25 KM! 4 days to Santiago, dragging my feet! Don’t want to go home and don’t want to stop in Santiago for 3 days! Inevitable effects of the Camino, wanting to stay on the Camino forever!!

Buen Camino. Hauling ass the next 110 KM in 4 days!

I met some nice people today who are just starting, and walked with them all day. It was nice to be reminded of the fresh energy of the begining. It’s been a long time since I walked with anyone for a whole day, since before León or something.

Walked out of Pontevedra, met Julia from Germany,  and was able to return the towel she had left in the albergue the night before. I picked it up thinking that the best that could happen would be that I got to return the towel, and the worst that could happen would be that I would have another nice trail towel.

A few km after leaving Pontevedra everyone came to a decision point. Continue on the Portugués way or turn left on the Variant Espiritual? As I was reading about the Spiritual route,  two German women showed up and said, “This is the turn we were looking for.” I joined them.

The route led through woods to the monastery at Poio, down toward the water, along the shore, through an old beach town, then up the mountain! And up more. Most of the rest of the day was up. It had a feel like the Hospidales route over the mountains on the Primitivo and it felt right to carry rocks and unburden myself at the high points. (At one high point I also unburdened myself of a few squares of milk chocolate. Some might say I just carried them differently, but they were no longer weighing down my pack.) After topping the mountain, a gentle downhill led eventually to a wooded footpath down to the monastery at Armenteira. And from there to a closed and locked albergue! But as I was heading back to the monastery and town, the German women walked in, and a car pulled up with a woman saying she would be opening the albergue. Many things were laughable today. Another one: the sun came blasting out for the last several hundred km down the mountain as if to say, “All that rain … just a joke. Sorry.”

One of the nice aspects of this variant is that there are no concrete markers telling you how many kilometers you are from Saint James … telling you right down to the number of meters, if you believe that third decimal point.  That was a distraction it was good not to have. Just had to keep walking. Nothing else to do.

Tomorrow,  I hear, we walk 24 km and then catch a boat. The boat, “which is permitted as part of the Camino” according to the Germans, takes pilgrims from Vilanova de Arousa to Padron along the water route followed by the stone boat carrying the Saint’s body back to Iberia. It is the only water route in the world that contains a Via de la Cruz with, reportedly, 17 crosses marking the water way.

Vilaserio

Currently sitting outside at a bar, enjoying a small bite to eat while a parade of some sort goes on down the street. One can hear the deep rhythm of hand drums and bagpipes.
Jess, Reagan and I enjoyed a short day of walking through a diverse landscape of neighborhoods covered with wild flowers, small patches of eucalyptus forest, some industrial scenes, and a peaceful beach. The weather varied as well- this morning was pleasant and sunny, as I listened to A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, and this afternoon the wind blew in a few rain clouds. So far the Camino Inglés is gorgeous, quiet, and serene. We took our sweet time this Sunday, as it was a short day of 16km. We all enjoyed a good nights sleep in our quiet albergue, which we all really needed! I felt so blissful waking up to the sound of birds chirping outside, light filtering in from the windows, giving early signs of dawn.

I’m thinking of my mother and all the other mothers in my life on this Mother’s Day. I miss my family a lot and wish I could be with my mom. I keep seeing so many sights along the way, wishing I could share this beauty in person with her.

Feeling so thankful for this peaceful day, for my friends, and for this journey!

day two of Camino ingles, pontedeume.

With Hunter, Marius and our new Taiwanese friend Shining (like the sun, she says)

The end of the road is much more taxing than I had imagined, mainly due to the sudden influx of pilgrims starting from O’Cebreiro. Being amongst so many people, I wish I could find a holiness in that, but instead I feel increasingly like I am participating in something distinctly secular. As much as I value relationships, I am overwhelmed by having been around so many people for a month and a half. This last stretch is a test in seeing the sacred in others’ journeys, partially to remember what it feels like to be immersed in my purpose for walking.

At dinner last night, a class of thirty teenaged boys sat at a reserved table behind mine, and I remember the  temptation to resent their somewhat noisy presence,  which was quickly taken over by appreciation for their commitments. It was their first night, and after a touching speech by their teacher on the pilgrim’s commitment to love and faith, they all went around and shared something they were grateful for. This practice is something I am familiar with from dance groups;  to see a group of young men, who in my experience frequently suffer from insecurities around emotional processing, share so openly reminded me of how potent this road is, despite its inevitable touristy aspects.

During the walk, when I am able to be alone, is where I can most healthily process these social experiences and begin to move my thoughts further out into space, beyond my stresses. The land of Galicia makes me feel held in a classic fairytale piece that somehow veers away from its morbid ending by the time I find a bed and go to sleep every day. I’ll be drifting off to the sound of rain and howling winds, and be so grateful for not having to sleep outside; I find comfort in the power these mountains have for being the first that the Atlantic winds come across.

To accept and celebrate interruptions to my thoughts both by other pilgrims and by the beauty of my environment, is what I hope to achieve by the time I reach Finisterre. For now, my constant prayer is faith in myself that I can make it to Santiago within the next four days.