Santiago -     0 kms

It was all about the people we met who shared with us the amazing experience.  It will be hard not walking with them again...I have included a few pictures of the clan - or fellowship - as Erik would dub us. Not all are included as some left before photos could be taken. They will all be missed..... A lot.

Santa Irene - Santago de Comostela   23km

Santiago de Compostela. Dios mio, we made it!  500 miles and no blisters!...Probably the wrong thing to say after finishing such an arduous pilgrimage, but frankly it was a bit anti-climatic arriving at the front of the Cathedral. Maybe because of the number of tourists, or because the Cathedral was mostly covered in scaffolding, or because no one was congratulating us, but I was hoping for some sort of epiphany and instead I simply wanted access to wifi to find the best place to eat lunch.
   Perhaps I just don't have that much baggage to shed... Whatever.... But, one quick reflection - the best part of this pilgrimage was the walking, the folks one meets, and spending time with Les, not the ending. In fact, unless you are keen on getting the Compostela, I would not walk the last week. That said, we will go stand in line later today to get ours. Best not to take any chances....
   By the way we did find an amazing lunch venue - best of the trip - ending with a white chocolate soup with slices of melons, mint and berries. and a fabulous bottle of Albariño. Perfecto.
  We will be in town for 3 nights. Tonight we are in this funky Pension, but with a grand view of the Cathedral. This weekend there is also a world music festival happening - so we will probably go listen to some music.
   We are still expecting to meet up with all our Camino friends at the Noon mass tomorrow. I will follow up tomorrow with some final thoughts.

Melide - Santa Irene   32kms

Long day today. We have stopped at a municipal albergue just outside the the last town before Santiago. 22 kilometers left. Pleasant enough walk, especially with the wide paths, but the highlight of the day was lunch. We stumbled unto the weekly market at the one town en route and bought a round of a mild, fresh home-made goat cheese and a large piece of tuna empanada. Delicious.
   The last few days we have left about an hour before daylight. It's been nice walking in the dark, headlamp guiding the way. Especially true because it has been so unseasonably hot. Good to get as many kilometers in before the heat arrives.
   One day left.

Gonzar - Melide     31kms

We have pushed on these past few days as we intend to arrive in Santiago on Thursday, a day earlier than expected. Amazing to think we only have two days and 50 kilometers left. It will be a total of 30 days of walking.
  The "feel" of the Camino seems to have changed. Maybe it's because the weather is so odd for Galicia - dry and very warm. Or that we are not seeing members of our Camino family on a daily basis. But mostly it's all the new shoes one sees- a sure sign of a new peregrino. The fact is you really don't need new shoes for this section - flipflops would suffice. Additionally, lots more "Buen Camino" greetings...I'm so over that - a plain "Hola" will suffice, thank you!  .....Yes, yes, all kinda mean, but I'm only 2 days away from receiving my Compostela - which will assure me less time in purgatory - so I can say whatever I want!
  We saw lots of horreos today. Hence the photos.

Barbadela - Gonzar    27kms

It was a another pleasant walk through the Galician countryside. Wide paths for easy walking - for all those newby pilgrims. Like yesterday, it was very reminiscent of walking in the English countryside - especially the pungent smells of the local farms.
   Once again we decided to go beyond the traditional stop and carried on to the next village. Those additional 8 kilometers were not easy as we were walking in the heat...Yes, heat. The last thing expected in Galicia is warm weather. But we will take it.
   The folks in our albergue are all walkers that started in St Jean or thereabouts. We all seem to want to avoid the recent influx of pilgrims and avoid the "designated" stops. But our rituals remain the same - shortly after arrival shower and then wash whatever clothes need it. Thereafter sit around and drink beer or wine and chat about the day and figure out how far to walk the next day. Finally, the 7pm pilgrim meal and then to bed. Wake up the next day about 6:30 -7:00am. Repeat. It's wonderful.
   No WiFi in this hamlet, so I will post this tomorrow - Tuesday

Triacastela - Barbadela   21 kms

Another short, pleasant walk through the Galician countryside. We decided to stay just past Sarria in a little hamlet. Sarria is a small city and the starting point for the largest number of pilgrims since it is just past the 100 km needed to obtain your Compostela. Approximately 25% of all pilgrims begin in Sarria - which translates to about 50-60 thousand folk per year. Even though we are quite late into the season, you could pick out  the new walkers...one lady was carrying a small stool. That caused a bit of a chuckle. Then again she "only" needs to carry it for 109 kms.
  We are in a very nice albergue tonight. It has a....swimming pool! Really, really odd but the perfect place to soak tired feet. In fact, our friends - an older Irish couple - actually took a dip. They said something about being about as cold as the Irish Sea.

Ocebreiro - Triacastela    21kms. (Saturday)

Today's short walk had the feel of walking in England. Green, green pastures everywhere with views of unending hills. Green because it does rain a lot in Galicia. But it appears the next few days will be rain free for us, so hopefully we will arrive in Santiago with rain gear stored in the pack.
   I remain amazed at the prices for lunch/dinner. Typically 10 Euro per person for three courses with a bottle of wine - tax and tip included. Today's lunch was particularly good with a bowl of Caldo Gallego, followed by Merluza in an olive oil/tomato/red pepper sauce, ending with membrillo and goat cheese dessert. A bottle of a decent local white and my lingering sore throat/cold was less bothersome.
   We have met up with Erik our Dutch friend, whom we had not seen for one week. He can barely walk because of swollen ankles and painful shins. But he will carry on in part because our entire Camino family is supposed to meet this coming Friday in front of the Santiago Cathedral....
   I have spared you - dear readers - the countless stories of pelegrinos' foot problems. Suffice to say that my feet have treated me well on this journey. Same with Les. Let's hope it stays that way for the next 6 days.

Villafranca del Bierzo - Ocebreiro   29kms

Ocebreiro. Les and I were here 32 years ago. On November 1, 1982. I remember because we slept in the one little hostel next to the church - colder than in our Volkswagen bus - and in the morning there was snow on the ground. It was magical and the one place I wanted to revisit. There were no pilgrims as that was before the resurgence of the Camino.
   Today Ocebreiro is a tourist town - albeit still tiny and gorgeous. And there are lots of pilgrims. I don't mind - that much - as very little does or should necessarily remain the same.
   But we do have a new mix of pilgrims as we near Santiago. Our big room is packed with many new faces - one came in with a rolling bag....and most did not climb the mountain with their pack to get here. Lots of these folks are having their bags shipped ahead and/or taking a bus to skip certain sections.
   And it was a very hard climb. The first 20 kms through a very green valley and the last 8-9 kms up the mountain. But we did see a little "queseria" sign - went off the path and bought a delicious local goat cheese. I was tired at the end because, as usual, we scurried along and were among the very first to arrive.
    There a lots more pilgrims because a large percentage just walk the last 7 or 8 days. I am trying to maintain the appropriate Camino attitude, but I think from here to Santiago we will avoid staying in the usual stops to keep away from the crowds.
 

Ponferrada - Villafranca del Bierzo    23 kms

   I packed the camera in the backpack to start the day because of the rain. Sure enough, for the first two hours it was a steady rain. But lo and behold the projected downpour did not fully materialize and we had some reasonably dry hours to finish the day.
   Fortunate for us because we are in the heart of the Bierzo wine region - Mencia grapes. It was a very pretty walk through the vineyards, with Fall colors in all directions. The pictures do not do the scenery justice.
   Thanks again to Les' unbelievable fast pace of walking we were one of the first to arrive at our albergue. Hence, we were able to snag one of the available double rooms for a whole 2 Euro more per person. It's these little things that make a big difference.
   We will  explore the town after the rain lets up a bit. Already had a lovely lunch with a bottle of 2010 Bierzo tinto - off the wine list no less.  The bottle cost more than the 3 course menu at the Michelin suggested restaurant. On this issue I have my priorities....Les is sleeping off the vino...
   Tomorrow we arrive in Galicia. It will be a 31 km day with a steep climb up to O'Cebreiro - almost 3000 feet. The same elevation change we walked down yesterday.... But the weather forecast is improving.

Foncebadon - Ponferrada    28 kms (Wednesday)

The first 12 kilometers today were the most beautiful since crossing the Pyrenees. Two kilometers after our hamlet we arrived at the Cruz de Feirro and dutifully deposited the stones we had brought from Sacramento. This is a spot on top of the mountain (highest elevation on the Camino) where there is a large iron pole with a small cross on top. A gazillion stones have been left behind by the faithful or otherwise. We said what we needed and moved on ( it was very early in the morning so photos were not good).
    The scenery coming down the mountain was awesome. I'm afraid my photos do not do justice to the scenery. We were lucky the rain ceased for a few hours and we were able to make it dry to Ponferrada - home to an enormous Templar castle.
  No hostel tonight. I booked a hotel with a good restaurant. Les decided she wanted to arrived for lunch so it was no break in over 6 hours of walking - a lot of it downhill on rocky paths. My shins hurt. But we get to watch the rain from our warm room.
    Tomorrow - more rain.