Fisterra

That's it!
I made it in 3 days! 90 km in 3 days are not bad I find...
22km the first day, 34 (yes!) km yesterday and 31 today. I have another 3 left tomorrow to go to the lighthouse of Finisterre that really will close it.
Today has been a gorgeous and warm day, what a pleasure to arrive with such a weather to the sea. Here in Fisterra there are amazing beaches, and it feels almost like I am a tourist, if I overlook my pilgrim look and smell and way of walking.
My feet didn't like me too much since yesterday, with the long distances walking...
And I thought I had left many things in Santiago so that my rucksack would be lighter, but really it didn't make much of a difference, first because I had to carry more food because of the longer stretches without any way of getting any, and also because I picked things on the way. Best example today: we walked for about 100m on green jasper. Literally.
Do you think I looked, took a picture and thought how nice? No way! I filled a whole plastic bag with smaller and bigger pieces of beautiful green to blue jasper. Must have added at least a kilo to what I was already carrying.
But hey! I made it, I am proud of it, and glad that I have the stones. They will be wonderful presents to give away. And to keep, of course. Special camino energy!
So tomorrow I will walk to the lighthouse, will burn the old clothes symbolically, have a bath in the ocean if I manage to face the cold of the water, and will take the bus back to Santiago.
Then I will have a couple of days to at last experience pilgrim mass, and relax, before taking the train back on Tuesday morning.

Santiago

That's it!
I am in Santiago since 2pm today!
I had to walk 30km yesterday, so that there were about 20-22 left today.
The entrance into the city was not so nice, right beside the road, with many cars and lorries circulating at very high speed, or so it seemed to me.
Then again, at the moment even bicycles seem fast.
My feet were pretty sore after the 30km yesterday - imagine, I arrived at the albergue shortly before 6 pm, and I had been walking since 7:30am! But I was proud of myself.
Tomorrow, I have taken my decision now, I will start walking towards Fisterra. I'd like to take my time to get there, i.e. take 4 days instead of 3 times 30km as planned. I will have to have a 34km day anyway due to the lack of accomodation between the two places, but any time I don't have to, I won't. And I'd like to get there for the full moon, which is on the 30th of June. So leaving tomorrow gives me exactly the time to get there.
Then, I'll come back to Santiago on Sunday, and will stay here until Tuesday morning where I have my train back to France. That will close the adventure.

So you will ask, I can almost see you mouth half open, waiting and expecting, what about Santiago?
Well, I haven't reached enlightenment just because I arrived here, went into the cathedral, got the compostela or visited the tomb of the apostle. It is as I expected, very touristic, many people everywhere, also beggars, which I didn't expect, and many many many tourist shops.
It is also a very beautiful city. The centre has many amazing buildings, and it is nice to walk in.
I found it very hard to find the cathedral. I expected to see it from far away, potentially from 5 km or so, but really there was nothing to be seen until 100m beforehand, if even. That made the entrance into the city feel even longer and harder. My feet started to get sore, it was tough. But it was nice to make it and have a feeling of completion.
However, I can feel that there is something calling me, pulling me to Fisterra and to the sea, and I can feel that the end of my pilgrimage is in four days, not now.
So I'll let you guys know how it goes. I find it hard to relax now and feel that I have achieved something. I haven't had time to get to the pilgrim mass - which is at 12pm every day - so I'll do that when I come back. Then it will be over.

Fleas...

Yep! That was missing so far...
But 2 or 3 days before Santiago - depending of how much I manage to walk tomorrow - I got fleas.
Or something similar. I have been bitten or stung over my whole body yesterday afternoon until this morning, and have now many extremely itchy red patches all over the place, especially the arms, hands, neck, shoulders, legs, feet, etc...
I walked the whole day concentrating on not scratching, and my first concern when I arrived in the albergue in Melide was to make sure there was a washing machine so I could wash absolutely everything I have including the sleeping bag. And, oh joy, there was one! And even a dryer! So all of my clothing possessions passed through the whole cycle and hopefully the heat and detergent killed any animal that dared taking refuge in my stuff and use my skin as a kitchen. So now, at least psychologically, it feels better.
I have also bought an antihistamin cream and tablets, just in case, and new ear plugs in case the old ones are infested...
Ha! Interesting itchy times, but I suppose it's part of it as well, and I can show my flea scars as well as my blister scars when I come back!
Apart from that, the weather has been sunny for two days and it is a pleasure to walk, especially as it is not too hot. Perfect. Hope it holds.
Ah yeah, and I ate octopus today! It is a specialty of the area, and very tasty as well. Only a bit weird to eat the tentacles, and especially to see them cook whole in huge copper cauldrons full of water.
Time is accelerating as I reach Santiago in so few days. We'll see what the next days hold in store.

Galicia, or "I don't believe in witches but I know they exist"

I am now in Galicia since a few days. It is the last Spanish province that I will walk in, as it is the one where Santiago is.
It is a land of green hills, forests and cows, and of witches. In a German friend's travel guide, the description of Galician people touched on ambiguities such as "I don't believe in witches but I know they exist", which I find very amusing...
So far it has been raining most days, and it is rather cold. I actually bought a poncho a couple of days ago, on top of my rain jacket and rucksack protection, because I was pissed off with being all wet up to the waist. So now I can deal with the rain better, that is when I think of taking out the poncho on time...
It reminds me of Ireland a lot here. First, there is a huge Celtic influence in Galicia. Celtic symbols can be found in many places, and even the weather is similar! Which, of course, means that the landscapes are the greenest I have seen in Spain so far...
Days are not as monotonous as on the Meseta, but the path is a bit harder on the knees, with all the slopes up and down, sometimes quite steep. The good side of it is, I think less about my feet, and it turns out they feel much better than on the Meseta!
I actually enjoy walking here, in spite of the rain, on the paths in old oak woods and under pine trees. And the few times where it gets a bit warmer, the air smells nice of honeysuckle, rosemary and other wild flowers that I wouldn't be able to name, especially in English (but in French or any other language neither, to be honest).
There are two people that I keep meeting every few days, a German lady and a Dutch guy, and the three of us form a sort of little family. It is always a joy to find each other again, and a bit lonely when we let each other go. But every time we think we won't meet again, the Camino proves us wrong a few days later.
But now, I am reaching the end. Santiago is only 4 or 5 days away, and it is very strange to think about it. I am starting to understand why people do it again and again. I met some people who were walking the Camino Francés for the 4th or 5th time. I couldn't understand them...
Now I don't think I would do it, but at least I can feel what pushes them.
There is a sort of sadness in the air, maybe nostalgy already, thinking about what we have gone through, and how close we are to the end. I have the feeling that arriving in Santiago must be a climax and an anticlimax at the same time. We'll see I suppose...
The path keeps teaching to let go...

Rain, love and laughter

It feels like I haven't been on the internet forever, and yet it is only 3 days. Funny how time is all relative. At the same time I can't believe that it is already Saturday. Today is the 30th day that I am on my way.
And yesterday was exactly one moon, as I started on the last new moon.
Now I have climbed up and down the mountain I was talking about last time. The walk up was nice, the walk down beautiful but a bit tiring for the knees and thighs (I can feel it today) - we went up about 600m in 5-6 km, and down 1000m in also 5-6km.
There is something special about the mountains. It is another world up there. The villages are different, people are different, nature is different. It is hard and peaceful at the same time.
The last 2 days have been incredible.
I had a beautiful experience with rain. The day before yesterday I was walking up, until Foncebadón. And from Rabanal del Camino until Foncebadón, where it was going up the most steeply, it started raining. When I say raining, it was really pouring!! Incredible!
Within less than 10 min I was soaked. My trousers were sticking to my legs, and little by little I could feel that I was only wearing them for decency reasons, as really they didn't protect me at all anymore. And, my shoes started getting wet also. I don't know if the gore-tex suddenly had enough and gave up, or if the socks getting wet started filling the shoes with water, so that every step made a nice splashing sound. The mountain was probably beautiful, but I didn't get much of it, first because I couldn't see much past the front of my hood, and also because I had no inclination to try and do so...
Suddenly I saw a couple walking before me, maybe 20 m ahead. It reassured me, at least I wasn't the only one battling with the rain. Suddenly, as I looked up, they stopped, in the middle of the rain, and exchanged a passionate kiss that lasted at least 30 seconds.
After the original surprise, I could only smile when I passed beside them and greeted them - and realised they were a Spanish couple well into their 40s or 50s. And something shifted in me. I started to smile in the rain. I was wet anyway, so I might as well enjoy this rain that was beautiful and regenerating and freeing in a way. And I started to be thankful. Thankful that my feet were not too sore, that my jacket was completely waterproof, and that my rucksack was also protected, which meant that I would be able to change into dry clothes as soon as I arrived. And the more I was thankful, the more I smiled, the better I felt.
I even had to laugh out loud a few times.
It was just beautiful.

Soon back to the mountain

These days I don't seem to manage to walk a lot.
Well, between 16 and 20km a day, not more.
Yesterday I was thinking of walking 30 km almost, my feet felt good in the morning and all, but when I arrived in Santibañez de Valdeiglesias, the village seduced me so much that I had to stay there. We ended up being only 4 pilgims in the albergue that night, so we had a whole room each, and a beautiful dinner with spaghettis cooked the real way by the Italian hospitalero. It was really great. And this morning the sunrise was absolutely fabulous over a landscape of hills with fields of cereal nearly ready to harvest, forests, and little rabbits who were stopping to look at me on the stony path.
I enjoyed stopping in Astorga for almost 3 hours, taking in the atmosphere or the town, visiting the cathedral and eating some of the specialties. After that I thought I would still have 10km in the legs, but my feet categorically refused to go further after 5km. So I am staying in a wonderful little albergue in Murias de Rechivaldo, in an old house typical of the area, and will attack the mountain tomorrow. Tomorrow is quite a tough day, as we go from about 900m, to 1500 in maybe 10-15km. and then we go down again even lower, in less kilometers.
I am looking forward to the climbing bit, as the flat spaces of the Meseta are not as gentle on the feet as it seems, especially with all the stones.
My feet are ok, I am dealing with the blisters, which are thankfully not too painful, and just listen to them telling me when to stop. I received today a foot massage from a German lady who is set up in the village here, and she told me at the end that basically I am not a walker, my feet are small and narrow for my height and weight, and of course I have problems. However she gave me hope that they'll get used to it after some time. :-)
Thank God!

25th day, and the first blisters!

I thought that, as I hadn't had blisters all this time, I was just lucky and could basically throw away my compeeds!
Wasn't I inspired to keep some...
I got my first two blisters yesterday, both together at the heel of the right foot, quite small but pretty deep and painful... And somehow my first reaction was to think "first blisters, woohoo!". Make a wish kinda state of mind...
Weird, huh!
Anyway. Yesterday I passed through León. I can't really use other words, as I literally arrived there around 10:30am, and left again around 12:15pm.
I loved it though, don't get me wrong!
As I arrived, and discovered the old part of the city, I got near the cathedral and saw a procession that was just leaving the cathedral. Little girls in white throwing flower petals, many men carrying heavy statues of the Virgin or other saints, and lots of golden religious objects that I only saw in museums or Spanish cathedrals so far and don't even have proper words to describe...
I managed to then get into the cathedral that was still full of the smell of incense, and was absolutely blown away by its power and beauty. Somehow the feeling there was much stronger for me than in the cathedral in Burgos.
Then I visited the other couple of things that one can't miss in León, and tried to find something to eat, but there was the problem: it was Sunday, before 12pm, and nothing was open. The few bars that were open would, if really pushed, serve croissants but that was about it.
With my breakfast far behind me and the 3 hours walk, I was starving...
I managed to find a nice cafeteria that made a sandwich with tortilla de patatas for me, which was the nicest thing I had ever eaten, considering the state of hunger and almost desperation I was in, and a coffee.
I then confirmed with the barman that nothing would open that day, and thought OK, I might as well go further so I don't have to get out of León in the early morning (I have noticed that it kinda depresses me to have to go through the not so nice part of a town first thing in the morning, before 7am).
So I did, and managed to get to Virgén del Camino by 2pm.
Today I did only 14km, because the only place to stop next was 12km further and my blistered feet absolutely disagreed when I tried to push further...
But I think it makes sense to let my feet and my body dictate how much I walk each day, rather than my eager head who is already planning ahead which day I might enter in Santiago...
And, by the way, I am starting to seriously consider going until Finisterra, which means not stopping in Santiago, but continuing about 90 km until the "end of the earth", i.e. the sea. I was told many times it was really worth it...
We'll see what my feet say when I get there...

Morning storm

It is 7:25 am and still I haven't left the albergue.
Suprising, as I woke up just after 5am and was really ready around 6:30.
I woke up very early the last couple of days, and was blessed with the most beautiful sunrises as a reward for my early starts. Today however, a storm greeted us as we were having breakfast, and we really didn't feel like setting off in the rain, so most of us are waiting that the rain slows down so it is walkable...
In the meantime, the computers are being used a lot, you can imagine! And, to answer your worried question, yes, the storm is now gone, it is only raining a bit, so it is safe to use the computers...
Today I am walking until León. Then we'll see how it goes. It also depends on the weather a lot, as I don't fancy walking further than necessary in the rain.
Well it seems some people are leaving now so I'll go as well and enjoy the newly refreshed (and still quite wet) air...

25km, and a small tendinitis

Would you believe that it is possible to have a tendinitis on the top of the foot?
Well, I have one since the day before yesterday.
Not bad though, and I have bought a homeopathic antiinflammatory cream that seems to help a lot, as well as sort of elastic bandages to put around the metatarsal area, and that have a sort of antishock gel pad underneath for walking. I walked with these today and my foot wasn't swollen when I arrived, even though I walked 25km.
I had planned on walking about 19km, but I met a lady in Reliegos, about 6km before the town where I wanted to stop, and she told me about this new albergue that was great and had plenty of space, but was another 12km further. So I walked until there.
The last 6km were a bit tougher, as it was getting hot, and the road was straight and uninteresting (right beside a national road loaded with traffic) so I busied my mind counting my steps or singing (yes, yes, sounds weird but hey, you don't know what you would do to make these last kilometers pass quicker!) and before I expected it, I arrived!
That makes tomorrow much easier, as I have only 12 km before arriving in León, and I have the choice then: either I like the town, and spend my saved energy walking about and visiting, or I want to escape the hustle and bustle as soon as possible, and I have enough strength to continue to the next village.
So we'll see how it goes tomorrow. In the meantime I need to go into town to buy some food for tonight, as there is a nice kitchen here where it would be nice to eat with the other pilgrims (what's more I had a big lunch around 3pm when I arrived so I certainly don't need a big dinner as well).
It is interesting how the camino is changing. At the beginning, it seemed that the same people were walking together, and it felt like a big family. Now, people are more on their own. I meet some people again, but usually 2 or 3 days in a row and then I lose them again. People seem to need the tribe less, and be more on the way towards themselves. It is an interesting time for me as well, and I like everything about the journey, even the sore feet...

Calzadilla de la Cueza under the sun

I walked today to Calzadilla de la Cueza, a small village with a church, an albergue and a bar and not much more...
The walk today was 17.2 km or so, which as such is not huge, but what made it longer is that between Carrión de los Condes and Calzadilla, there is absolutely nothing. 17 km of flat fields of cereal, and the stony way in between. Incredible!
Some people were clever enough to put a new bar exactly in the middle, and I didn't see any walking pilgrim who didn't stop for a bocadillo or at least a coffee...
Still, the experience was exhilarating, sometimes hard, but somehow it felt like I got into some kind of trance after a while of walking at the same rhythm, with the same landscape.
Now I am happy to have arrived, showered, washed my clothes and eaten, and I can relax for the rest of the day.
There is a well closeby where the water is incredibly pure and delicious, there are fields all around, and stones and dust. I am going to wait for the evening when it is not so hot, to go and walk around the village and take in the atmosphere of this small lost place in the middle of nowhere, that seems to live mostly because of its albergue.
Yesterday, Carrión de los Condes was a long day to start with, about 20km, but I felt I had to stay there for the night. I could already have stopped at the village before, about 5 km beforehand, but I felt something calling me at Carrión. I stayed at a big albergue that was part of a convent - first time so far that I am welcome into a place by nuns - and used the afternoon, despite my tired feet, to walk around the town. I even made it to the Monasterio de San Zoilo, on the way out of town. I arrived there at a time where it was open for visits, and had the incredible luck and honour of sitting about half an hour in the beautiful closter, at a time where it was bathed by the evening sun. There I understood what had called me there!!
I could almost hear the monks walking around the closter and chanting, it was so peaceful!
So today there is less to do around here and I can let my feet rest more.
They are ok so far. I can't say that they are much better than before I stopped, but somehow they go along with me and as long as I rest regularly and massage them often, they don't give me too much trouble. We'll see how it goes and if at last this path can stop being a path of suffering...

The break continues...

Well, this is interesting...
My two days in Boadilla del Camino were great. The place was really literally like an oasis in the desert, and the hospitaleros were absolutely lovely and took care of me as if I was at the same time a hurt little bird and a long time friend. It was almost painful to say goodbye to them yesterday morning.
But, as I was getting ready to walk 25km, yesterday, I noticed that my feet were still swollen. Less sore, true, but swollen.
So I thought: I'll walk the first 6km, and if they are sore then, I will stop and stay there for one or two nights again.
And sure enough, as I arrived in Frómista, my feet were crying again. So I stopped, had something to eat and some coffee (you wouldn't believe how much coffee I drink everyday here. And Spanish coffee is soooooo nice!!), and, as it was only about 9am, I started to try and look for a place where I could stay for one or two nights. I didn't feel like staying at the albergue, so looked for a pensión or casa rural instead, trying to find one that wouldn't rush me to the end of my finances either. So I walked around and walked around, saw one, thought nah, let's see if there are others, but it wasn't flowing. Either there were no single rooms left, or no one to talk to at all. So I went back to the first one I had seen, and rang the bell. A lovely lady came down, told me there was a single room for two nights, and gave me an affordable B&B price. So I stayed there.
And I slept about 2 hours in the afternoon, and still went to bed around 9pm last night.
I can't believe how much I have been sleeping in the last two-three days. I must really have needed it, as I am still happy to go to bed around 9 or 9:30 pm, and don't feel like going out partying at all. I think my feet were the weakest link, but if I had gone further and ignored what they were telling me, my whole body would probably have crumbled down as well!
So now I am quite thankful for my feet to be such excellent indicators of tiredness and health boundaries.
Of course, I am not in an albergue, so this break is a bit more solitary, but I think I need that as well. Now I haven't walked properly for 3 days, and I am starting to miss it. Also, I feel like I am a bit out of the whole pilgrimage path. I am not quite a pilgrim, and not quite a tourist either. It feels a bit weird. Hopefully I won't have time to truly find an identity as "the-pilgrim-who-is-currently-resting"...
As my feet don't seem to truly unswell, I thought I would treat them to some therapy. So first, I bought some salt and vinegar, and bathed them. Now they feel all soft and happy, but still swollen. As I have plenty of salt and vinegar, I'll give them another couple of baths today, to see if it helps.
Then, I have booked a massage in a therapy centre. I am not sure what they offer, so we'll see. The massage is scheduled tonight at 6. If they do some reflexology or foot massage, I am sure to go for that. I can't wait to see how it goes.
That's the thing, you see, my job is to walk, and then there is a whole routine that comes from walking: first, getting up early, having some breakfast, getting the rucksack ready, making sure I have enough water, saying goodbye to the hospitaleros if some kind of relationship had started, and then walking, taking breaks, talking to other pilgrims, stopping somewhere for coffee and a sandwich if possible, then arriving at the next albergue, signing in and paying, having a shower, wash clothes, eat, and relax and then find a nice place to have the pilgrim menu in the evening, before going back to the albergue, brushing teeth, and going to bed. All of that really takes most of the day.
So when I don't walk, that means the whole morning is free, there is little if any clothes to wash, and only few pilgrims to talk to, so the day ends up a bit empty.
Hence my delight when I found Hermann Hesse's book Siddartha in the last albergue in Boadilla. I am already half through it, even though it is in German. It suits the camino quite well actually.
So these days, when I am not walking, I am really taking my time to do everything. To read, to eat, to walk around, to shop, etc...
OK, I'll let you know soon how it goes. In the meantime I will take some time to write a few emails before my internet connection times out.

Break!

Today I am staying in Belloado del Camino, which means that I walked about 19km today. I took long breaks and went slowly but still the last 4km felt like the road was never going to end.
My feet were getting really sore, and my shoulders as well with the bag. Yet the path was nice and the weather perfect for walking: sunny but not too hot. However I didn´t enjoy much of the last hour. So I thought, why not stop for a day.
Belloado is a very small village, less than 140 people. So I thought, if I stay here for a day, I will really rest. There is only one shop that is tiny and situated in a bar, but the albergue is comfortable, and has a restaurant so really I can relax all day tomorrow in a nice setting.
I saw so many people getting sick on the camino, or getting a tendinitis and having to stop for a few days, that I realised that it could happen to me if I don´t stop.
On top of the physical side, I have received so many impressions, felt so many things in the last 2 weeks that I can feel the need of stopping to process the whole lot.
So we´ll see how it goes! Maybe tomorrow I am so bored that I spend my whole day on the internet!
Then again, maybe not...