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.

Triacastela

Triacastela is the city of three castles where none of the castles exist today. Getting here was my coldest day on the Way.

I stayed in O'Cebreiro last night. It continued to snow during the night and there was snow and ice to walk along for two-thirds of the walk after I started in the morning. The wind was blowing and it was clouded in and foggy for a long way. It was bitter cold but very striking with snow crusted trees and fields dusted white.

Historically, Triacastela held an interesting place in the Camino lore. As medieval pilgrims passed through they picked up limestone from quarries nearby. The limestone was carried and then dropped off by them at kilns in Castenada about 100 kilometers away. The lime produced was used for the construction and maintenance of the Santiago Cathedral.

Pictures of the day are attached.

O'Cebreiro

Today was uphill all the Way. And then there was the snow...

The weather took an unusual change and became colder. That meant rain and snow at the higher altitudes that I passed through on my way to O'Cebreiro. This is the first stop in Galicia and I celebrated with a warm bowl of the regional soup "Caldo Galicia" after I arrived.

The town I am in has some interesting structures with Celtic origins. They are round stone buildings with thatch roofs. This town also has a memorial to the priest who promoted the preservation of the Camino de Santiago and came up with the idea for using the yellow arrows to show the direction of the path.

Regardless of the snow, it is spring and the fruit trees are flowering. Tomorrow I will lose all the altitude I gained today. The walk down may also be in snow and rain. After that, it will be only six more days to Santiago de Compostela!

La Portela de Valcarce

The departure from Villafranca del Bierzo was across a stone bridge. A number of Camino routes merge here so a sign indicated the Way for all different directions as the same one.

Most of the walk was along paved roads. In this area they have created a safe area to walk along the edge of the road with concrete barriers. I have not seen this before and included a picture.

I also liked the small towns I passed through and noticed one house with the day's bread hanging on the door. What a great way to get fresh bread in the morning!

Villafranca del Bierzo

It was a relatively flat day of walking out of Ponferrada and into wine country. Unfortunately, I missed my chance again at wine tasting for pilgrims as the vineyard along the Way here that offered tasting and tapas wasn't open.

As I get a closer to Santiago there are more and more pilgrims along the Way. There are some people I recognize by sight as we pass by each other during the day and in many cases have spent a night or two in the same Albergue.

I walked for a while today with a French man who was patient with my French. He and his friends have been coming here for the past six years doing a different segment of the Camino each year. They will finish the Way this year.

The day before yesterday I walked part of the day with a retired Spanish man from Madrid who has walked the Camino each year for the last eleven years. He was also patient with my Spanish!

There are many more people like this I have met. English is also a great language to know as most people speak it. This allows us to share stories with each other about the path and why we are here. Often this is over a meal or a drink. Sometimes we even swap suggestions about what to do about blisters. (Most people have their own methods and share them but mostly stick to their personal remedies no matter what!)