Fisterra (Finisterre) and Muxia

Finisterre or Finis Terrae in Latin (Fisterra in local dialect) was the end of the known world in the age before Columbus sailed to the new world.  (Interestingly, his ship the Santa Maria was built and launched not far down the coast from here in Pontevedra). Many of the pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela in earlier centuries continued on to Finisterre before returning home.  

My visit to Finis Terrae was in the rain and with cloudy weather.  I was surprised to find a Camino trail marker with the distance 0.0 kilometers on it but there it was!  (In my opinion, Kilometer 0.0 is in Santiago de Compostela at the Cathedral). There was also a Camino trail marker in Muxia.  The trail is marked because it is possible to walk to both destinations from Santiago de Compostela. However, I did not walk the trails to these destinations. 

Muxia has a church at the location of an earlier sacred spot for people.  The rocks along the coast directly in front of the church are said to have magical effects and people continue to follow traditions related to them. The church here is also believed to hold the remains of a rock boat used by the Virgin Mary to visit Saint James. It is known as the Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de la Barca.

There appears to be no question that people have been coming to and living along this coast for some time.  The evidence ranges from rock art and prehistoric "Dolmen" rock structures thought to mark the winter solstice, to the circular remains of 6th Century BC Celtic buildings. I've included a photograph of  a favorite spot of mine down the coast from here with the distinctive remains of the circular Celtic structures. There are also photographs of a Dolmen and from Muxia and Finisterre.

Santiago de Compostela - Arrival

I arrived today in time for the pilgrim mass at noon. It turned out to be a good day to be at the mass because the swinging incense burner known as the "Botafumeiro" was used at the end.

Just before the mass, I joined up with a group of people from Madrid who I met along the Way this week. Together we went first to the Pilgrim Office to get our Compostela certificate for completion of the pilgrimage.

The distance of my pilgrimage from Pamplona to Santiago de Compostela was 693 kilometers. This is the longest continuous distance I have walked in my life.

I have attached a picture of my certificate. My name in Latin "Raimundum" was used on it. Before I received it, my Credencial del Peregrino was reviewed. This mainly involved looking at the sellos or stamps in it to verify I traveled at least 100 kilometers by foot. For this distance, basically since Sarria, I have been required to get at least two sellos per day - including my arrival day. The sellos come from the places you stay at, where you eat, and the churches and museums you visit. I have attached a photograph of some of my sellos. I was then questioned about my purpose for the pilgrimage to determine the type of certificate I would receive.

After completing that process - it went fairly quickly - was the mass, a visit to the Saint James relics, group pictures and then a great lunch together. The group leaves tonight by train to return to Madrid. It was fitting I think that I began and ended my pilgrimage with groups of people from Spain walking the Camino for a week on their vacation.

I will spend the day here tomorrow and share some more information about Santiago de Compostela.

Amenal - One More Day

There isn't much to say but that I have only one more day on the Way. I should arrive before noon tomorrow when there is a special mass for pilgrims at the Santiago Cathedral.

Arzua

It was a sunny walk and I was able to share a meal of octopus with some Spanish pilgrims. The meal was in the city of Melide. The restaurant Ezequiel here is famous country wide for their regional octopus dish "Pulpo Gallego."

A Spanish man I walked with in the morning (and later in the afternoon) joined me for a meal at the restaurant. It was good. Turned out by surprise that he knew a lot of people there in the restaurant as they were from his neighborhood in Madrid! So, I was able to make quite a few Camino friends very quickly.

The path today was mostly off road. We crossed a number of Roman bridges and walked through rural areas. Two more days until I arrive in Santiago.

Palas de Rei

It was another damp day on the Way. The number of people walking was also more noticeable.
Tomorrow I expect to pass through Castenada where medieval pilgrims dropped off the limestone rocks they carried from Triacastela to help in the construction of the Santiago Cathedral.

Four Weeks and a Day on the Way - Portomarin

The walk today was wet and cold. There was plenty of wind and rain. However, a good portion of the Way was lined with trees that gave partial shelter from the elements.

I passed the 100 kilometers marker today. This puts me within the "tourist" zone of Santiago. (You walk a minimum of the last 100 kilometers to earn a Compostela certificate for completing a pilgrimage.) The numbers of walkers visibly increased. There were also groups of school children and high-end tourists who walk a few kilometers and then get wisked up by minibus.

It was nice to arrive in Portomarin. The town is a rebuilt one. The original town sits at the bottom of a lake due to a dam built in the 1960s. Some monuments were moved. These include a Romanesque church and a staircase and arch from a Roman bridge.

Sarria

Sarria is the starting point for pilgrims who plan to earn their Compostela certificate by walking the minimum required distance of 100 kilometers. I have read that it can be crowded from here to Santiago in peak months such as May and June. However, I haven't yet really noticed a great change in numbers.

I enjoyed the early part of the walk today. The weather was clear and cool. This gave good views along the ridge I followed for about one third of my walking day.