Coming to the end.

Why this great interest in Santiago de Compostela? Why walk that distance? Why not worry about all difficulties involved? Why, why, why? Paying homage to Saint James is a bit old fashioned, but it is what most pilgrims do at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. Saint James can be found in the centre with his hand resting on a walking stick. On arrival into the cathedral all pilgrims place their hand on the central pillar of the door, it is known as the pilgrim's pillar and the pilgrim does this as if to say "I got here safely". Above the main altar you see a statue of Saint James. The apostle's grave is found in the crypt, behind the main altar. The pilgrim has completed his journey upon kissing the hem of the jeweled cloak that drapes the statue. A dome above the crossing contains the pulley mechanism to swing the butafumeiro, which is a famous incense burner found in this church. It was created in 1851 by a goldsmith named Jose Losada. It is the largest incense burner in the world, weighing 80kg and measuring 1.60 meters in height, during certain important religious days and all pilgrims' mass, it is attached to the pulley mechanism, filled with 40 kg of charcoal and incense. Eight red-robed tiraboleiros pull the ropes and bring it into a swinging motion almost to the roof of the transept, it reaches speeds of up to 60 km/h and dispenses thick clouds of incense. One explanation of this custom which originated more than 700 years ago is that it assisted in masking the stench created by hundreds of unwashed pilgrims. I am so glad I made the effort to attend this service as this tradition is very special and a great way to end our pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Afterwards we say goodbye to the many friends we have met along the way and leave Spain for Holland.

Good witches and Galicia

Galicia has an unique character quite unlike anywhere else in Spain and this is all thanks to its Celtic heritage. Visitors to this part of Spain can expect to discover a mystical place where women have professions that exist nowhere else in the country like "good witches " and mussel collectors.

Galicia is one of the most remote regions of Spain, even the ancient Romans rarely ever made the journey there. But the Celts who arrived in Galicia about 600 BC did leave their mark. Evidence of their presence can be seen all over Galicia. Pallozas ( round, pre roman stone huts with cone-shaped thatched roofs can be found near many villages. Ox carts and wooden ploughs are also familiar sights. Galicia's musical heritage is characterized by an instrument called the Gaita, a type of bagpipe. Galicia has a strong christian heritage evident from the way of St James (the camino) but the region's pagan past has not been entirely forgotten and many people still believe in Meigas (witches), who are considered successors of the Druids. In the town of Combarro, the meigas are a part of everyday life and are not just something to entertain the tourists with. If someone becomes ill or if rain threatens the harvest, the locals will go to church and pray to Saint James and than visit a meiga, most fishermen have their boats blessed both by a priest and by a good witch before they set out to sea for the very first time.

Arrival in Santiago de Compostela

Today is our last day of walking. We are walking from Pedrouza to Santiago de Compostela. I have mixed feelings today. It's funny this pilgrimage has had an impact on me and others alike. Today I am elated and sad at the same time. People have done things for us that truly touches your heart. The fellowship has been enormous. Today I wished I could have been alone. All along I have wanted to do this for just 1 day and this really is the last opportunity. I have wanted to experience this feeling but decided against it as the camaraderie is also important to me. The walk itself is a rather boring one. We arrived in Santiago and meet up with Sang Kyoung. She has been waiting for us for 5 days to exchange e-mail addresses from her and others alike. She guides to the place where we can pick up our compostela and than to the albergue where we now can enjoy unlimited hot water and stay for as many nights as we wish. We will be staying for 2 nights as we are flying to Germany to stay with a friend of Gary's for 4 days. After that our journey will be taking us to The Netherlands. After securing our beds we are of to do some window shopping. We visit some souvenir shops and all of them are selling laughing witches etc. This seems like an odd item to sell at the end of the Camino and I ask some questions and I am told that Galicia is the birthplace of the witch. I have done some research and will share this story with you in my next blog.

The tourists have arrived

We walked today from Portomarin to Palas del Rei. It was another lovely walk but I made one very big mistake this morning. I have developed a rash all over my body. We are uncertain what it is, but we assume it is an allergic reaction. Gary advises me to take my anti histamine, which has the side effect of making me very drowsy, but the itchiness is driving me insane. Well as soon as the medication kicks in, the itchiness disappears ,but oh boy, every step feels like a mile and this will prove to be one of my hardest days. On arrival in the albergue we rest a while. Suddenly 2 buses pull up outside. This catches every ones attention. The tourists have arrived. See to earn a compostella, you only have to walk the last 100 kilometres to Santiago. This means people can start from Sarria and walk 100 kms to Santiago de Compostella. Most people still walk with their backpacks on their backs and do it the proper way. These tourists however arrive in buses, take their suitcases out, which has everything in it a girl/guy could possibly need. They normally stay in a motel but for 1 night they stay in an albergue to get a feel for the real pilgrim's way. Well everyone is dumbfounded when suitcase after suitcase arrives and they go to the bathroom and have their not so hot shower, blow dry their hair, apply their make-up and leave to have dinner in some fancy restaurant. They return late, wake everyone up with their super dooper headlights, to brush their teeth, remove make-up etc and noisily return to hop in their beds. Well these tourists end up getting the thumbs down from us pilgrims. Some tell them of. In the morning we discover they don't even walk all the way. They walk 10 kilometres, go by bus for the next 10 kilometres, have all meals and drinks provided to them by the bus service and collect as many stamps as possible along the way. Their are 2 groups, a group of Germans, who know their way isn't really the right way to do it and another group who everyone learns to avoid.

A walk in the clouds

Today will be filled with magic. We are finally back in the mountains and we are going up and up. Who said the sky is the limit? Well today we did touch the sky as we walked above the clouds. It is very beautiful everywhere we look. We have also reached the highest point of the Camino and stop to ponder this moment. We decide to stay at Molinanesca. It is a picture perfect place. We will be having the best evening tonight as well. We decide to have dinner with Epp, Kerstin and meet up with Ulla at this restaurant. Kerstin has to leave as the place is filled with smoke. In Spain smoking is still allowed in public places and it appears that most people smoke. We have dinner and talk about the silly things we have come across and really have a good laugh. All the girls return to the albergue with a serious case of the giggles. We try to sleep but we have a mega snorer among us. It's like a freight train thundering past. No one is sleeping, except the .......well snorer. Someone decides to wake the hospitalero to ask him to open another room. He comes up and has a good laugh about the situation. After some time arguing with him, he opens the other room. We all quickly grab all our stuff and leave Thomas the freight train engine by himself.

Archeological discoveries

As we walk along the Camino Francis, we come across two sites of archaeological interest. In Attapeurca near Burgos, a fossil of a molar tooth was found. Archaeologists say this tooth was approximately 1.2 million years old and belonged to a Neanderthal man. This is the earliest discovery of human life in western Europe. In Astorga, 48 kms from Leon, we discover another excavation site. This time the town of Astorga rose to great importance during the Roman occupation and has a wonderful historical and monumental heritage. Guided tours offer visitors the opportunity to view 8 sites of Roman remains excavated so far and who knows, there may be more to come as Astorga is still an excavation in progress.