I am on my way to Portugal to reflect on my journey. This is an inward time for me, so I probably won't be blogging for a while.
Thank you to all of you for your encouragement and support.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Onward
I am on my way to Portugal to reflect on my journey. This is an inward time for me, so I probably won't be blogging for a while.
Thank you to all of you for your encouragement and support.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Finisterre and Muxia
I couldn't stop walking after Santiago. Last time I was here I had wanted to walk to Finisterre, to the end of the world, but hurricane-like weather prevented me from making the journey on foot. So this time, I walked it. Only got soaked one day ... the others were surprisingly sunny, or at least a mix of sun and rain.
It felt wonderful to walk to the ocean, and to meet many other pilgrims from the other routes. Lots of camaraderie, and a new energy for that part of my journey.
I then walked from Finisterre to Muxia, a small fishing village which is a great place to rest after a very long walk. Beautiful, relaxed, on the ocean. Still lots of peregrinos celebrating the walk, resting, a quiet energy. And today is sunny, so I shall enjoy watching the waves.
It felt wonderful to walk to the ocean, and to meet many other pilgrims from the other routes. Lots of camaraderie, and a new energy for that part of my journey.
I then walked from Finisterre to Muxia, a small fishing village which is a great place to rest after a very long walk. Beautiful, relaxed, on the ocean. Still lots of peregrinos celebrating the walk, resting, a quiet energy. And today is sunny, so I shall enjoy watching the waves.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Santiago de Compostela
I'm here in Santiago ... 1000 km!
I arrived yesterday, in a light rain. The people I'd been walking with for a couple of days walked in on the highway, 2 km shorter, but I chose the Camino, for I wanted to experience one more time the view of the magical forests, the sound of the birds, the smell of the herbs as I brushed against them, the beauty of the spring flowers in full bloom. I didn't recognize many of the plants I'd been seeing because they are so large here ... rosemary bushes and aloe vera, both as high as a house.
The way in to Santiago from this route provides the best view. I'd been expecting Santiago to feel like just another city, as it did on the Camino Frances, but I was pleasantly surprised. The cathedral was in full view about 1 km in advance, after climbing a hill, and then the path led straight to the cathedral. On the way I encountered several pilgrims I had met earlier, and they gave me a warm welcome.
The way took me past the tourismo, who reserved a room for me, and then to the cathedral. As I walked up the steps, the bells sounded to indicate that the pilgrims mass was just starting. The nun with the nightingale voice was singing, and the service included some of my favourite Taize songs. And then the botafumeiro ... the large incense burner which is swung on ropes across the cathedral, historically to mask the scent of pilgrims who have walked for thousands of km to get to the cathedral. It's wonderful to watch, and very unpredictable as to when they will choose to swing it ... it keeps people coming to mass, hoping to see it.
I have met more pilgrims in the last day than in the entire two months of my walk. Many pilgrims from the Camino Frances, eager to hear stories about the Via de la Plata, as they arrive in Santiago eager to walk again. And everyone with huge smiles on their faces. It feels wonderful to be here, and I am just soaking it in, relaxing, and enjoying being here.
I arrived yesterday, in a light rain. The people I'd been walking with for a couple of days walked in on the highway, 2 km shorter, but I chose the Camino, for I wanted to experience one more time the view of the magical forests, the sound of the birds, the smell of the herbs as I brushed against them, the beauty of the spring flowers in full bloom. I didn't recognize many of the plants I'd been seeing because they are so large here ... rosemary bushes and aloe vera, both as high as a house.
The way in to Santiago from this route provides the best view. I'd been expecting Santiago to feel like just another city, as it did on the Camino Frances, but I was pleasantly surprised. The cathedral was in full view about 1 km in advance, after climbing a hill, and then the path led straight to the cathedral. On the way I encountered several pilgrims I had met earlier, and they gave me a warm welcome.
The way took me past the tourismo, who reserved a room for me, and then to the cathedral. As I walked up the steps, the bells sounded to indicate that the pilgrims mass was just starting. The nun with the nightingale voice was singing, and the service included some of my favourite Taize songs. And then the botafumeiro ... the large incense burner which is swung on ropes across the cathedral, historically to mask the scent of pilgrims who have walked for thousands of km to get to the cathedral. It's wonderful to watch, and very unpredictable as to when they will choose to swing it ... it keeps people coming to mass, hoping to see it.
I have met more pilgrims in the last day than in the entire two months of my walk. Many pilgrims from the Camino Frances, eager to hear stories about the Via de la Plata, as they arrive in Santiago eager to walk again. And everyone with huge smiles on their faces. It feels wonderful to be here, and I am just soaking it in, relaxing, and enjoying being here.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Ourense
I'm in the home stretch ... just over 100 km to go.
There are many more pilgrims on the trail now. It seems it all depends which day you go as to how many people you meet. In over a week, I saw only 5 other pilgrims, but two days behind were people who said they had 25-30 people in the albergue every night. I am staying an extra night in Ourense, preparing for the last stretch, and allowing the group to get ahead, hoping for a smaller group tomorrow.
The landscape is also less isolated here ... little villages every few kilometers. It still has plenty of ups and downs in terrain, though not quite as intense as the previous few days. After one of the steep stretches there was a lovely pilgrim-friendly bar, where the owner gave everyone a scallop shell on which we wrote our names and he nailed them to the wall, to the ceiling, wherever he could ... there are hundreds, but very few from Canada. There was a warm fire there, a friendly cat, good food, and wonderful camaraderie as we shared our experiences and prepared for the next stretch.
There is a festival happening here in Ourense ... the guidebooks said it was yesterday, and I was disappointed not to find it, but in reality it is happening today. A parade went by my hostal as I was waiting for the room. Lots of floats made of spring flowers, music of bagpipes, children dancing with flowers in their hair. It's great to soak in the energy of another Spanish festival ... light and airy, welcoming spring. And the 29 degree weather welcomes it too ... a pleasant surprise for Galicia.
There are many more pilgrims on the trail now. It seems it all depends which day you go as to how many people you meet. In over a week, I saw only 5 other pilgrims, but two days behind were people who said they had 25-30 people in the albergue every night. I am staying an extra night in Ourense, preparing for the last stretch, and allowing the group to get ahead, hoping for a smaller group tomorrow.
The landscape is also less isolated here ... little villages every few kilometers. It still has plenty of ups and downs in terrain, though not quite as intense as the previous few days. After one of the steep stretches there was a lovely pilgrim-friendly bar, where the owner gave everyone a scallop shell on which we wrote our names and he nailed them to the wall, to the ceiling, wherever he could ... there are hundreds, but very few from Canada. There was a warm fire there, a friendly cat, good food, and wonderful camaraderie as we shared our experiences and prepared for the next stretch.
There is a festival happening here in Ourense ... the guidebooks said it was yesterday, and I was disappointed not to find it, but in reality it is happening today. A parade went by my hostal as I was waiting for the room. Lots of floats made of spring flowers, music of bagpipes, children dancing with flowers in their hair. It's great to soak in the energy of another Spanish festival ... light and airy, welcoming spring. And the 29 degree weather welcomes it too ... a pleasant surprise for Galicia.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
A Gudiña
I have scaled the highest mountains on the trip. Didn't get to touch snow, but it was on the next mountain over. It was all melting on the mountains I climbed, the trails looking and sounding more like waterfalls than like paths for pilgrims to walk on.
Walking sticks are extremely useful when climbing and descending waterfalls ... they are helpful for checking which stones are sturdy, testing the depth of the water, balancing, giving me a head start on leaping those stones that appear just a bit too far. It requires constant concentration, and walking through mud is such a pleasure by comparison.
When the paths are a bit simpler, I am able to admire the beauty ... the pink and yellow flowers on the hillside, the streams and waterfalls, the old trees and interesting rocks. Some of the trees have been there for hundreds of years, and have a character all their own, and it is easy to see how fairies and other such creatures must be living there. This is even easier to see when I am walking with a professional story-teller, as I have been off and on for the past few days. It is really an ideal setting for hearing fairy tales, complete with idyllic landscapes and old castles.
The way was really empty for quite a while ... I met only five pilgrims in over a week. But now, a big group more, all walking at different speeds, but it is good to know that there are others on the route as well, and nicer albergues now that we are in Galicia ... places with kitchens and heat.
The weather has been wonderful for the past week, no rain until today, and quite warm. One evening I stayed at Teresa's place. It's not written up in any of the guidebooks ... there appears to be a long stretch with nowhere to stay. But the hospitalero two towns back said to just go to the town and ask for Teresa ... and it worked. A couple of men outside the bar came to meet me and walked me over to her place. It included an unfinished room which was used as an open air terrace ... the evening was warm and an ideal place to watch the sunset.
I am very excited to have entered Galicia today. I have now walked as far as I did on the Camino Frances, and I can eat all my favourite foods once again ... I shall describe them another day, after I have savoured them once again.
Walking sticks are extremely useful when climbing and descending waterfalls ... they are helpful for checking which stones are sturdy, testing the depth of the water, balancing, giving me a head start on leaping those stones that appear just a bit too far. It requires constant concentration, and walking through mud is such a pleasure by comparison.
When the paths are a bit simpler, I am able to admire the beauty ... the pink and yellow flowers on the hillside, the streams and waterfalls, the old trees and interesting rocks. Some of the trees have been there for hundreds of years, and have a character all their own, and it is easy to see how fairies and other such creatures must be living there. This is even easier to see when I am walking with a professional story-teller, as I have been off and on for the past few days. It is really an ideal setting for hearing fairy tales, complete with idyllic landscapes and old castles.
The way was really empty for quite a while ... I met only five pilgrims in over a week. But now, a big group more, all walking at different speeds, but it is good to know that there are others on the route as well, and nicer albergues now that we are in Galicia ... places with kitchens and heat.
The weather has been wonderful for the past week, no rain until today, and quite warm. One evening I stayed at Teresa's place. It's not written up in any of the guidebooks ... there appears to be a long stretch with nowhere to stay. But the hospitalero two towns back said to just go to the town and ask for Teresa ... and it worked. A couple of men outside the bar came to meet me and walked me over to her place. It included an unfinished room which was used as an open air terrace ... the evening was warm and an ideal place to watch the sunset.
I am very excited to have entered Galicia today. I have now walked as far as I did on the Camino Frances, and I can eat all my favourite foods once again ... I shall describe them another day, after I have savoured them once again.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Santa Croya de la Tera
A beautiful sunny warm day today ... feels so good to soak in the sun, to be warm.
I have started heading west towards Galicia ... saw the snow-capped mountains today, and the road has become more winding and hilly. This is a relief. The meseta is beautiful, with the bright green new fields and the blue, blue Spanish sky ... bluer here than anywhere else. And it's thrilling to be in the middle of nowhere, seeing nothing but sky and fields. But the mind can go a bit crazy there, and I was looking forward to ignoring a track to the left ... it was the only landmark listed in my guidebook.
There is nowhere to paint arrows on the Meseta, so whoever does this is very creative. Sometimes they arrange rocks, or find one of the larger stones in the gravel road. Sometimes it's on a piece of cement overgrown with weeds. When I get to an intersection on the Meseta, I must simply stop and wait for the arrow to appear, for it always does if I stop looking for it.
Today I am at a lovely albergue which has been advertised ever since Zamora. The people who run it are very friendly, and it is clean and well-equipped. There was a shady little hut on the way here, after climbing a large hill, and those of us who stopped for lunch there decided this would be a wonderful place to stop for the day, and I am glad we did, for the owners have suggested places to stay along the next stretch that were not in any of our guidebooks, and it makes the next stretch possible.
Also we were rewarded in the evening with a tour of their bodega. Bodegas are hobbit-like huts in the hill, built over a century ago for storing wine. None of us expected these small doorways to open into a big room with tables and benches, and a floor downstairs with the wine cellars. The inside of the bodega was quite large and comfortable ... a real treat to see the inside of the bodegas we've been passing for the last while.
I have started heading west towards Galicia ... saw the snow-capped mountains today, and the road has become more winding and hilly. This is a relief. The meseta is beautiful, with the bright green new fields and the blue, blue Spanish sky ... bluer here than anywhere else. And it's thrilling to be in the middle of nowhere, seeing nothing but sky and fields. But the mind can go a bit crazy there, and I was looking forward to ignoring a track to the left ... it was the only landmark listed in my guidebook.
There is nowhere to paint arrows on the Meseta, so whoever does this is very creative. Sometimes they arrange rocks, or find one of the larger stones in the gravel road. Sometimes it's on a piece of cement overgrown with weeds. When I get to an intersection on the Meseta, I must simply stop and wait for the arrow to appear, for it always does if I stop looking for it.
Today I am at a lovely albergue which has been advertised ever since Zamora. The people who run it are very friendly, and it is clean and well-equipped. There was a shady little hut on the way here, after climbing a large hill, and those of us who stopped for lunch there decided this would be a wonderful place to stop for the day, and I am glad we did, for the owners have suggested places to stay along the next stretch that were not in any of our guidebooks, and it makes the next stretch possible.
Also we were rewarded in the evening with a tour of their bodega. Bodegas are hobbit-like huts in the hill, built over a century ago for storing wine. None of us expected these small doorways to open into a big room with tables and benches, and a floor downstairs with the wine cellars. The inside of the bodega was quite large and comfortable ... a real treat to see the inside of the bodegas we've been passing for the last while.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Zamora
Another Sunday afternoon spent strolling along castle walls, looking through the windows at the countryside below, while the walls protect me from the wind.
This is the Meseta ... flat, windy, windy, windy. Walking at an angle to keep myself from falling into traffic. And as soon as it stops raining, my poncho dries, becomes lightweight again, and billows in the wind. And rainy too. The sounds of the Camino are wind and rain, and the footsteps of pilgrims, which are now a squishy sound as we walk through the red mud. Rather than the ups and downs of the earlier part of the Camino, steps are sideways, searching for spots in the road that are not filled with water. And just when this becomes discouraging, a field of yellow flowers encourages me onward.
I'm taking a rest day in Zamora, a city with 19 Romanesque churches. I have seen about 7 so far ... I shall see as many of the others as I have time for this evening. On this Camino the Romanesque churches are all different, filled with different images ... they are richer churches here, better kept than those on the Camino Frances.
My fascination with Semana Santa prompted me to visit the Semana Santa museum here. I think that has taken care of my fascination. It is very eerie seeing 30 of these floats all close together, depicting various stages of crucifixion and mourning, with masked statues standing guard. The glory of Semana Santa is not in these floats, but in the life and excitement of those who carry them and those who stand by cheering them on.
And now, it is time to stroll the streets of the city. Apparently everyone goes for a Sunday afternoon walk here, and I shall go out to join them.
This is the Meseta ... flat, windy, windy, windy. Walking at an angle to keep myself from falling into traffic. And as soon as it stops raining, my poncho dries, becomes lightweight again, and billows in the wind. And rainy too. The sounds of the Camino are wind and rain, and the footsteps of pilgrims, which are now a squishy sound as we walk through the red mud. Rather than the ups and downs of the earlier part of the Camino, steps are sideways, searching for spots in the road that are not filled with water. And just when this becomes discouraging, a field of yellow flowers encourages me onward.
I'm taking a rest day in Zamora, a city with 19 Romanesque churches. I have seen about 7 so far ... I shall see as many of the others as I have time for this evening. On this Camino the Romanesque churches are all different, filled with different images ... they are richer churches here, better kept than those on the Camino Frances.
My fascination with Semana Santa prompted me to visit the Semana Santa museum here. I think that has taken care of my fascination. It is very eerie seeing 30 of these floats all close together, depicting various stages of crucifixion and mourning, with masked statues standing guard. The glory of Semana Santa is not in these floats, but in the life and excitement of those who carry them and those who stand by cheering them on.
And now, it is time to stroll the streets of the city. Apparently everyone goes for a Sunday afternoon walk here, and I shall go out to join them.
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