Day 34 - We Become Official Pilgrims! It's All That and More

Destination - SANTIAGO!!

Distance - 25km

Hours of walking - 7:40 - 2:20

Terrain - the last tough climbs- long big hills; mostly pavement 

Weather - another great day on the Camino

Nature - beautiful trees

Misadventure - we are going to finish? We don't have our head around this!! Nor do we have a reservation!

When we went to bed, the plan was to walk to about 10km outside of Santiago and then stop for the night and go into Santiago on fresh legs. However we were making really good time and the path was relatively congested. So we made the decision to 'go for it'.

 Magical trail

We stopped for lunch and Dee checked the map. She said 'we are 6kms away'. All of a sudden I got goosebumps and tears welled up in my eyes. The emotions hit with such intensity. We had left St. Jean 34 days and 770kms ago. It was a lifetime ago and only a heartbeat ago. It was the hardest times and yet the best. How could we let it be over? With misty eyes, the back pack went on for the last of the kilometres to become official pilgrims. 

Seeing the sign for a city doesn't mean you are there. It is often a long way to go. And this was no different. Santiago is much larger than we anticipated. We keep walking, knowing the cathedral will be there to greet us. Step after step we feel it pulling at us; we are eager to arrive at the destination and yet do not want the journey to end. 

There it is. The cathedral square. We smile. We gasp. Then Wendy grabs my hand. Then she grabs Dee's hand. Hand in hand, the Triple C's, the YaYa Sisters make it into the square of the cathedral. We have completed the official part of the pilgrimage. We have traveled 34 days and 780km. Tears of joy come down our faces. We have accomplished so much and shared the journey with so many. We sit on the pavement with so many others in silent reflection. 

The Cathedral of Santiago and the Triple C's

It is time to get up and compete the paperwork of our journey. We have been collecting stamps along the way to show the journey. We head to the pilgrim's office to receive our compestella. 

Waiting patiently

It's official

After days in the trail, we talk with some fellow pilgrims about what the Camino has meant to us and that we would never be able to explain it to someone from home whom has not been here  We said it filled our souls. It gave us joy. It gave us kinship. It gave us accomplishment. And then he said 'it was all that and more'. Yes. That sums it up. All that and more. An amazing adventure. With still some more to come. 

Day 33 - The Stars Align for an Huge Hike

Oct 14

Destination  - Santa Irene

Distance - 32km

Hours of walking - 7:30 - 4:30

Terrain - heavy ascents, deep declines... But we nailed them!

Weather - no complaints from these pilgrims

Nature - donkeys, always roosters, rain forest like vegetation

Misadventure - that was a town, but where is the Alburgue? Under the bridge and around the bend. Oh - it's closed - not what we wanted to hear after 30km!

And... Sometimes shortcuts lead to time delays - Dee runs down the street yelling Brenda's name, as she worriedly looks for Dee. 

It was the day that stars and the moon aligned for a big hike. The path was tricky and it was no cake walk. But warrior Dee was on fire and ready to pound out the kilometres. Who were we to stop her? So after a delightful day of hiking with Janet, we left her behind at 25km and pushed on. We all had an amazing sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. Poor Oliver, who was probably trying to leave us in the dust, ended up sharing another meal with us. 

A gorgeous morning 

Maybe it was the water?

Chickens just outside the restaurant 

Garbage cans on the path with the lyrics to Imagine

Celebrating the walk with new friend Nadine from Switzerland and 'old friend' Oliver

And all of a sudden, there goes a donkey

Lots of food to share

I had a 'double' bunk bed - two bunks pushed together but luckily no neighbour

Day 32 - Octopus Anyone?

Oct 13

Destination - Melide

Distance - 22 km

Hours of walking - 

Terrain - some tough altitude changes

Weather - lovely 

Nature - donkey, eucalyptus trees appear 

Misadventure - Brenda gets ahead - was there a town there? Was that the restaurant we were going to? She can see Wendy and Dee from the hill but then has to scurry to find them. 

Another great day on the Camino. We are hitting our stride and making good time. The trail was much quieter today making for a very enjoyable walk for us. We had been told that eucalyptus trees would be appearing and they came today. They are very calming to look at in the trail. Spain has an incredible variation of vegetation that makes it so much fun to hike through. 

Eucalyptus trees

We packed a lunch today and enjoyed bread, great cheese and fantastic olives on the trail. We have been travelling parralel to a very interesting, witty German man and his son for numerous days now. They always seem to catch us eating. This is their third time doing a portion of the Camino together. 

Our German friends 

We opted to stop a little earlier than planned today. The trail was a little tougher than we anticipated and... People had told us about a specialty food in Melide... Pulpo Galego / Galician Octopus! We thought we better pack in the boots to try it out. 

When we reached Melide, we checked into the Alburgue for the night. We met up with Oliver, whom we had met during Canadian Thanksgiving. Oliver is a very interesting man who hails from Quebec Cotu, but works all over the world as a chef. 

Oliver, Brenda, Janet, Wendy, Dee

It was great to have a chef scope out the best place to sample the local food, at a place where the locals go. He helped us order some amazing plates. It was a fantastic meal, with great food, drink and Camino fellowship. 

Fresh out of the pot

Sliced with scissors

Served with roast potatoes, peppers and wine in a bowl. A meal we will never forget 

Day 31 - Everyone Has Their Own Camino

Oct 12

Destination - Monterosso

Distance - 25 km

Hours of walking - 8:00 - 2:30

Terrain - great hiking trails as well as paved roads; the longest most vertigo producing bridge

Weather - soft drizzling rain, warm temperature 

Nature - still travelling through farm country

Misadventure - Dee battles big lizards in the damp laundry room to start the day

The morning brought the drizzle and therefore out came the rain jackets once again. One of the best parts of walking in the rain is looking down the path and seeing the lush green trees spotted with brightly coloured rain jackets. With the rain, my phone was safely tucked away, so I have minimal pictures of the day. 

To be an official 'pilgrim' one has to walk only the 125km from Sarriah to Santiagio. That results in a change in the path. We have gone from having the path virtually on our own to having to share it with many others. This can be challenging at times, as the path is congested and people are not always respectful of others and the 'Camino'. Some come on tours, or even just for one day to say 'they walked the Camino'. 

The saying on the Camino is 'everyone must walk their own Camino'. We are learning that today. The lesson of the day is patience and understanding. Others are walking what they can. We are walking what we feel we can. Everyone has different goals and abilities. It also points out to us the value of respect for others; when they feel reverent about something. We must remember the gift of observing others and being considerate. 

We walked through more hamlets today. The farms are getting slightly larger, however they still appear to have very simple lives. 

Laundry out to dry

These structures are everywhere. We were told they were to dry out corn

A great part of the day was our paths crossing again with our friend Wendy from BC. We got to spend some amazing time with her. 

Our room with wet socks out to dry 

An amazing cheese plate

Day 30 - The Pilgrims Give Thanks

Oct 11

Destination - Merchadorio

Distance - 22 km

Hours of walking - 8:00 - 3:30

Terrain - a bit of everything, delightful and hard

Weather - cool and pleasant for walking

Nature - a bit of everything - more of everything the barnyards can dish out

Misadventure - 

We left Pintin with a hot cup of coffee to fuel us. With the joy of Dee's birthday behind us, we were full of thanks and thinking of our family celebrating at home. 

We started out in the dark and made great time for breakfast to Sarria. 

Boots in along an arrow in Sarria

Pretty excited to get to Sarria - 125km to Santiago 

An amazing pilgrim mural 

The walk out of Sarria was a challenge. Tough climbing but the weather was perfect for it. It was incredible to reach the top and see where we had come from. Just as in life, the Camino is trying to teach us to celebrate the amazing views of your accomplishments. 

It was an amazing walk complete with a picnic on the side of the road. 

Later in the day, it was decided that I would walk forward quickly to ensure that we could get a place to stay. Sarria marks the last spot that a person can start the pilgrimage and get their credentials when they reach Santiago. That results in the trail being busier and beds being at a premium. So I walked quickly at the end of the day and was tired and very hopeful to get a bed when I reached the prearranged destination. It is hard to describe the feeling of arriving in a strange place, without your travelling companions and not know if you can stay. I was so relieved when I was standing in the reception area to hear 'Happy thanksgiving Brenda!' I turned around and found our friend Jake, whom we have been running into on the Camino for two days. Jake and his brother Jesse are in Spain from Ontario to spend time with their dad Brian. It was such an incredible feeling to see them, have them assure me the Alburge was good and that we would be spending Thanksgiving night with Canadians. 

After settling in, we went to supper for a delightful pilgrim meal in an amazing building. We found that around the table to thirteen people, nine of us were Canadian so we declared it Thanksgiving in Spain. 

Beautiful stone dining area

Our Thanksgiving table

Out special Canadian friends - Jake, Jessie and Brian

A wonderful chicken stew, almost like turkey 

Vanilla cream - with cinnamon - warmed the heart like pumpkin pie

As in the tradition at home, we talked about what we were thankful for. We said what we had brought with us that we were thankful for:

Dee - her blue 'going to town' pants (we love them too!)

Wendy - her purple down filled coat

Jake - his touque (good Canadian boy!)

Jessie - rain gear

Brian - Vaseline for his feet

Brenda - walking poles - wouldn't have made it without them

At home, families celebrated together. We miss everyone and our heart was warmed to be a photo of people together 

Wendy and Brenda's family gathering 

My special message from Haley

Cheer of the day from Wendy - my cheer goes out to strong Spanish ibuprofen, KT tape and my new Camino footwear that has kept me moving on the Camino. One boot and one sandal is going to be the fashion rage. 

I've always said Wendy can wear a paper bag and look classy!

Day 29 - Birthday and Barnyards

Oct 10

Destination - Pintin

Distance - 22 km

Hours of walking - 8:30 - 4:00

Terrain - up, down, up, down, down 

Weather - cool -  on with the threat of rain

Nature - all the barnyard animals you can imagine

Misadventure - Shared 'birthday' cake for breakfast doesn't last very long, but few opportunities for food. Does anyone have a Cliff bar?

We had a great walk. It was a debate to which day was more spectacular - up the mountain or down the mountain today. 

Sunrise on the mountain

It was a tough walking day, yet so very enjoyable. Everything is so lush. Our journey took us threw countless farmyards. It appears that they farm together in communities. The barns are all nestled together and then the pasture and crop lands expand from there. Perhaps that is where the Spanish social culture comes from - their roots of farming together. 

There is a contrast in smells as we walk through - the fresh vegetation and the wood burning in the fire places versus the 'ripe' smells of the animals. 

Beautiful flowers - Gale, maybe the next garden tour can be in Spain!

Veggies

Sharing the Way with a farmer moving cattle

This was the most beautiful rooster. The photo doesn't do him justice. 

Mystical path

Treebeard from Lord of the Rings perhaps?

Mid afternoon foot care break

We thought we would get somewhere exotic and fun for Dee's birthday, but we ended up in a farming hamlet with a 'Pension' which is basic pilgrim hotel. We were able to obtain a room with three beds and our own shower - not a bad birthday gift for Dee! It was a good thing that we had our own room, as after dinner when we tucked into bed, we got the giggles. It was just like a birthday slumber party. 

Relaxing at the end of the day in our room

We lucked out in choosing this farming hamlet for the night. The food was spectacular and the wine, which we think was home made, was the best we have had on the trip. 

One of my favourite parts of the Camino is sharing meals with pilgrims. Wendy and I were a little sad, as we had tried to line up our travels days with some of our pilgrim friends as a surprise for Dee. This didn't work out. However we were surprised to make some special new friends at dinner and the night was filled with celebration.  

As most restaurants don't start serving food until 7:00pm, us hungry pilgrims flock to eat at the same time. The restaurant was set for tables of four, however as people started coming in, we pulled tables together to eat. It is unfortunate this doesn't happen all the time in our lives. We started the meal as strangers but ended as friends. 

The truly international table of friends 

We met a man from Holland that has been walking from home since July. He has lost 20kg but is wearing the same pants. He will walk 40km tomorrow so we will not see him again, but I will remember him always. The couple from Paris have been walking portions for three years. They have packing down to a spreadsheet science. Five kilograms each - all calculated on a spreadsheet. Kerry from San Fransico is walking 50 days to celebrate her 50th birthday. Maricia, the cutest little lady from Mexico City. And the couple from Sweden who just started their Camino a couple of days prior. Everyone has their own Camino and their own way of walking. 

Cheer of the day from Wendy - spending the whole day with my sister on her birthday and being able to walk through a mystical forest with her