June 26, 2012

From Pedrouza to Santiago de Compostela (20 km)

I awake this morning at 6:30 to the sound of walking sticks on the street outside our window.  As I lie in bed and listen I feel quite excited about the day ahead.  And I think that I want to walk the final 20 km alone.  I know Chris will be disappointed about this because yesterday we said we would walk into Santiago together.  I lie in bed considering my choices – walk with Chris as planned and deny myself what I really want to do, or walk alone and disappoint Chris.  I decide it is important for me to walk alone.  This has been a solitary journey and I want to end it on my own as a strong and confident woman.

When I break the news to Chris, he is not happy but I hope he understands as I say good bye and tell him I’ll be waiting for him at the cathedral, in the courtyard.  I feel guilty about leaving on my own, but this is something I feel I must do.

I head down the street to where I think the Camino starts but I notice everyone going in the opposite direction.  I stop a girl to ask her which way is the Camino, and it is Veronica.  We are both surprised – for some reason we never recognize each other right away when we see each other, it’s very strange.  Anyways, she tells me I am going the wrong way so I turn around and we walk together.  She wants to get to Santiago for the noon Mass which is a special mass dedicated to the pilgrims that arrive each day.  We must walk quickly to get there in time so we step up our pace and soon we feel like we are flying, passing everybody.  We both feel energized and excited about getting to Santiago and I think adrenalin is spurring us on.

I haven’t had my morning coffee yet or breakfast for that matter so I know I’m going to need to stop at some point soon.  Veronica loves a good cup of coffee too so we make two quick stops along the way.

We both feel very strong, very empowered as we march confidently towards Santiago. We don’t talk too much this morning; we’re both absorbed in our own thoughts.  She does share with me another lesson she has learned on the Camino.  Since she lives in Burgos, and the Camino passes right through her city, she realizes she can walk the Camino at any time and in fact, she plans to do this whenever she needs to find clarity or to figure things out.  She can even just walk for a couple of days on the weekend.  This gives her comfort and confidence to face her future with optimism.  She tells me about her relationship that ended just before she began to walk the Camino.  She has come to terms with what has happened and is ready to face life again.  Such is the power of the Camino.

When I see my first glimpse of Santiago in the distance, I am so excited.  I am almost there.  It’s a long walk through the suburbs into the historic centre of town where the cathedral is located.  Just before I reach the cathedral, I see Sabina who had arrived yesterday and is now looking out for friends that are arriving.  We speak briefly but then I say I must go, the cathedral is just around the corner.  As I walk into the courtyard in front of the cathedral, I am overcome with emotion: relief, joy, happiness.  I am so happy to be here.  And then I see Chris in the centre of the courtyard and I head over to him.  I can’t believe he arrived before me.

Santiago in the distance…..almost there.

It’s a long walk through the suburbs.

I stand in the middle of the courtyard looking at all the people.  I stare at the Cathedral which certainly isn’t the most beautiful one I’ve seen but it certainly is the most significant one to me.  I actually feel a little dazed, maybe even confused.  Veronica leaves to find a bathroom, as does Chris and I am standing there alone.  A Camino friend sees me and offers to take my picture in front of the Cathedral.

I then head into the Cathedral where is is jam packed with people, tourists and pilgrims alike.  I manage to find a seat next to Chris.  I don’t see a thing and I don’t understand anything as it is all in Spanish, but I do feel it is important to be here, to show respect for the first saint who did a pilgrimage to Santiago.  Later, I walk to the Pilgrim’s Office to get my Compostela which is the official certificate issued by the Cathedral to all pilgrims who have walked at least the last 100 km of the Camino. I didn’t think this piece of paper would matter to me, but for some reason I treasure it and I buy a tube to protect it.  You see it is now official, I am a pilgrim.

And so ends my Camino journey at the steps of the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.  Thank you to everyone who has been following me on this journey and offering me words and prayers of support along the way.  You have no idea how timely many of your comments and emails were, often giving me just the right amount of encouragement when I needed it the most.

When I began my Camino, I had no idea how it would unfold and I certainly didn’t expect the journey to be so raw, so personal, so emotional and so spiritual.  It challenged me in ways I never could have imagined.  I learned a lot about myself, and I think I have healed some old wounds in the process.  I have a feeling of peace and inner contentment which I hope I can continue to nurture.

While the Camino may have ended, our round the world trip is still in full swing.  So I hope you tag along for the rest of the journey.

From Arzua to Pedrouza (19.4 km)

Chris and I leave the Albergue at about 8:30 and we head straight for a restaurant/bar that is open and serving wine and beer to the party goers from the night before. We settle for coffee and a croissant and then hit the road.  We are both very tired and Chris is coming down with a cold.  So we walk slowly and take lots of breaks.  I see the three American women again and we all have coffee together.  I see pictures of grandchildren from the proud grandmother.  There aren’t too many familiar faces on the road today and it is very busy.

We’re not even walking 20 km today and it seems to drag on forever.  The weather has changed again and the days are much warmer now.  By 1:00 it is very hot on the Camino but most people have stopped walking by now so we enjoy the solitude. It’s official, this was the most uneventful day on the Camino.  I think I am just really tired now, and I just want to get to Santiago.  As I watch the Camino markers which appear every half a kilometre now, I am shocked to see such low numbers, yet it will still take another half day of walking to reach Santiago.

When we arrive in Pedrouza we decide to stay in a private room in a Pension for 30 Euros which is just 10 more than dorm beds.  Our room faces the busy main street and it is very noisy but at least we have a very comfortable, large bed to share and we even have a TV with one English channel.  We haven’t watched TV all month and in fact I have no idea what is going on in the world beyond the Camino.

We decide to eat our dinner early, around 5:00 and then we go back to our room and have a nap.  Our bodies are all mixed up when we awake around 8:30 and we find ourselves going out for a snack close to midnight.  It’s not a problem, everything is still open.  We finally go to sleep around 1:00 in the morning.

San Xulian do Camino to Arzua (25.4 km)

When I step out the Albergue door at 7:30 this morning, I am in the middle of a swarm of school children who are walking the Camino today.  I figure there must be a hundred kids and sure enough later on someone tells me there are indeed 100 kids from Madrid on the Camino. It is another very cold morning.

I walk alone all day today and don’t see a single soul that I know.  I chat in the cafes when I take a break, but don’t meet anyone I am really interested in getting to know.  The scenery is nothing spectacular either.  I am walking through lots of little villages similar to the one I slept in last night.  Often the trail passes right through someone’s farm.  The smells of the farm are very pungent.  This is probably the most uneventful day on the Camino so far and I’m thinking it will be the shortest blog entry too.

Some of the school kids taking a break with their support vans.

Arzua is a big town and I would prefer to stay in a smaller village but the next Albergue according to my notes is another 10 km away and I do not have it in me to go that far.  Besides I’m almost in Santiago, so there is no need to kill myself with excessive distances.

It is sometimes difficult to decide where to sleep when you are in a large town.  When there is just one Albergue, the decision is made for you.  But when there are dozens to choose from, it can be daunting.  This is how I picked my Albergue in Arzua.  First, when I stopped at the edge of town to read my notes, the one Albergue that sticks out is the one that says it is beautifully renovated and has good reports.  Then I look up and see an advertisement for that very Albergue.   So that is the one where I will stay.  It is unclear where it is so I head to the church from which I hope to see another sign.  Very strangely, I see a truck parked near the church and on the side of the truck there is a huge advertisement for the Albergue I am looking for.  Then as I pass the truck, there is actually a map on the back of it.  How weird is that!  Now I easily find the Albergue and sure enough it is very nice.

After the usual drill, I just walk out the Albergue door when I see Chris walking down the street.  We both laugh, what are the odds that we would both pick the same place and actually run into each other in a town this size.  I go back inside and Chris gets the bunk next to me.  There are no private rooms in this Albergue so it is bunkbeds for both of us tonight.  At least we are next to each other.  I lie down and wait for him to go through his routine and then we head out for food and drink where I run into Frances and Glenn who again are looking for beds and I direct them to my Albergue.  I also see the American girls from the previous night.  I introduce Chris to everyone.

Later that night, I see Veronica in the bathroom at the Albergue.  She and Andrei arrived late and now she tells me that there is a big fiesta in this town starting at midnight.  She even has the code to get back into the Albergue so it is possible to break curfew.  Well, I’ve been ready for a fiesta for a few days so I seize the opportunity.  We all head out around 9:30 and go for a few drinks as we make our way up to where the party will be.  When we arrive, there is a large castle built specifically for this party.  It’s about three stories high.

The party begins with some musicians and then a group of people dressed in capes parade around.  There is a honorary pilgrim for this fiesta; a young girl they have snatched from the Municipal Albergue.  There is some ceremony as she is donned with a cape like the others.  I bet she has no clue what is going on, but she seems to take it all in stride. There are a few speeches and then the fireworks begin.

Then suddenly the whole castle is on fire and everyone watches it burn to the ground.

After that, the food and wine comes out.  You can buy a cup on a string that you wear around your neck for just 10 Euros and that gives you unlimited food and drink.  It is about 1:30 am by now and the last thing I want to do is drink more alcohol or eat food.  Veronica buys a cup and she lets us all taste her food – tender, juicy ribs with potatoes and tiny sweet green peppers that have been roasted to perfection.  Much to Veronica’s disappointment I announce at around 2:00 am that I am ready for bed.  The party is just getting into full swing now, the band is playing (rather badly I must say) and I am told this will continue until the morning at which time everyone will go for breakfast and then come back to continue the party all day on Sunday.  But for now, my bed is calling me.

Portomarin to San Xulian do Camino (29 km)

I awake at 7:30 this morning, surprised I slept through the loud party below me.  When I am ready to leave at 8:30, I take a peak in the dorm and I am shocked by what a see.  The kitchen is a disaster with dirty pots and dishes everywhere.  The garden is even worse, littered with garbage, furniture turned upside down.  What a mess. And these so called pilgrims are snoring loudly in their beds.  Check out is at 9:00 in the morning. The owner is at the door and I ask him if his Albergue is for pilgrims, because maybe I just picked a tourist Albergue.  He said, of course, of course.  Then in my limited Spanish I express to him I was not happy there was such a loud party keeping us all awake.  He was very upset about these people as well and told me they partied until 2 in the morning.  He said these are tourists and they pretend to be pilgrims to get the pilgrim rates. He has never had this happen before, and then he pointed to them sleeping and the mess and it seemed he didn’t even know how to handle the situation.

When I get on the Camino, it is crowded again so I walk quickly and try to get ahead.  I hate being caught in the middle of a crowd.  Besides, I need to warm up as it is extremely cold this morning and very foggy too. As I make my way past the last couple in the crowd, the man calls out, “Antarctica, you have been there?”  He has seen the badge on my pack. I slow down and say yes, and then he asks me another question which surpasses my Spanish skills.  When he sees I don’t understand he quickly switches to English and asks me again.  He wants to know what it was like, what did I see, what did I do.  And this is the beginning of a new friendship with Andrei and Veronica.

Andrei and Veronica, my new companions today.

Andrei is Venezuelan but is now living in Spain.  He is 27 years old and has completed his psychology degree to the Masters level and is looking for work in his field. It is another story of a young person impacted by the terrible economy of Spain.  There just isn’t any work to be found. Veronica is 38 and is from Burgos where she works as an accountant.

We end up walking the entire day together enjoying each other’s company and interesting conversation.  We walk at a relaxed pace which I am happy with because I am still feeling a general overall fatigue.  In fact the day passes easily and I even walk further than I expected.

I think the most memorable subject we talked about was the concept of our own personal energy.  When I  describe my experience of feeling other people’s energy, I use the words positive and negative. Andrei offered a different way of looking at things.  He suggested that there is a spectrum of energy from negative at one end to positive at the other.  We can be at any place on the spectrum at any time.  This is true, we are never always positive or always negative.  When it comes to sensing the other person’s energy, he sees it as like being tuned into a person’s frequency and sometimes you are on the same frequency and sometimes you are not.  I really liked this explanation as it removed the labels.  So when you meet someone, rather than think oh, they have really positive energy, you can think that you are on the same frequency as their energy, assuming of course you too are positive.  Without the labels, a person can be positive one moment and negative the next without being branded as one way or the other.  It just seems to be a more flexible, non judgemental way of thinking.

Veronica shared one of the lessons she has learned so far on the Camino, one that I could relate to.  When we start our Camino, we meet a first group of people that we keep running into because we are all walking the same journey.  And we get comfortable with this first group sometimes to our own detriment where we are no longer open to new people we meet.  She decided at one point to say good bye to her first group and move on alone.  She found it very difficult to say good bye but she knew she was limiting herself by staying in the group.  And sure enough, she has met many new people since then.

We all notice today that the Camino doesn’t feel as touristy as yesterday, and we’re not sure why.  There are still lots of new faces on the road, including a group of three American women I meet.  I remember one of their names, Shelley, but the other two are forgotten. Many of these new pilgrims have started in Sarria and are walking the last 100 km to Santiago, some are even planning to go on to Finisterre which is another three days of walking to the ocean.  It seems quite strange to me that they are beginning, when I feel like my Camino is coming to an end.  I am enjoying the atmosphere on the Camino today even though it is still quite busy.

By the afternoon, we have the Camino to ourselves…..I am puzzled as to where everybody has gone.  We do not want to stay at the next large town, Palas de Rei.  I definitely don’t want to repeat what I went through last night.  There are several little villages within 5 km of Palas de Rei and I am confident I will find a bed in one of them.  Veronica and Andrei decide not to take any chances as it is getting on in the day so they call to an Albergue and make a reservation.  They offer to do the same for me but I tell them how I have been walking each day without a plan and I have always found a bed.  I prefer to just take my chances.

The last few kilometres in the day always seem to drag on.  It is late in the afternoon now, almost 5:00, and we are about 3 km past Palas de Rei.  Veronica and Andrei are a little frustrated that they haven’t reached their Albergue yet; it was supposed to be just 1 km from the town and everyone we meet keeps saying, just one kilometre away.  When we walk into San Xulian do Camino, there is an Albergue on the main street that looks really nice.  They have lots of beds.  I register but Veronica and Andrei keep going since they feel obligated to honor their reservation; besides, it’s only one more kilometre down the road.  So we exchange our contact information and say our good byes.

San Xulian do Camino is a tiny little village that is really nothing more than a collection of houses.  It does have a church and an Albergue, but no other services that I can see.  The Albergue also has a bar and offers a communal dinner for 10 Euros which I sign up for.  The woman running the Albergue is from Barcelona and when I compliment her on the beautiful building she tells me it is very, very old and was left abandoned for about 50 years.  Her and her husband just finished the renovations last year.  She said the renovations were so much work, and running the Albergue was a lot more work than she thought it would be.  It sounded like she may have been pining away for her life back in Barcelona a little.  Anyways, I was grateful for this beautiful Albergue, and for being in a dorm room with just five other women.  An older Australian man was assigned to a different dorm room, and a young couple that arrived a little later were given yet another dorm.  I like it when people get spread out; chances of a good night’s sleep increase significantly.

Quite modest on the outside, but very comfortable inside.

Bedrooms are across the street.  
My dorm has the window with the flower boxes.

I meet the girls in my dorm – two sisters from the US, a German girl, who wore a red ball cap that said Canada on it, and a Hungarian woman who is living in the States with her husband.  In true Camino style, we all shared why we were on the Camino and some of our Camino stories.

We also got a real taste for life in such a little village.  First, tractors from the fields keep passing by; one in particular was moving large bales of hay from a field at one end of the village to a field at the other end, one by one.  Back and forth he went.  Then the cows walked through town just before we sat down for dinner and again as we were getting ready for bed, and I swear we could stick our hands out of our window and touch them.

Our communal dinner is delicious: soup, salad, pork chops, tortilla, desert, bread, unlimited wine.  I feel I have hit the jackpot in this Albergue, it is everything an Albergue could be.  I have no trouble falling asleep tonight on a full belly in the peace and quiet of the countryside.