I took a shower, washed and hung my clothes to dry, and then had a long conversation with both of them. This was their last day of their two weeks volunteering at this albergue. Brad is a retired Army doctor and with Cheré had lived in many of the same places I had lived and visited in Europe and Asia. Brad and Cheré are from Williamsburg, VA and during the fall and winter months are Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Busch Gardens amusement park. They fit their parts perfectly! Cheré is Cherokee so we talked a long time about the history of the white man's treatment of American Indians (her preferred term rather than Native Americans).
Lesson learned: I have so many angels it's hard to keep track of them! I have great difficulty remembering names, but from the very beginning of this Camino I have applied association to help, and it seems to have worked. I mention so many names in my blogs to honor those who I've had the pleasure of meeting.
30 September 2016 Friday. Weather: Increasing clouds with rain by mid afternoon. Distance
from Ribadiso to A Peroxa: 6.5 km or 4 miles.
This was not a particularly interesting day. For the first part I walked with two elderly French ladies who were going my pace and also enjoyed stopping to sit on stone walls that were the right height. I learned to take advantage of stone walls to rest along the way. I left the ladies behind, the only pilgrims I passed while walking the Camino, and soon arrived in Arzua where I withdrew some euros from an ATM. With a storm approaching I decided to walk only a short distance further. I arrived at my next albergue, which was about 1 km off the Camino (and totally isolated), at 12:30 PM. The sign in the door said it opened at 1 PM so I waited on a picnic bench out front hoping the rain would hold off. At 1 PM the hospitalera arrived and checked me in. I ordered paella for lunch. I was the only one around until 2:30 PM when five German students from the University of Karlsruhe, one boy and four girls, showed up just as it started raining. We were joined later by several others. I
practiced my German with them through dinner and until turning in by 9 PM.
Lesson learned: Some days you don't learn anything. Hopefully we don't experience many of these days.
1 October 2016 Saturday. Weather: The overnight rain had ceased, leaving fog and drops from wet leaves. The sun appeared by mid morning. Distance from A Peroxa to Salceda: 7.4 km or 4.6 miles.
This turned out to be a delightful day. The Camino was crowded with pilgrims. At one point I was about to lose my way because a couple farmers were harvesting figs and the branches blocked my view of the yellow arrow at an intersection. They told me to wait so I did. They then gave me a big bunch of juicy figs. I had too many so soon was able to share with a couple of ladies from Italy and an American couple, Bob and Kathy, from Florida. He had served in the Air Force in Southeast Asia and it turned out that he was the commanding office of the Air Force detachment that supported my work in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 1974! His unit had installed a phone connection from their unit
to my house after my wife had come down with malaria while I was at my construction site (see
Home in Chiang Mai from February 1974 to July 1975). I guess he could be called belatedly my Camino Angel.
My next albergue, the Pousada de Salceda, was also a few hundred meters off the Camino. It is gorgeous! Actually it is a casa rural, but also accommodates 8 pilgrims in one room. I did the normal things upon checking in. Later I was joined by three Americans, Marisa, her dad Alan, and friend Steve. We watched the Ryder Cup match on TV before dinner. I joined them for dinner after first checking with a lady, Alena...living in the Netherlands but from Russia, who was dining by herself...to see if she wanted to join us. It turned out her husband, Jack from the Netherlands, was a bit late in arriving. I would bump into them every day until arriving in Santiago where I would continue to run across their path.
I learned from Alan, who had stayed at this albergue three years earlier, that the cast and crew of "The Way" had stayed here while filming. The owner related a story about how Martin Sheen wished to be
served breakfast in his room. The owner told him that meals were not served in the bedrooms, but that he was free to join the rest in the dining room. At this point the entire cast and crew, including his son Emilio Estevez, broke out with clapping and cheers. I give the benefit of the doubt to Martin Sheen whose role in the movie was of a grumpy angry father and perhaps he couldn't switch in and out of that role easily.
Lesson learned: We can not judge anyone until we have walked in their steps. Always give the person the benefit of the doubt.
2 October 2016 Sunday. Weather: Sunny and warm. Distance from Salceda to Pedrouzo: 8.3 km or 5.1 miles.
As I was finishing my breakfast of café con leche, Susan from Milwaukee sat down at my table, kitty corner from me. She buried her head in hear hands and appeared to be in distress. I asked if she was ok and she told me that she was having difficulty breathing and her heart was not right. I asked if I could call an ambulance, but all she wanted was to sit for a
while in silence. I prayed for her for which she was grateful, and then I left. I went to pay for both mine and her breakfasts, but the owner refused payment. He assured me that he would keep an eye on her. I continued to pray for her as I walked to Pedrouzo where I had reserved and paid for a bed. For some reason there weren't many pilgrims so nothing happened on the way. I checked into the albergue where I met Leslie from America. She was on her second Camino as the first didn't go well...letting others dictate her way. She was walking this Camino her own way, albeit with a few hiccups at the beginning. We had lunch together after which I refreshed my euro stash at an ATM. Later we joined with girl friends of hers from South Africa, England, etc for dinner.
I didn't sleep well due to snorers in the next bunk. I used my ear plugs for the first and last time as this would be my last night in an albergue!!! YAAAAHHH!!
Lesson learned: Many times when you are a blessing to others you don't know the end result. These
times it's in the Lord's hands.
3 October 2016 Monday. Weather: Sunny and warm. Distance from Pedrouzo to Lavacolla: 10 km or 6.2 miles.
As I got closer to Santiago, the draw became increasingly strong to get there. Pilgrims around me were excited that their long, long Caminos were about to come to an end. My heart told me to walk the 20 km to Santiago, and I was in good spirits. Arriving at a bar in San Payo, I jokingly announced "Does anyone want to share a taxi with me to Santiago?" to be greeted with boos. I met Bob from Ireland and his wife Erica from Germany. She met him in Ireland, got married and they had lived many years in Germany. So although my heart said to continue, my body said no. I decided to stay at the same hotel as they were in Lavacolla. Lavacolla is where pilgrims used to take a bath in the stream before they entered Santiago. I spent most of the afternoon washing clothes and talking with a older Philippino-American pilgrim who was waiting for his younger group to arrive. It was good I stopped here as I had suddenly
come down with diarrhea. I joined Bob and Erica, and Michelle from Ohio for dinner. I explained my bad luck; getting ill on my next to last day walking the Camino. I had shipped my Imodium forward to Santiago from Lugo. Amazingly, Erica had some homeopathic medicine that solved the problem. This evening was a final opportunity to share our experiences on the Camino as once in Santiago, everyone would disperse to one of dozens of albergues and hotels. We were able to share our stories of how the Camino reached our deepest emotions, and in my case how Camino Angels met my every need with Erica being my most recent Camino Angel. I felt this evening's conversation with more tears was truly a highlight of my pilgrimage.
Lesson learned: There must be a time for reflection along the way.
4 October 2016 Tuesday. Weather: Rain. Distance from Lavacolla to Santiago de Compostela: 10 km or 6.2 miles.
The last day I would walk the Camino was also the only day I had to walk in the rain. I just draped my windbreaker over my head and backpack which kept me dry. I never did use my
poncho, as with many other items (such as pretty much everything related to foot care).
I soon arrived at Monte Do Gozo, where pilgrims got their first view of the cathedral in Santiago. Due to the rain and fog, I had no such view. I was the only pilgrim to walk to the statue of the two pilgrims pointing to the cathedral. I was also the only pilgrim to stop to see the rock sculptures by José Cao Lata, who showed me around his rock garden of sculptures. His garden studio is just off the Camino so I told other pilgrims to take a look, but every one was intent on reaching their goal.
So I joined the other pilgrims walking through the extensive suburbs of Santiago to the cathedral. I passed the Hospideria San Martin Pinario, a refurbished monastery, where I would stay the next three nights, and entered the tunnel leading to the Praza do Obradoiro in front of the cathedral. A bagpiper was playing his bag pipe. Tears welled up in my eyes as my emotions overcame me. Have you ever set such an improbable goal, that once achieved, you just break into tears? I
could not look at the cathedral until I walked to the center of the plaza at which point I turned around to see my goal. I asked someone to take a picture of me holding my backpack above my head to document this achievement.
I stood there for awhile just taking it all in; the other pilgrims arriving and observing their joy. I then sat with a Norwegian pilgrim who was looking for faces of pilgrims hoping he would recognize someone. I would meet him again over the next two days, still not having met those he had encountered along the way. So I became his friend.
I ran across some familiar faces...Jack and Alena, of course, who were also staying in my hotel. And Leslie who I had met in Pedrouzo. She showed me the way to the Pilgrims Office where, after waiting an hour in line, I received my Compostelo. She also invited me to join her and some other pilgrims for dinner. We would meet at the plaza by 7:30 PM. Both of us were on time, but no one else was so while she was willing to wait for her friends, I begged off
and had dinner at my hotel.
Lesson learned: Make friends of those who don't have friends.
5 October 2016 Wednesday. I attended the 10:30 AM English mass, but as a protestant crossed my arms to receive a blessing. I then explored Santiago and the cathedral. I entered the rear entrance that provides access to the back of the alter where there is a figure of St James. Rather that hugging him as most pilgrims do, I just patted him on the back. That's when I noticed that the noon mass was still in progress and that they were about to swing the botafumerio, the large incense burner. I was able to take a picture from this vantage point.
That evening I had dinner with Harlan
subman and Karen, fellow Travelbloggers, who had just finished the Camino Portuguese. They were the couple for whom I had delivered the Las Vegas postcard to Begonia and Antonio in Navarette so many days ago. We were joined by some of their friends. Harlan recounts our dinner in his blog at
4 and 5 October 2016, Tuesday and Wednesday, visit to pilgrims museum and end of Camino dinner.
Lessons learned: Make your on line friends, real life friends.
6 October 2016. Thursday. Today I
Camino angle Christine
who gave me a bottle of water from her garden hose. We chatted while I drank. would take an organized tour to Finisterre and Muxia to complete my final task. I was joined by Jenny who also stayed at the Hospideria San Marco Pinario. The tour stopped at an ancient bridge and at the only waterfall in Europe where a river cascades into the ocean. At Finesterra I realized that I could not perform this task that I had come for as I wasn't close enough to the water. Finisterre also has the 0.00 km marker for the Camino...thus an important picture. After Finisterre we had a seafood lunch which was great. At Muxia, our tour guide Enrique, helped me across wet slippery rocks to the water's edge where I tossed a small bottle of my Mom's ashes into the Atlantic Ocean. This part of the ocean is known as the Sea of Death. Whenever I see the ending of "The Way" where Tom (Martin Sheen) spreads his son's ashes I will also see where my Mom's ashes rest at the bottom of the sea. Task accomplished...it was time to go home.
That evening while walking around the Santiago cathedral I discovered the Pilgrims' Shadow. The shadow of a straight column on the side of
the cathedral formed the image of a pilgrim. See the picture.
Lesson learned: Make endings special.
7 - 8 October 2016 Friday evening through Saturday. I attended the noon Pilgrims Mass at the cathedral. It was in Spanish so I didn't understand much. I did understand the many announcements prohibiting pictures. When the priest started swinging the botafumerio, a thousand cameras and cell phones came out. I left mine in my pocket and later erased the picture I had taken two days earlier.
I had lunch at my hotel and then caught a taxi to the airport. It took the taxi twenty minutes to go the distance it took me two days to walk. At the check in desk, the agents taped Alfred's walking stick to my backpack strap so it would make it home with me...no security problem.
My Iberia Express flight departed Santiago at 5:35 PM and arrived in Madrid at 6:45 PM. I caught the hotel shuttle to the AC Hotel Coslada Aeropuerto. This arrangement positioned me for catching the 6:25 AM flight to Brussels the next morning. At the check in desk I met an American executive who had cut his
finger with his razor blade when he reached into his bag. He asked the receptionist for a band aid...they had none. I told him that I had antibiotic and Band-Aids, so finally some of my medication came in handy for someone. I joined him for dinner and then turned in as I would have to wake up at 4:30 AM to get to the airport in time for that departure time.
My Air Brussels flight departed at 6:25 AM; arriving in Brussels at 8:40 AM, leaving me a short hour and 20 minutes to catch the 10:00 AM United flight to Chicago O'Hare. With all the lines I had to go through, I didn't have enough time to buy chocolates for my family. It felt terrible rushing past all the chocolate stores.
I arrived in Chicago O'Hare at noon and spent the time until my 4:00 PM flight to Colorado Springs in the United Club lounge. I discovered that the hat Mary had given me many days earlier was missing. I searched to no avail. I arrived in Colorado Springs at 5:30 PM. Linda and Bonnie, my ecstatic dog, were there to meet me for the drive home
to Woodland Park. Thus concludes my Camino.
Lesson learned: Set goals that once achieved will bring you to tears.
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Congratulations on your Camino!
How perfect to meet so many wonderful 'angels' along the way, have only one day of rain and be able to walk that last 100 km despite your injured ankle. Arriving in Santiago is so emotional. I got a bit lost when I got to town (no tunnel back then), but a black labrador, much like my beloved pup, led me to the cathedral. There really is magic in the pilgrimage! Buen Camino, brother pilgrim!