Bags are packed for Costa Rica

And blogger isn't working to let me post pictures so check facebook. Boo.

Sunday, August 18: Finisterre

What a lazy day!  

That's my laundry hanging from the balcony of the albergue. 

I got some lunch at Mac Dous again, eggs, fries, steak and salad for €7. 

Then I headed to the beach where I spent a good part of the day collecting sea glass and laying in the sun. 

As I was collecting sea glass two little girls started following me, stepping in my footprints in the sand. I led them merrily around the beach. Tiny steps, giant steps, zigzag and spiral steps, the little girls laughed as we danced along the water's edge. 

After a long siesta back at the albergue I headed out to search for a little something for dinner. I wasn't really that hungry though. I went back to Mac Dous and ran into Nicolette from Italy who was going to meet up with some Spanish friends if I wanted to come along. We picked up Tomas from Germany along the way. Her Spanish friends, who's names I forgot, were sharing a huge platter of seafood, two types of crabs, razor clams, barnacles, mussels... However they had no idea how to eat the crabs. Even though I am allergic I demonstrated how to clean one then quickly went and washed my hands. We all were amused by how I won't eat the seafood but I know how to catch it and clean it and they who love seafood don't. 

Saturday, August 17: Santiago de Compostella to Finisterre

I got up early and packed up my stuff. I went to the post office to try to get Maria and Roisin's and Szilvia's boxes. They wouldn't let me because I wasn't them even though I had the shipping slips. They said I needed a note from them and a copy of a government ID. I emailed the girls and told hem the news and that I would try again on Monday.  

I bought my bus ticket to Madrid for Monday at the Pilgrim office. It was €12 cheaper than the price online, only €35. 

I grabbed a ham and cheese croissant and walked to the train station where I had read online that the bus to Finisterra stops. I couldn't find the bus stop. I asked around, no one knew. Then I saw a bus from Finisterra stop and drop people off. The driver said I couldn't get on that I had to go to the bus station 2km away.  I asked a lady waiting by the road if she was from Santiago and did she know where the bus station was. She said no but that her friend picking her up was from Santiago. A minute later the friend and her mom arrived and I asked them where the bus station was. They offered to just drive me there as it was on their way. I thanked them and got in the car. We chatted and the asked me questions about home and if I liked Galicia, this area of Spain. 

They ended up drooping me off on the back side of the station and I disregarded the signs and walked in the bus only entrance. Upstairs heading to the ticket desk I ran into Maggie from SC returning from Finisterra. After a rushed greeting I purchased my ticket there with an open return ticket to come back to Santiago,€21. 

I made it to the platform with 7 minutes to spare before the bus departed. The bus was a double decker. I sat up top and this was probably a mistake. I guess my stomach forgot how it feels to be on the road after ~40day. This was a very curvy trip and I spent most of it trying not to throw up. We drove by the coastline overlooking the beaches an the mountains at the same time. My stomach settled down the last half hour and I fell asleep. 

View from the bus

Finisterra is just beautiful. I played the find a not full albergue game. It took till the fourth try. Albergue de Paz had beds for €10. I paid for two nights, took my stuff upstairs and claimed a bottom bunk. 

The ceiling in my room

I went to a place called Mac Dous for late lunch early dinner. I ordered a combination plate that came with eggs, bacon, fries, croquettes, and asparagus. It was an interesting combination. The eggs, fries and bacon were delicious as always. The croquettes were ok but the asparagus was cold and slightly pickled. 

 I  walked back along the coast. The boats rested lazily in the harbor. 

The ocean is so cold, like ice water. The beach has few shells, mostly rocks and sea-glass. 

Friday, August 16: Santiago de Compostella

0.0 km to day! Ok that's not really true as I walked around the city but no more Camino kilometers. 

I spelt in till almost 11am. Oh it felt so good. But the mattress on my bed was like two inches thick and I could feel the wires underneath. I looked around the room this morning and realized not all the mattresses were the same. So I move my self to a recently vacated bed with a six inch thick mattress. 

I got a hotdog for €1 for lunch. Then walked around looking for the office  of the place I shipped my stuff ahead to. I came across people whom appeared to be waiting for a parade holding what seemed like long paper sticks. 

Eventually I found the place but it was not open. A note on the door sent me around the corner to a bakery who had a key to retrieve my box. It cost €20 but it was worth it to know that my stuff was safe and secure no matter how long my camino took. (The post office says they will only hold packages for 30days). 

I took my stuff and sat in the cathedral plaza for a while hoping to see someone I knew. No one I knew arrived, but it is nice to just watch the excitement of others. 

This under appreciated building parallels the cathedral on the other side of the plaza. 

 

I took a siesta back at the albergue. My knees hurt the most right now. I think I pushed them too hard making sure I got to Santiago on Thursday so I could see everyone one last time. 

Later I headed back into town to to see the inside of the Cathedral. I took a quick look around and then realized people were claiming seats an hour before the 7:30 mass started. 

The mass was in Spanish and I understood a little of it. The amusing part was that the sections where people normally kneel, all the pilgrims remained standing. Everyone's legs hurt! Hahaha 

I had read online that this mass every Friday, a local company paid the fee to swing the Botafumeiro, a massive incense burner that was used in long ago times to mask the stench of the hundreds of smelly pilgrims attending mass. It was also believed that incense smoke had a prophylactic effect in the time of plagues and epidemics. The tradition of swinging the Botafumeiro can be traced back to the 11th century. The Botafumeiro is carried and swung by eight men in red robes, called tiraboleiros. The men pull on a massive rope to send Botafumeiro swinging over the congregation near to the ceiling. 

While waiting for mass I had noticed a long line to the left of where I was sitting. After mass I asked the guard what the line was for. It was to visit the tomb of St. James. I quickly joined the queue a minute before the guard closed the line turning away very disappointed pilgrims, two if which were an older French couple I had seen a lot during the middle section of my camino. I think they were a little disappointed and not able to come back the next day but the language difference between us has always been difficult. 

The tomb of St. James is controversial in my opinion. I went to visit it because of the pilgrim tradition not because I really believe it contains the bones of the Apostle James. St. James was beheaded in Jerusalem and his remains were reportedly brought back to this region of Spain. A tomb was built but abandoned several hundred years later due to the persecution of Christians in the region.  Over 500 years later, in 814, a hermit living alone in the woods discovered the tomb in the middle of a field. The hermit said he had been led to the site by falling stars. The Church declared the remains to be those of St.James. The king ordered a chapel to be built on the site. As the legend goes kKing Alfonso II became the first pilgrim to journey to the chapel. The construction of the current cathedral began in 1075. Interestingly the tomb of St. James is still in the original marble vault that was found in the middle of the field as the cathedral was really built on top of it and the city sprang up around it.  While the cathedral was completed less than 50 years later it was expanded and and changed over the decades. The most famous facade, the one facing the square where the pilgrims end their journey and subsequently the most photographed, dates from the 18th Century. 

Anyway, back to the remains of St. James.  The church has refused to have the bones analyzed by modern technology, not even for Carbon14 dating. This has created many sceptic and the believers can only take with faith the word of the church. 

After seeing the tomb, the line continues to, as a translated sign says, "embrace the apostle". Over the alter is a gilded statue of St.James. A flight of stairs lead you up behind the alter. The steps are nearly purple and are  worn stone with indentations from the millions of feet that have tread there over the last 900 years. You hug the statue from behind, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. 

The line leads you out through a back door of the cathedral to the street. I took the long way back to the albergue past the doner kabab stand and a small grocery store picking up food and juice for dinner. 

Thursday, August 15: Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostell

JI am done! Finished! The last 19km of the camino are complete!

The stars were so bright in the predawn hours as I began the last leg if my journey. It was the first time I had seen the night sky in a while. The sun sets after 10pm, long after I am asleep and then it rises again about the same time I do.

The last leg of the camino was not easy. The grouling uphill was followed by inevitable but no more pleasant downhill. The highlight of the morning was eating the leftover pizza for breakfast as I walked. 

The first kiwi tree I've ever seen. 

Finally the forested hills gave way to the flagstoned sidewalks of the suburbs. The further I walked the closer together and older the buildings became. I weaves my way through narrow alleys I started realizing something was wrong. I must be going the wrong way. I asked an old couple where the cathedral was and they directed be back from where I came and to the left. 

I found the cathedral and ran in to the two African guys (from Ghana I think) from Father Anthony's group. After precursory greetings they directed me to the pilgrim office to get my Compostela.   I waited in line and the nice lady looked at all the stamps in my pilgrim passport and asked me a few questions "Where did I start?"-"St Jean de Pied Port" "Did you walk the whole way?" "Yes" "How did I find walking all that far?" "Really difficult". She wrote my name as Elisabetham on the Compostela. She said it was a Latin document and that was the Latin version of my name. I refrained myself from making snarky comments like "What was the Latin version of Comkowycz?" or "Why are you making up names for people on a what is supposed to be an important church document?" or "What the Latin names are for Jalah, Jasenia and She'zarria?"

You see people on the camino everyday that you say hi too as they pass and never know their names. One such woman from Spain, known to me by her awesome retro colored parachute pants, was walking by just as I came out of the tourist office with I sure was an exhausted and troubled look on my face. The office had given me a paper with all the albergues addresses and phone numbers and marked my map with numbered circles scattered all over the city. As I have no working phone it was going to be a guessing game as to which had beds available. But nice Spanish parachute pants lady pulled out her phone and called the albergue where she was staying. They had room and would save me a bed for the 20 minutes it would take me to walk there. 

The bunk at Roots &Boots cost €16 per night and I claimed it for two. Getting to sleep in as late as I want will be blissful. 

I have two new blisters on the fourth toe of each foot. I normally change my socks every 10 kilometers. Blisters, that's what happens when you don't stop to take a break and change your socks because you think it's the last day so what does it matter... 

Shower taken and Facebook updated, I headed back to the city center to explore and get something to eat. This town rocks because I have seen three Kabab restaurants since I walked into town. This time I ordered a Duram wrap with chicken that came with fries with two dipping sauces and a soda. I don't know that the sauces for the fries were but I think they were the same ones on the wrap. I was starving and everything was as wonderful as water in a desert. Doner Kabab Delightfulness! 

My wanderings took me to a chocolate shop where I sampled a few confections. The best of which was dark chocolate with a sprinkling of salt. Delicious! 

I wandered back to the cathedral to see if I could retrace my steps and follow the camino correctly for the last little bit. I found the poorly marked turn that I had missed earlier and followed the path correctly. I arrived at the cathedral correctly and sat watching as other pilgrims arrived. Everyone was very emotional; some were triumph, some joyful, some overwhelmed with tears in their eyes. 

I sat there over an hour watching and waiting 7:00 to meet my friends. Silvia from Hungry arrived first. She had beat even Maria and Roisin here. 

Maria and Roisin showed up and I went with them to get drinks while Silvia and her friend Thomas from Florance went to mass. After catching up for a while I spotted Vance and Theresa walking by with icecream cones. Oh it was so good to see everybody!

Theresa being bad bummed a cigarette off of Maria and Roisin. 

Silvia and Thomas returned from mass and we all decided to get dinner. Vance and Theresa already ate but would walk with us. I was chatting with them as we walked and and the next minute I looked up and couldn't see the others. We walked all over trying to find them without luck.  I said good bye to Vance and Theresa promising to visit hem in Alabama. 

Then I went back to the last bar where I used the wifi to Facebook Roisin. I taped on something accidently and a map came up with me as a red dot and Roisin as a blue dot. I started walking towards the blue dot. On the way I ran into like five guys from Father Anthony's group to whom I said quick hello/goodbyes and continued dot chasing. 

I met up with Maria, Roisin, Silvia and Thomas at a restaurant called Los Caracoles (The Snails). We ordered tapas and drinks and shared slcamino stories. Apparently the really interesting stuff only happens to me. No one else gets lost or has adventures like I do. 

We shared two orders of the Five appetizer selection of the day for two people:

Calamari- was the best I've ever had

Fried churrizo over potatoes- delicious 

Ham croquettes- slightly better than the others I've had in Spain. 

Ham with small fries local peppers- peppers were not my favorite but the ham was good

Cheese plate- no blue cheeses! And all the cheeses were yummy

We chatted ate an drank at the slow pace of Spain, just enjoying good food and each others company. When dinner was over we were not ready to part ways so we moved to a bar down the road. Everyone but me was going home tomorrow. 

We said goodbye to Thomas and Silvia first. Then Roisin and Maria walked me to my hostel were we said see you next week. Because I plan on seeing them when I have a my layover in Dublin on the way home. 

Maria and Roisin and Silvia sent stuff ahead to the post office in Santiago. The post office was closed he last two days because of a holiday and they wouldn't enable to get their stuff. So they gave me the mailing slips and I would send Silvia's stuff to her and bring Maria and Rousin's stuff to Ireland on my way home. What are the odds that my layover would be useful?

Wednesday, August 14: Ribadiso de Baixo to Pedrouzo

Walked 22.8km today. 

I slept a quite a bit later than I wanted to day and that resulted in me arriving in to my planned destination too late to get a room at one of the albergues. 

Breakfast in the city of Arzúa

This puppy was just laying in the road getting some sun. It wasn't a very active or affectionate puppy. But she sure is cute. As much as I have wanted a camino dog this trip I put her back a few feet away off the road. Her mom came over a minute later to make sure she was ok. 

Countdown: 30!

I wonder why the stop signs are in English. 

Countdown: 20!

I arrived in the town of Pedrouzo the last town with albergues before Santiago. I played the find-a-not-full-albergue game but this time I lost. All the albergues were full so I started asking pensions and found several of full. I was mad. I was mad at all the 100km camino tourists who had reserved the rooms or beaten me to them. I was mad at the camino for letting me down on my last night. I was mad because I was hot and tired and wanted to be done. I was mad that this was more effort than I wanted to give. 

Eventually a lady at a full albergue directed me to a pension that she thought "might" have availability. It was really a couple's house where they rented the extra rooms. The sign on the door directed me to the bar next door where the owner of both said there was space and that a room for one person was €28.  "28!" I exclaimed in shocked reply but agreed to take the room. 

I was shown the room, dropped off my stuff, then returned to the bay to check-in and pay. I handed the man a €50 note and he gave me €32 in change. I said nothing. I get the wrong change all the time here. I can't tell if the people can't do math or the prices are so not-concrete that they forget the price they told me. Oh well if its in my favor I keep my mouth shut and pretend I am a dumb tourista who doesn't have a clue about this foreign colorful Monopoly money. 

I passed a pizza place as I entered town that I wanted to try for dinner called Café Pizzeria Trebol. They had a large selection of pizzas, from which I chose ham and mushroom as well as a small salad.  A lot of the pizzas here are pre made frozen, this one was not. It was the best pizza I've had yet in Spain. It was loaded with cheese and toppings and the crust actually had some flavor other than flour. 

Tuesday, August 13: just before Palas del Rei to Ribadiso de Baixo

27.1 km today. Only 40km left to Santiago. Two more days. 

It was a very long walking day through forests and villages so small they didn't even have fountains. 

About 10:30 I happened upon a bar serving eggs and bacon, oh yum! The eggs here are more orange and taste better than the eggs in American grocery stores. 

Another ancient roman bridge

Around noon I walked into the large bustling city of Melide. It's crowded chaos was a stark contrast to the peaceful morning. Octopus (pulpo) is very popular in this area of Spain. This guy saw me looking curiously in the pot and asked if I wanted to eat it. No, see it. I replied. So he held one of the purple beasts up for a photo. 

I bought groceries to make chicken piccata pasta for dinner. The town I planned on stopping in had two albergues with kitchens but no grocery store. So I had to carry the food for the next 11 miles. 

Passed a medieval fair in the older section of the city. 

Lots of abandoned shoes on the camino lately. 

I chose to stay at the private albergue in Ribadiso de Baixo called Albergue Los Caminantes, mostly because of the wifi. It was a spacious albergue with a huge kitchen, dining room, lounge and out door patio. 

Walking this far in one day takes so long there is only enough time left in the day to shower, eat and then it's just about time for bed. I did go down to the stream and soak my tired feet in the very very cold water.