The Northern Finale

Last night I had paella at a Spanish restaurant in Reykjavik to bring everything full circle. I had been looking for a way to find closure and then, when I went back to the hotel, I met Joe. He is a really nice guy from Connecticut who started up a conversation after telling me my English was really good. He was surprised to find out I was from the States, probably because my clothes are pretty standard European wear (they seem to wear hiking clothes daily) and my hair was a bit out of control because I desperately need to see Clara for a major overhaul. He told me about his day on the glacier snowmobiling and about the eruption he got to see at the volcano. He lost his wife last year and has been traveling alone for a few days in Iceland to clear his head. While telling me about his favorite places to travel, he asked “Have you been to Spain?” He went on to describe a cathedral he visited there with a huge statue of Saint Michael the Archangel. To understand how important this was to me, you have to know a bit about some of my travel rituals. I carry with me an Italian prayer card with a prayer to Saint Michael that I picked up years ago in Italy for protection. It travels with me whenever I travel alone, and I look for Saint Michael wherever I go to give thanks. I stop into churches named in his honor. In other churches I look for statues or paintings. I went to the cave in Gibraltar, for example, because it was dedicated to the archangel. And here is Joe from Mystic asking me if I’ve been to Spain to see the statue. This was clearly a message. So while standing there on a street in Reykjavik, I was being asked to summarize — to scan through the past seven months and give a succinct account. I told Joe:

• about Spain and arriving in Santiago on my 60th birthday accompanied by pilgrim friends I had made along The Way

• about the Cruz de Ferro and placing the stone given to me by four special blondes from Millburn Guidance encouraging me to carry them with me on my pilgrimage

• about how grateful I am as a former history teacher to have traveled across England with all of its culture and castles and becoming so familiar with the country that I could give a rundown of the offerings in Tesco’s or Sainsbury’s

• about Vinnie flying to meet me in Lisbon and spending Christmas week hanging out in that beautiful city

• about drawing the landscape in Tenby on the Welsh coast and staying a week in one of my favorite places in the world

• about exploring the Azores with Mark and Derick on the island of Saõ Miguel (Saint Michael) and finding out about a special group of pilgrims there

• about how I treasure my month in Scotland and the day I got to see Lizzie’s Scottish home

• about meeting up with Zach, Armand, Trish, Barb, Joe, Sue, and Vinnie in Ireland and seeing the home of Sue’s great grandfather and walking that day on the Kerry Camino when the weather and everything was so perfect

• about the glimpse I got into how great it is to be a Guiney, even if it was only a temporary honor while we Czech-ed out Prague

• about seeing Naples, Salerno, and the Amalfi Coast one more time with the food and culture that was so familiar

• about streaming Izzy’s graduation from the beautiful terrace in Salerno even though I couldn’t be there in person

• about exploring Amsterdam with Ronnie with our canal boat digs and then sharing Paris with her especially the Patti tour

• about everyone at home following along and rooting me on through Penguins or texts especially Lisa B, Sue, Liz, Marina, Marianna, Janice, Mark, Toni, and Bill who were my constant companions

• about Marianna and her mom placing pins in a map of Europe on Sundays to make sure they always knew my current location and Marianna “stalking” me through the magic of iPhone on the days I was on the move

• about virtually walking Janice through the Tiergarten in Berlin and reminding myself constantly of her wise advice for me to “protect my Camino”

Poor Joe from Mystic didn’t know what he was in for when he stepped outside for a cigarette and decided to start up a conversation with this wild-haired “foreigner.” But I knew that my last day in Reykjavik was going to be about reflecting on the last seven months. And there he was with his question about Saint Michael. He decided that I was truly blessed to have had this time and these experiences and the support of all of these people. I wished him well and encouraged him to walk the Camino in Spain for an opportunity to find the clarity he needed. Joe went back into the hotel but I had more walking to do. It was midnight but still so light out. I walked a few blocks and pictured myself on Marianna’s map — the final pin. I thought about what Joe said so sincerely — truly blessed. Deciding it was finally time for my trip to end and to return to the final hotel room after 224 nights, I looked up to see a store front I hadn’t noticed before. It was simply called “Remember Reykjavik,” and I snapped one last photo.Leia mais