The walk is over. On our last night in Muxía, we took a walk and found a nice bar to have a beer before turning in early. Our alarms were set for 5:30 AM because we had a 6:15 bus to Santiago. Letting ourselves out of the hotel before six, we walked about four blocks to the bus stop. There was a crowd of pilgrims already waiting.
The bus got us to Santiago just after eight AM: time for some good coffee and tortilla! We found a small cafe about a block from the train station and savored the moment.
Then we searched the Internet for a bakery that would be open so Tina could take some good bread back to Madrid. Galicia was always a poor region, so their breads contained more whole grains than you'd find in richer places that prized bread with a snowy white interior. Tina adores Galician bread. At 9:00 AM, we visited a nearby bakery and bought a loaf for the road.
The high speed train to Madrid takes three hours. Knowing what a pain airports can be--plus airlines hate hiking poles--the train made sense. Well, the train was a half hour late, and they substituted out the equipment, so it was really crowded with insufficient luggage space. That said, it traveled at over 300 kilometers per hour through that beautiful countryside we've been writing about.
We got to Madrid and were greeted by torrential thundershowers that were definitely not in the forecast. There was even hail! Tina shot some video of the aftermath. We were the only people on the street totally prepared with attractive ponchos!
We finally had lunch around four PM, and then discovered how tired we were by sleeping for twelve hours straight!
We'd like to share some odds and ends that either never made it into the blog or were distillations of what we experienced.
1. Funniest moment. On the long walk from Luarca on Day 4, we were walking through an area where people raise livestock, cows and sheep. We saw a farmer returning from the fields with his dog. As we passed the farm's driveway, the dog came bolting out and ran up the road ahead of us at top speed. Did an animal escape? The dog abruptly stopped. Next, it squatted and took a dump in the middle of the Camino. Then it turned around and ran just as fast back to the farmer! Apparently, Fido's not allowed to go at home. Good dog(?)
2. Young people are really into wearing black, even on the hottest days of the year. Black tops and shorts. Black yoga pants. Are we getting old? Why is that not the dumbest idea ever?
3. Muxía was the perfect place to end the Camino. Aside from walking the path less traveled, it was to us, more meaningful and placid than Finisterre. Oh, and we figured out that the scene from The Way, where Tom (played by Martin Sheen) scatters his son's ashes, was filmed in Muxía on those rocks by Church of Nosa Señora de Barca. Not in Finisterre. My bad.
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| Posing, without sucking in my breath... |
4. As predicted, I lost weight--about ten pounds in less than three weeks. Every day, I burned between 3,500 and 4,000 calories, according to my watch, as we walked between 40,000 and 50,000 steps. You can't stuff your face while you're walking, and it's impossible to replace that many calories at mealtime. Now, the question is how do I stay in this shape?
5. People cheat. Sorry to put it that way. Day 16 was a good example. We were in Olveiroa, having lunch before checking into our hostel. A taxi pulls up, and out pops a lady that we'd sat near as she ate her breakfast at 9:30 AM during our morning coffee stop. Okay, maybe she got hurt or was too hot to continue... Next, two minivans pulled into the same lot, and out piled all of those Irish pilgrims that we'd described the previous two days. They made their way straight to where we were sitting, and started ordering gin and tonics...
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| Sorry, that door is locked. |
6. The Camino has lost something valuable with all of the locked churches. As we've said, the ancient pilgrimage traced a line between parish churches across Europe and into Spain. Until recently, you could step inside, maybe rest, and have a pensive quiet moment. Some of these chapels were very austere and some ornate, but the effect of sitting in cool silence was very calming--and valuable. This time almost all of the churches were locked up. If we went into a church, we wrote about it. I'm not a regular churchgoer, but I really missed that part of the Camino.
7. Spain is very aware of food allergies. I didn't have a single gluten reaction. (This isn't news to me, but it might be to you.) Restaurants are required to be very careful about ingredients, and the staff is required to be trained. It helps that waiting tables is a salaried position here, and that wait staff tend to have a lot of tenure. (Maybe I should throw in here that there's no tipping anywhere. I love that! Don't ask me to do math when I'm tired!)
8. Some people talk constantly on the Camino. How can they truly be relishing the moment? Those Irish pilgrims were talking about things back home, both on the road and at the Hostels. Is it possible to absorb the lessons this experience provides with a constant soundtrack? That said, some people wear earbuds, presumably listening to music. (Same question...) Some of the best parts of this pilgrimage were the silent ones.
Things to try to remember, as we re-assimilate into "normal" life:
9. Don't pass up an open cafe. Translated: don't put things off 'til later. Act now. You may never get this opportunity again.
10. Rest on the 7th day. It's not just a biblical fiat, it's really good for you. You'll be re-energized and able to do more afterwards, not to mention avoiding injury.
11. Unplug. Notice the world around you. It's amazing.
12. Talk to strangers. We're all travelers on the same road.
13. Be grateful for what life brings you, and don't dwell on what "could have been". It's all good.
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We hope you enjoyed this travelogue. It's been a valuable experience to force ourselves to write it, to pay attention to the details, to remember. (I should keep a diary, but who has that kind of time??)
We're planning to do this in five years when we reach another one of those monumental birthdays that says you can't do it. In fact, when we were in Santiago, we bought two new passports! See you then!
