Day 15: Santiago to Negreira... heat wave

Last night in Santiago was magical.

First let's talk about the weather.  I checked my phone. Google said it was 64° F. Tina said "no way the temperature dropped 30 degrees in 2 hours". She was right. It was 64 in Santiago,  Chile in the Southern Hemisphere.  Here, it was in the 80's.

The daytime crowds had thinned out and we could hear music.  There was a huge sound stage set up in the Praza de Quintana,  behind the Cathedral.

 

 

Two women were playing violin and accordion. Their music drew on traditional Galician themes, and the crowd was breaking into traditional line dances. It reminded us of Rodrigo and Gabriela.  Apparently,  they were the warm-up band for someone more famous coming later.

We continued walking, and saw musicians walking in medieval garb towards the main square,  the Praza de Obradoiro.

 

 

We strolled around and headed there before turning in.  A traditional university minstrel group, called a "Tuna" was entertaining the crowd. Kind of magical. 

Last view before heading inside. Pretty magical.

Today's forecast was again for temperatures in the 90's with high humidity, not typical for Galicia. Our hotel had a sumptuous breakfast buffet starting at 7 AM.  What would you do?  Leave at 6 AM to avoid the heat or leave after the breakfast that you'd already paid for.  I chose breakfast.  Let's just say that Tina says that was a mistake...

 

7:30 AM  The road out of Santiago heading West quickly left the city.  Apparently, there's much more development on the other side that we walked in on.  We passed both beautiful homes and abandoned tanneries along the river.  We walked through mountain trails.  We were definitely back on the Camino. 

 

The sun rising, the cathedral in the distance... my phone sucks as a camera

 

Compared to previous days, there were almost no other people on the road.  The first group we passed was a group of five middle aged women clowning it up taking a selfie.  We could have written them off as lightweights, but they were wearing heavy full-sized packs. It dawned on us that at the end of this trek is the town of Muxia, and tradition holds that all Galicians must go there once before they die.  Well, bring it on.

 

Needless to say, the ladies never caught up to us.

 

9:15 AM. We are overtaken by a more serious Pilgrim. I am not competitive.

 

Our plan for the day wasn't complicated.  Since we'd be getting a late start, the only break on this mere 22 kilometer walk was going to be a soda break at the half-way point, a town called Agua Pesada ("Heavy Water". Sounds like WWII).

 

We got there at ten AM. There was maybe one other pilgrim in the bar, and the rest were locals.

 

The drinks came with free tapas of ensalada russa, potato and tuna salad.

Funny thing.  As we sat for a half hour in this roadside cafe/bar, lots of pilgrims showed up.  First by the ones and twos.  Some walked right by, like a group of six young Spaniards.  Others stopped in the bar, like a group of ten Irish men and women wearing day packs.  I don't think we were the latest to get started out this morning.

 

After our rest break came a sustained 250 meter climb.  Does that sound like a lot to you?  Well, it's between 75 and 80 stories.  Let's be polite. It sucked.  It seemed to go on forever.  How did we ever climb four times as much last week?  Oh, it's not the heat, it's the humidity...

Fortunately, there were rest areas.  Some modern, and some not.

 

This part of the day was really hard.  It was past eleven AM, and the heat and humidity were taking their toll.  Can you say grumpy?  Then, approaching midday, we walked into perhaps the most beautiful town on this entire trek, Ponte de Maceira.

 

The bridge was built between the 13th and 14th centuries

 

There's this beautiful, narrow stone bridge with five arches crossing a river.  There's a medieval town on the other side with a castle (or something really grand) and a chapel.  There are rapids, old mills, and people swimming.

 

Can't we just stay here?  PLEASE?????

 

That was Noon, and the answer was no.  We had to keep walking to get to our destination and maybe feel like what it would be like to have a shower.  We were so sweaty. This wasn't fun.

 

Let me digress,  I think that part of what makes the Camino so special--and addictive--beyond the spiritual benefits, is the fact that the conditions on the walk can be so wonderful.  As we've mentioned, the temperatures can be blissfully cool for summertime.  (Yes, there are hot parts on the French Route, but there's no humidity.)  There are no poisonous plants.  There are very, very few places with biting insects.  There aren't any animals trying to kill you.  There's no crime.  This is planet Earth at its best.

 

Yeah, but today was kinda sucky in terms of creature comforts.

The heat was wearing on the other pilgrims.  You could see it.  If there was a bar, they would stop hiking.  If there was a bench, they would take a break.  Miserable as we were, slow as we were, we were making good time--and passing people.  (I am not competitive.)

Before 1 PM we showed up at our hostel in Negreira.  Our room wasn't ready... no, that's not accurate.  The hostel wasn't ready to accept guests.  We had some cold sparkling water in their cafeteria and waited outside.  We watched pilgrims stumbling by off the trail.

The statue at the center of town

When the Irish people started showing up, I made a dash for the desk and was the first to get a room.  Showers, here we come!

While we were waiting, Tina found out on her phone that there was a Michelin rated restaurant in this postage stamp of a town, and we made a reservation.  Wow, what a surprise.  I know we started late, and I know that the walk wasn't fun, but it sure felt good to be showered and having an amazing meal on the road!

 

Then after lunch, we figured out that the hostel has a swimming pool.  Bonus!

Tomorrow, we're hiking 34 kilometers, and the forecast is for more of the same heat and humidity.  Our plan is to start earlier than usual and forego the free breakfast.  (Fine.)  We've bought refrigerated coffee drinks and fruit, and I'm recharging my headlamp.  When we're done, we'll be two thirds of the way to Finisterre.  Tina will tell you how it turns out.

 

 

Day 14: Celebrating in Santiago

 

It’s Day 14 of our Camino adventure: Sunday, our day of rest and celebration.  We’re in Santiago de Compostella, relishing the end of this phase of our journey, and celebrating our wedding anniversary which was technically last Friday.

When we arrived yesterday, we were struck by the number of unfamiliar faces among the pilgrims arriving in the city.  We walked the French Route of the Camino in 2019. That’s by far the most popular route—more than 50% of pilgrims journey that way.  You get to know your fellow peregrinos by sight and by name.  Walking into the Cathedral Plaza, you’re greeted by all your fellow walkers.  It’s a wonderful experience.

The Camino del Norte, the route we chose this year, is the most difficult route (due to length and elevations). Only 6% of pilgrims choose this path.  Hence, you meet very few travelers along the way, and you’re unlikely to run into them in Santiago amid the rush of humanity that you encounter at the Cathedral.

The Cathedral in the Afternoon Sun

 

St James Atop of the Cathedral

As we strolled passed the Cathedral Saturday evening, we heard voices calling out, “Hey Paco and Tina!”  It was the 2 Spanish girls we walked with during the past few days.  They had planned to stay in Arca/O Pedrouzo Saturday evening when they passed us having lunch in A Brea.  Unfortunately, they couldn’t find a room in town.  All the albergues and hostels were full.  They had to backtrack to a preceding town where they snagged the last remaining campsite for the night.  They made it into town Saturday morning, and were headed to the bus station for their overnight return to Madrid.  It was so much fun to see them and re-connect.  We plan to share stories over a glass of wine in Madrid when we return next week.

We continued into town for a light snack at a very popular (and very hard to access) dive-bar/restaurant, O Gato Negro (The Black Cat).  Even if you kind of know where it is, it’s nearly impossible to find. It's only open four hours a day.  But it’s always crazy-crowded.  Check out this unassuming doorway.

The Most Obscure Entrance to a Popular Bar

We got one of the last tables in the bar, near a fan (bonus!) and enjoyed pimientos de Padron (seared Padron peppers), Pulpo a Feira (Galician Octopus) and Navajas (Razor Clams.)  I’d never been to this place, although Paco’s visited once before. It’s quite an experience of Spanish food, culture, and community.  A great way to spend an early evening.

Galician Octopus

We had breakfast at our hotel on Sunday morning, then went to run some errands.  Walking past the Cathedral, we noticed three fellow pilgrims, backpacks in tow, standing in the Plaza.  They were some of the group with whom we shared a snack break a few days back.  They had just arrived in town this morning. We took a photo of the group in front of the Cathedral and shared hugs and congratulations.

Then we headed to the Cathedral for the 9:30 am Pilgrim’s Mass.  There are many Pilgrim’s Masses every day, but especially on Sunday. Today was no exception. We got there very early and had wonderful seats. I even had time to light some candles before Mass started.  The service was packed.  There were 12 priests celebrating Mass. Many had led tour groups on the Camino and were there with their teams.  It was a beautiful service.

Lighting Candles

 

But the biggest surprise of all came at the very end: they raised and swung the Botafumeiro, a very large censer that envelopes the entire Cathedral with incense.  In ancient times, pilgrims were housed in the alcoves of the Cathedral. The Botafumeiro was filled with incense (and cannabis) to cleanse the air—and calm down the anxious pilgrims.  Today, it’s only used on special occasions and holidays. This is only the second time we’ve experienced it.  Here’s a video of the event.  It’s even better in person.

The Botafumeiro on Sunday 

Walking out of church after Mass, we ran into our Camino friend Carlos from Sevilla.  He had just arrived last night, attended Mass this morning, and was on his way to catch his flight home.  We exchanged hugs, contact information and best wishes.  How lucky to have run into him like this!

Santiago is a joyful cacophony of ancient sights and sounds: streetscapes, plazas, pilgrims, and the never-ending strains of the Gaitero (bagpiper).

 

Santiago Streetscape

Santiago Views

 

Ancient Plaza

 

Every hour, more and more pilgrims—alone and in groups—pour into the plaza.  Many arrive in matching T-shirts, chanting, singing, and dancing. The joy and excitement are infectious.

We made our way to the tourist office to collect information about the final part of our journey: the trek to Finisterre (end of the world) and Muxia.  It’s about a 120 km walk that we plan to cover in the upcoming 4 days. We’ve never done this walk before, so we’re very excited about the upcoming adventure!

Paco arranged a wonderful lunch reservation for us at a top restaurant in town where we enjoyed an incredible tasting menu.  It was just the right touch to celebrate the end of this part of our journey, and the start of another adventure just around the corner.

Open Kitchen at Casa Marcelo

 

It's been a magical day in Santiago.  We met so many of our Camino friends, enjoyed warm and sunny weather, relaxed, and thoroughly appreciated the specialness of this place and this moment.

Tomorrow, we walk again.  The first stage is the shortest, only 22 Km. It's supposed to be hot and sunny again (highs in the 90's), so we plan on a 7:30 am start to beat the heat.

Paco will take it from here tomorrow.

 

Day 13: A Brea to Santiago--we made it!

Our alarms went off at 5:30 AM, but they really didn't need to.  Knowing that it's the last day is like being a kid at Christmas.  It's all led up to this.  We had no fruit or cold coffee drinks, so all we could do was pack up, fill our water bottles, and head out by 6 AM.

The Camino at 6 AM

It was overcast, so there was no moonlight.  The air was humid, and that meant that dew was falling.  Normally, dew is something that you feel in the grass or see on your car's windshield in the morning, but in this case it was a fine light show in our head lamps--like something out of science fiction.  At times, the tiny reflected points of light were so many, that it was like driving your car in a snowstorm in whiteout conditions.

We figured out that if I changed my headlamp to the color red while Tina left hers on white, we could see without the glare of light reflecting off the dew.  Who knew that was a thing?

Today's plan was very straightforward.  Walk 25 kilometers to Santiago.  Stop along the way for coffee and maybe a Coke.  Without hills, backpacks or breaks, that would be five hours.  With all three, the hike should take six to seven hours.  We were up for it.

The first two girls to pass us.

At 6:00 AM, there was nobody on the Camino, for at least the first half hour.  The route was clearly marked, but the overcast meant that the headlamps stayed on much longer than usual.  Somewhere in the process of walking through little towns and along the edge of forests, two girls (probably from Germany) passed us. At this time of day, you don't ask where people are from.  Then we passed them.  You can't walk full speed in the dark because you're always checking to make sure if you're on the right path.  (In any case, our paths crossed repeatedly throughout the day.)

We don't have a photo of the most striking thing we saw during the first hour of the walk.  We were approaching an albergue, and maybe a block and a half before it, there was a structure, like a lean-to, right there on the path.  Open to the air on three sides, we could see inside with our headlamps.  It was full of sleeping pilgrims--young people who probably could not find room in any hostel the night before.  We walked quietly by.

At 7:00 AM, we found an open cafe, and of course, we stopped for a coffee.  They had no tortilla--and worse yet, the coffees were tiny.  We saw people we recognized from lunch yesterday in the place, and said hello.  In the 20 minutes that we were there, the skies lightened, and the pilgrims started appearing on the road.  In droves. From everywhere.

So, while yesterday was a story of 20 miles of silent, thoughtful, contemplative walking... today ended up like being part of an ant colony approaching the hive. Except ants don't talk loudly, constantly...

 

Me posing with hay bales before it got too crazy.

Some people, at about 8:45 AM

At about 9:00 AM, we reached the tiny town of San Paio, about ten kilometers into the walk.  There were two open cafes.  It seemed like every single pilgrim was stopping at the first cafe.  We went to the second and ordered two big coffees and a slice of Tarta de Santiago, the signature dessert of our destination, made with almond flour, so it's gluten free.  It was wonderful.  It was also a mob scene.

I snapped this photo of the tiny chapel in San Paio from our cafe.

 

The inside of the chapel.

Three hours in and 40% of the way there, we were happy to have a chance to have some food, coffee, and a chance to use the rest rooms.  It was easy to see that we weren't going to escape the crowds on the road...

10:45 AM Beautiful road. Pilgrims ahead... Lots.

 

Funny story: about 15 kilometers into this, walking through a forest, Tina says "We should be getting close to the airport."  That's it.  Just gut feeling.  A minute later, through a clearing to our left, we saw the landing lights on the runway of the Santiago airport, about 10 kilometers out of Santiago.
 

11:15 AM walking through a small town...

Nine years ago, I walked the Portuguese route of the Camino with my daughter Michelle and a small group of fellow travelers that we met along the way.  I remember how on the last day, Bart, the schoolteacher from Holland that I'd befriended apologized and said that on this last day, he preferred to walk in private silence.  We respected his wishes--and we understood.

There was none of that today.  These hordes were yacking it up.  Clearly, they were excited to be approaching the finish line, but it seemed like some of them had been talking loudly for the last 100 kilometers!

11:22 AM Our first glimpse of Santiago de Compostela from Monte de Gozo

 

We were on a roll, making excellent time.  We were excited to reach our destination--and we were tired of the chattering hordes.  That said, when we reached Monte de Gozo, we decided to walk an extra kilometer to see the famous statue of pilgrims spying the city for the first time. We missed this on our previous walk five years ago.

As close as we got to the statue.  Maybe next time!

Continuing our descent from the countryside into the city's outskirts, the reality was hitting us: this one-year long odyssey was approaching its end.  The distances on the waymarkers kept dropping.  They were in the single digits, approaching zero kilometers.  Now, we were walking on city streets, behind other backpackers, and past locals who were probably trying not to notice yet another day's crop of visitors.

For the record, neither of us has any plans to get a souvenir tattoo!

It happens every time.  The first time that you catch a glimpse of the spires of the cathedral over the rooftops, you get choked up... and excited.  As you approach the main square, the Praza de Obradoiro, there's always a bagpiper playing in an archway that amplifies the annoying sound.  You get even more teared up.  It's almost over.....

 
 

In front of the Cathedral. I'm terrible at selfies.

A Dutch pilgrim helped us out.

We're here!  The first order of business was to go to the pilgrim office and to get our pilgrim passports, our credentials, verified so we could get our Compostelas.  I got mine saying that I walked from Gijón.  Tina's shows that she started in Irún and walked a total of 828 kilometers.  The lady behind the desk was floored--she'd never seen so many stamps on a passport.

We've had lunch, showered and done laundry.  Tomorrow is another Sunday off.  We'll attend a Pilgrim's Mass at the cathedral and hope to see them swing the Botafumeiro, the huge silver incenser over the alter.  (I shot video of it in 2015 http://pacosage.blogspot.com/2015/07/epilogue.html).  It also makes a memorable appearance in the movie The Way.

Now, we're discussing our planned visit to the end of the earth, Finisterre.  It's where pilgrims would go after Santiago, and we've never been.  It's the Westernmost point in continental Europe.  We just figured out that it's another 90 kilometers.  I'm feeling it... We both are.

Tina will pick up the narrative tomorrow.

 

Day 12: Sobrado Dos Monxes to A Brea

It’s July 26, which is a very special day for us.  It’s our anniversary!  And we’re spending it walking the Camino.  Together.  It’s very special.  Here’s a memento of our wedding day: July 26, 1986.

The Beginning of a Great Adventure!

 As usual, we left our hostel just after 6:00 AM.  The prior evening, we checked out the path leaving town. The markings were guiding pilgrims to neighborhood roads, but our map showed that the most direct route was the road in front of us. So we started our day taking the direct, very well-lit road, complete with sidewalks, all the way out of town.  We watched a group of pilgrims in front of us take the side roads, as recommended.  We didn’t see them again for a long time.  It’s such a shame that the Camino route wastes pilgrims’ time like that, when a better, and safe, option exists.

Today's plan had three parts.  First, walk 12 kilometers to Boimorto to get coffee. Next, walk about ten kilometers on the new, official route (if we could find it) until we found the decision point to take a third ten kilometer walk to rejoin the French Route of the Camino.  If the guidebooks were right, we might not see any services after Boimorto.

Our day’s walk was spectacular.  We passed many familiar sights, lovely countryside, farm animals…and no fellow pilgrims for hours.   

Early Morning Views

 

One of the major industries here is tree farming, specifically, eucalyptus trees.  These grow quickly and are used in making pulp for paper products.  Here you can see mature trees along the right hand side, medium-sized trees on the left in the back, young trees in front, and a plowed field awaiting new plantings in the foreground.  We passed acres and acres of such farms throughout Galicia.

Eucalyptus Grove: Small, Medium, and Large

 

After 3 hours of walking, we arrived in the town of Boimorto for our coffee break.  It’s a small village which was just getting going after their big festival from the prior day: the Feast of St James.  (Santiago is St James, in Spanish)  We had a lovely break in a bakery/café, then set out on our chosen route.

 

Pastoral Views of Boimorto

 

There are 3 paths out of town.  You have to pick.  We picked a path that would allow us to bypass some of the French Camino (the Camino del Norte combines with the French Camino for the final stretch into Santiago de Compostela).  Our Camino is very quiet, with few pilgrims. The French route is by far the busiest and most bustling; we wanted to avoid the crowds.

Our chosen road was indeed very peaceful.  We didn’t meet a single soul on the entire journey today, except our 2 Spanish friends, Savannah and Oriana, with whom we traveled for a brief while yesterday.  We walked together for a while, then they went on ahead of us.

Our Friends in Front of Us, on the Road

Unfortunately, they missed a poorly marked junction and failed to make a left turn to link with the French route.  They were too far ahead of us to alert them to the error.  They walked many extra kilometers to correct their error; we crossed paths with them much later in the afternoon, so we know they ended up okay.

(To be fair, this third part of our walk was extremely poorly marked, with occasional yellow arrows spray painted on the pavement.  We were only really able to follow it using the GPS enabled Buen Camino app.)

For us, the rest of the day was peaceful and quiet.  Just the two of us.  We passed beautiful landscapes, a roadside fountain and seating area for pilgrims, and tree-lined paths leading straight to our destination.  (Today could not have been more different from yesterday with its crowds of high school kids.)

We're Going to Miss These Views

 

 

Pilgrim Fountain and Rest Area

The Final Road into Town

 

Having covered over 30 Km (again) today, we chose to stay in a hostel very close to where our Camino converged with the French route.  We arrived around 1:45 pm, hot and tired.  Our hostel is amazing, and even has a swimming pool!  We met lots of fellow travelers poolside, and during lunch.  Two of our fellow pilgrims are Episcopal priests and they're very familiar with many of the schools we serve.  What a small world!

And what a great way to celebrate our Anniversary!

Paco and Tina Poolside

Cheers! See you in Santiago tomorrow.