Last Day

Our last day in Spain brought a suitable close to what has been a wonderful journey.  We spent last night in a former monastery and had a chance to sleep in for the first time in over two weeks. It was a good way to start the Sabbath.  After breakfast and a leisurely walk on the cobblestone paths around town, we went to the Cathedral at noon for a wonderful Pilgrims Mass. It is hard to describe what it was like to be in a crowded, lavishly ornate cathedral with hundreds of pilgrims from all over the world.  (Once again,no hay palabras.)  A nun in traditional dress with the voice of an angel sang much of the liturgy.  Prayers and scripture were read in different languages by several priests who had come to Santiago from different countries.  (It was a little reminiscent of Pentecost, as we all heard a passage read in our own language!)  The homily was preached by the presiding priest.  It was all in Spanish, but I (Susan) could understand most of it, and then translate it for Gib and our friends.  

After serving communion to hundreds of pilgrims who approached the altar, the priests invited a group of eight men in red robes to come forward for the much anticipated tradition of the Cathedral de Santiago: the hoisting and swinging of the botafumeiro - a large cistern filled with burning incense.  This, the priest said, was the sign of the Holy Spirit descending upon us all.  It was absolutely breathtaking.  (The photo gives you an idea of what it looked like. But it is hard to capture on film.)

The service ended with the traditional Passing of the Peace, although in this case it was not only across gender and age, but also cross-cultural and multilingual.  The priest's closing benediction reminded us that we are still pilgrims, even after completing our walk; that life, like the Camino, is a continued journey.

After the service, our group drove by bus out to the coast.  Although it rained, we could still see the beautiful expanse of coastline against the Atlantic Ocean.  It went on for miles. It seemed a suitable finish to our travels to be in Finisterre, thought at one time to be the end of the world. Like Christopher Columbus (Cristobo Colon), we know better.  We have a New World waiting for us when we return to North America.  That journey begins for us when we board our plane for home tomorrow morning.

Thank you for journeying along with us.  Happy Father's Day everyone; especially to our own dads, Gilbert and Allen.  Love to you all.  Susan and Gib (Susannum and Gilbertum)

 

6/15

We made it!  We arrived in Santiago at about3 o'clock this afternoon.  Despite having weary feet, we climbed the stairs up to the Cathedral to pause and reflect before going over to the Oficina de Peregrinos to get our official certificates as pilgrims who have waked the Camino.  (They issue certificates using Latin names, so we are Gilbertum and Susannam.)

It was a gorgeous day today;  perfect for our remaining 14-mile trek.  We even stumbled upon a wedding going on in one of the little churches we passed by.  It brought back memories from this time last year, when we were preparing to celebrate our daughter's wedding.  

When we arrived in Santiago, they were setting up for a visit from the Prince of Japan, who apparently walked part of the Camino this week as well.  A service in his honor was held in the Cathedral earlier this evening, so there were lots of well-dressed police officers around (Spanish police officers are particularly fashionable) along with the prince's entourage.  It all added to the sense of excitement.

We are tired now and headed to bed, even though at 10:15 pm, it is still light out.  We took an after dinner walk, and heard a man playing bagpipes, as well as a trio singing opera.  It was a treat, but our legs have had enough for now. :)  After attending the Pilgrims' Mass in the morning, we are spending the day at the ocean village of Finisterre tomorrow, which was once thought to be the "edge of the world," back in the days when people believed that the world was flat.  It should be a peaceful way to complete our journey.  

We hope to send you some pictures for there.  Thanks for being a part of our Camino.  Gilbertum and Susannum

6/14 pictures

The People Along the Way

One of the things that makes the Camino unique is the people we encounter along the Way.  Much of our journey winds through the countryside, villages and neighborhoods of rural Spain.  We have been touched by the graciousness and friendliness of the people we encounter. The innkeepers and cafe owners are eager to serve us; some even providing snacks and bottles of water for the road.  Several times, when we've reached an intersection and were unsure which way to go, neighbors have come out of their houses or onto their porches to holler, "Peregrinos (pilgrims), this way is the Camino!"  

We've also been impressed by what hard workers the Spaniards are. We've seen elderly men and women out working in their gardens or in the fields. Sometimes we've seen families working together, or heard women singing joyfully as they do the laundry.  No one seems to be afraid of hard work; in fact they seem to enjoy it.

We've also made some friends along the way.  We are walking the Camino at a time of year when there aren't as many tourists, so the road is often isolated for miles.  But when we encounter other pilgrims -- from Italy, Germany, France or other places -- we are always greeted by a friendly, "Buen Camino."  There are some couples and groups that we've seen repeatedly at various stops along the way, so they have become our special Camino friends. 

We've also come across a lot of animals.  Everyone seems to have at least one dog.  Some people have several.  We've also seen horses, goats, sheep, chickens, cats and burros. (And, of course, lots of birds, lizards and slugs along the path.)  Today's pictures give you a glimpse at some of the people and pets we encountered today.  

Tomorrow is a big day.  We walk 15 miles and get to Santiago!  See you then!  Susan and Gib

6/13

June 13
It's early Friday, June 14.  Yesterday we walked another 13 miles, with 11 more planned for today, and 15 miles for Saturday.  We weren't able to get our blog out yesterday as we typically do because the combination of being wiped out, and late dinners got the best of us and we feel asleep.  Thursday's walk was the easiest of the four so far.  However, we are rising early and getting to bed late.  We typically arrive in a town near the end siesta time, but don't take a siesta ourselves.

Thursday started rainy, as some of the pictures show.  By 11:30 the sun had come out and the day ended beautifully.  Our walk was mostly through forested areas so it was a little different than the previous days, but the countryside was beautiful just the same.

One of the things we do on our walk is to get stamps on our Camino passport.  Many of the businesses and churches along the way offer stamps to show where you have been.  At the end of our walk, we show our passport, and if we have walked at least 100 km, and have had our passport stamped at least twice a day, we are entitled to receive a certificate, or "Compostela", that verifies our feat.  One of the pictures shows what our passport looks like right now.

We're getting ready for breakfast, but hope to get another blog out after today's walk.  We are anticipating a shorter, easier walk today, and the the forecast calls for sun all day, but even though we run and are in pretty good shape, theses walks can be quite tiring.  The first few days took us over some steep inclines and declines.  Going downhill is especially hard on the feet.  We are doing ok, but several people have ended up with pretty bad blisters.

Hope to get another blog out tonight,
Gib

6/12 pictures