DAY THIRTY-TWO - Pedrouza to Santiago de Compostela

The day began at 4 a.m. As everyone slept, I quietly gathered my things and prepared for the last day of walking. By 5 a.m., I was leaving the albergue and beginning to walk the final 20k to Santiago de Compostela. As I was preparing to leave, Julia and Ryan were also making their preparations.

Since we left at approximately the same time, I asked if they'd mind me walking with them. They were glad to have me and I was glad to not be walking alone. We'd have nearly 3 hours of walking in the dark.

Usually, on the Camino, you find a place for food or drink every 3 to 5 miles. This morning, we left so early, that even 3 hours into our walk, no businesses were open. After nearly 4 hours of walking, we finally came upon a roadside refreshment business.  The business was setup down the hill from the Monte do Gozo Sculpture.

Placed to celebrate Pope John Paul's visit and 
the pilgrimage of Saint Francis of Assisi in the early 13th century.

Julia and I were craving a cafe con leche. This place wasn't capable of satisfying our craving. We bought a little snack, rested a short while and moved on. We wanted to make it to the noon Pilgrim's Mass at the Cathedral. Getting a seat at the mass would require us to be there by around 11 a.m. It was now about 9:15 a.m., there was no time to waste.

At about 9:40 a.m. on Sunday, September 28, 2014, we reached the Camino de Santiago sign.

What we didn't realize, the sign we were so happy to see, wasn't even close to the Cathedral and the end of the Camino. We still needed to walk another 3 miles or so, before reaching the end. We walked and walked and walked some more through the city and towards the Cathedral.

Finally, we were told it was not far ahead. Here is what is just prior to the Cathedral area:

After weeks of walking, painful injuries, meeting wonderful people, seeing beautiful countryside, eating great food and having the experience of a lifetime, it begins to end here. I was filled with a flood of emotions, but most of all, I was filled with thankfulness. I was thankful for completing the Camino (there were times when I wondered if my body would allow it) , for the love and support of my family and friends, for my employer who allowed me to take the time off and for the experience of the physical and emotional journey. And yes, my eyes were also filled, with tears of joy.

DAY THIRTY-ONE - Arzua to Pedrouza

Only two more walking days and I'll be in Santiago. The nights and mornings here have become much colder. The Galicia region began not far outside of Sarria. This region is known for its cooler and wetter climate.

Pilgrims making their way down the Camino

A very old church on the Camino

Here are more of the day's sights:

Washing rugs the old fashion way.       Picked vegetables to be stored

                   

Dual purpose box -
One side for crates (mail) and the other for delivered fresh pan (bread)

Felt pretty good today. Lots of up and down hills, but the distance was shorter. Found a new albergue that is out of the way and quite. But then, a bus load of teenage girls doing a Camino trip arrive at the albergue. Their previous stays along the Camino have already gained them a reputation of being loud and self-centered. Within an hour of their arrival, the hospitalero was already asking them to be quieter and consider that they weren't the only ones in the albergue. Within two hours of their arrival, they'd clogged one of the two toilets and rendered it unusable and made the common bathroom a general mess.

With the plan to rise early and start the last day of walking by 5 a.m., I shared an early meal and a couple glasses of wine with two wonderful Pilgrim women. We made a pass by the old town church and I retired to the albergue for a good night's sleep. I put in my earplugs, covered my head and slept well into the very early a.m.

DAY THIRTY - Palas de Rey to Arzua

Once again, I left town before daylight. Today will be a long day of walking and to insure the opportunity for a lower bunk, in a nice albergue, I need to get into town as early as possible. The competition for beds is fierce. Some people get up at 4:30 a.m.to get a head start.

The original plan was to walk to Ribadiso today, but the town was very small and staying there tonight would mean a longer walk tomorrow. So, I pressed on and completed the longest walk I've done since the heel spurs became a major issue. Getting into Arzua included a seemingly endless uphill climb an continuous incline. It must have gone on for 4 miles.

Once I arrived, the search was on for an albergue. Since it was after 3 p.m., my chances would probably be better at the end of the albergue area. So, that's where I headed and found a gem. Unfortunately, being at the end of the albergue area also meant the restaurants weren't very close. On the way to secure an albergue, I passed a restaurant that had a huge pan of paella sitting near the sidewalk. It looked delicious and I'd already decided that was the place for dinner.

The Paella

My dinner plans hit a snag. The albergue bed I secured was about 7 blocks from the paella. After walking 18 miles, there was no way my aching feet were going to do a 14 block round-trip, without severe pain. I had to settle for canned tuna and veggies from the nearby market.

DAY TWENTY-NINE - Portomarin to Palas de Rey

Last night, I tried taping my foot with the heel spur in a different way. The idea was that this taping method might provide more support for the sensitive area of the heel. Today's walk will test the effectiveness of the taping.

I left Portomarin before daylight. This was the view through the fog-hazed street lights of the morning:

Someone took the time to create these concentric circles from stones on the Camino road:

A  beautiful country house along the Camino:

The new foot taping helped. I had less pain today. Still had to use the pole to push off on the left side, but the combination of changes seems to be the best I can do to get me to the end of the Camino. 

Here are a few sights around Palas de Rei:

"

DAY TWENTY-SEVEN - Resting in Lugo

Decided to stay here one more day and rest up for the final week of walking. Will be taking the bus to Sarria (about 20 miles) early tomorrow. Once there, I'll walk off the bus and onto the Camino, to begin walking the last 110 kilometers.  Below are more pictures of Lugo.



Here are some flora seen along the Camino:

DAY TWENTY-EIGHT - Lugo to Sarria to Portomarin

Left Lugo this morning on the bus bound for Sarria. I got off the bus and immediately began walking toward Portomarin.  This would be the longest distance I'd walked in more than a week. Hopefully, my feet would cooperate.

About 10 minutes into the walk, this was my hello:

Steps, steps and more steps.

This was at the top of the stairs:


Pilgrims on the Camino

Herding cows past a roadside cafe on the right


As all the pilgrims walk by, the dogs are relaxing in the sun

The beauty of the Spanish countryside

The 100 kilometers till the end of the Camino marker

And this was an unexpected sight along the wayw

About 5k into the walk, my heel spurs were so painful, I was brought to tears. I prayed to be able to finish the Camino.  To do all the walking I'd done, suffer all the discomfort and pain and not be able to finish? That became a major concern. However, I kept moving forward, made some adjustments in my stride (I couldn't push off with the left foot, without extreme pain) and used my hiking pole to push forward on the left side. With these modifications, I was able to finish the day in Portomarin.

DAY TWENTY-SIX - Foncebaddon to Ponferrada to Lugo

Well, it started raining during the night and when we started walking before daylight this morning, it was still raining and cold.

Since we'd walked up most of the hill to Cruse de Ferro, we arrived with the rain continuing to fall and the fog inhibiting our desire for making this a Kodak moment. Instead all we got were fog hazard remembrances of our time at the cross.

                                 Arlette, Cindy and Pascale leaving their stones and prayers

After leaving the cross, we began the decent to Ponferrada. Along the way, we passed this fence.  For many years, pilgrims have left crosses made from twigs or branches and wrapped in fabric, ribbon, scarves or other decorative material.



I had heard of a man who was building a business along the Camino, literally from the ground up. He started by selling handmade trinkets at a site along the Camino. Over time, he expanded his offerings and his sales location. Though it is not pretty, pilgrims admire his fortitude and stop to see his progress and make purchases or donations to support his efforts.

All morning, we continued down the mountain in the cold and rain. We were so.high, it was possible to look down into clouds.

Then, the city of El Acebo came into view. Seeing the city meant we would soon be able to get warm, relax and enjoy a nice meal, before continuing down the mountain.

Over lunch we discussed our options for the day. It was discovered that a major bike race was going on in Ponferrada. This meant there would be slim pickings for accommodations. Since Cindy would be leaving the Camino the next day, she decided to change her plans and catch the bus to Santiago that afternoon. Arlette, Pascale and I chose a location a bit further down the Camino, but when we checked at the bus station, that location had no service on that day. 

While at the bus station, there was lots of back and forth about where we should go. I became weary with the entire discussion and decided to do my own thing. After all, this is my Camino. I went to the window and bought my ticket to Lugo. I returned to where the ladies were and informed them of my decision to go to Lugo. This caused Arlette to begin another drawn out discussion. However, I didn't participate. I was done. It was time to move on. 

Since one bus would be traveling to the destinations we'd all chosen, when the bus arrived, we all boarded the bus and at the appropriate time, disembarked and said our goodbyes. First, Arlette and Pascale, to Cindy and myself. Then, me to Cindy. I walked into Lugo ready for a warm bed and a good night's sleep.

Lugo