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Camino De Santiago
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Camino De Santiago

Walking the Camino Frances, 790km from St. Jean to Santiago. Lue lisää
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  • Meaghan CurryCamino De SantiagoMatkaaja

    Day 30: Triacastela a Sarria

    29. toukokuuta 2022, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Two routes today, and two options. I always find I struggle with this, as I never know which path to take. Perhaps a bit reflective of me in real life?

    After a few cervezas watching the match the night before, and having ingratiated myself with a new Camino family, I leave alone and feel many emotions. Perhaps a little lonely? I start down the route to Sansol, where there is a monastery. But something makes me stop, and I turn around and go the countryside route to San Xil instead. Just as I retrace my steps I run into Lorna, Iraxe and Sophie from the night before. So now, I walk with a group! Maybe the Camino does provide?

    The walk truly is beautiful today, traversing countryside paths and by farms, all green and fresh.
    I keep a good pace and walk with Lolo, a Spaniard from Extremadura who is a part of this Camino family. We enjoy a good conversation about work and life and balance, and the short walk of 18km is soon over as we arrive into Sarria.

    A significant point, as this means I reach the last 100km of the route. I feel strange as I enter the city, a bit lost and a bit alone. I check into my albergue and then I receive a message from Lolo to meet the group down at the waterfront for octopus - a typical gallegan dish!

    This ends up being a really fun evening, with far too many chupitos and beers and not enough food! But I really enjoyed my time. Iraxe gave me a red string bracelet, to signify a bond that is unbreakable, and I am an honorary member of the family, even if just for a little while.    Lue lisää

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    Day 31: Sarria a Portomarin

    30. toukokuuta 2022, Espanja ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Slight headache this morning on account of the chupitos last night! But I make it out of the albergue in one piece, no later than 6. An early start rewards me with a beautiful blanket of mist throughout the town and I make my way into the countryside.

    Pure magic today, an absolutely beautiful walk. The path feels ancient, twisted trees line either side and gorgeous countryside in every direction. Feels special and demands silence as I walk through the mist.

    I stop at a hut because I spot Yorkshire tea!! Turns out a man called Richard has bought a little house and offers British tea for a donation. I enjoy a cup of tea with him and he tells me about his life. He also has military parents, and now works as a translator and moves between Spain and York. He tells me about his passion for Yorkshire ales, and shipped me his collection of beer mats. As we part ways, gifts me one of the mats. I am happy!

    A couple of climbs, and it really feels like Galicia now. All the smells from my childhood, the smell of the damp earth and forest. The mist still hangs throughout the day.

    I don’t take many photos today as I just experience it. But I do make it to 100km mark; a good and bad thing. A great achievement and a chapter closing. I reach the stunning town of Portomarin around 11.30, utterly bewitched by the landscape. I feel quiet and contemplative.

    The day is spent milling around the town, having some food, eating with Kevin from Germany and then later with Hodges, Nico and a group of Americans. In good company today.

    Tomorrow I make my way closer to Santiago!    Lue lisää

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  • Meaghan CurryCamino De SantiagoMatkaaja

    Day 32: Portomarin a Palas de Rei

    31. toukokuuta 2022, Espanja ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    A strange day.

    Beautiful walk but the first real day of rain to contend with, and a strange sense of disturbed quietness as many many hordes of pilgrims are walking the last 100km for the Compostela, so there is a renewed energy on the way. Of course, they are doing their own Camino, I am happy for them and I have no judgement. This morning I leave at six, and fall in line after a group of about 45 young Irish teenage girls walking very fast, and talking very loudly and excitedly. There is something slightly jarring about the contrast between the early morning and the level of energy from these girls, I start the day off therefore with a weird, manic energy.

    I try to overtake, but my body feels tired and sluggish. The unforgiving Galician countryside is like a wave; up and down and up and down. My energy depleting with each overtake, I stop several times along the way to recuperate.

    A slightly frenetic start is followed by a day of walking by many roads, weaving around pilgrims and by rain. I find myself lost in my thoughts often, not fully present. Not really wanting to add more volume to the already buzzing pilgrim train.

    I walk alone mostly again, aside from a small stretch with a father and daughter and with a new companion, Kevin from Germany. He wants to walk with me for moral support, as his feet are really bothering him today. I can’t help but feel like I’m not the best company today and don’t feel much like talking.

    I walk 25km without much to report.

    Some music is listened to, coffee is consumed. I arrive at the town without a reservation, and Kevin and I are turned away twice when we reach Palas de Rei. Luckily, a kind hospitalero calls forward for us and a bed is secured at the rather unpleasant ‘Buen Camino Hostel’, where Kevin and I are in a double room. Kevin is a lovely and kind, and a good conversationalist, but I find myself both physically and mentally exhausted. The rain keeps me inside today, when I really would like to be outside breathing some fresh air.

    We do share some Pulpo (octopus) which is Kevin’s first experience. It is good, but it will be better in Melide! I will be there tomorrow, and hoping the rain holds off enough to be able to sit outside. I am looking forward to it, my second to last day before Santiago.

    I’m really not sure what my overriding emotion is today, and of course the day is not over. Something tells me I will return to the hostel to relax, perhaps go out for dinner alone if I can help it, and get an early night in solitude. So, I’m checking in for the day a little early. That being said, a nice group of pilgrims are milling around the town and there is a beer to be had in good company, so maybe I will change my mind!

    Less photos today, but know it was a beautiful day - albeit a little damp, but I was lost in thought and not recording anything.

    Tomorrow Pulpo and another beautiful day, perhaps again in the rain!    Lue lisää

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  • Meaghan CurryCamino De SantiagoMatkaaja

    Day 33: Palas de Rei a Ribadiso

    1. kesäkuuta 2022, Espanja ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    I wake up leisurely in my private room with Kevin, at around 7am - yesterday we ate some snacks in the hostel and had a long conversation for dinner.

    Yesterday evening, everywhere was very loud with lots of pilgrims all connecting vocally in every restaurant and bar throughout the small town. I found it all overwhelming (Doesn’t take much it would seem!), so I was grateful for something lower key.

    Kevin mentions that he thought it was a nice touch that I turned my phone off for dinner, and he wanted to mention that he felt I would be a special friend in his life. I felt honoured.

    We leave in the morning after a sugary breakfast of yoghurt and pastries and make our way out around 8am. The day starts off with promise, even if the way is extremely busy. Kevin is experiencing some severe foot pain, and I am feeling tired still. Lacking in the energy of the earlier days, thoughts of the experience being over begin to flicker in my mind like a small flame. Showers, cups of tea with Chris, exhibitions in London, walks in England…start to flood my mind. Perhaps there is a feeling of my life rushing back to the surface, after many weeks of being at the back of my mind. I feel perhaps some longing for that, but a desire to also bring some changes back with me. I am unsure how I will feel in a few days, but I can only feel what I feel, and accept it.

    The skies begin to cloud over, we keep walking. However after stopping for some coffee the sky threatens even more. We decide to get rain packs and rain jackets on. Timely, as once we start again the heavens open. A biblical deluge of rain, which soaks me through completely in about five minutes. We make it about ten minutes before we huddle under a roof to get out more rain gear. I try on (for the first time) my rain poncho, which I have carried since SJPDP, and I tell Kevin I will keep going.

    We walk together further, he is surprised that I didn’t give up! We are smiling, or at least I am, as I feel that I hadn’t really experienced any rain to this point so - how lucky am I?!

    I walk 10km in the pouring rain to Melide, which is where I plan to stop for lunch. I am completely soaked, feet are drenched and the rain doesn’t stop. I get lured in to a famous Pulpo restaurant and I order for a family of 6, which of course I can’t eat! Best tasting octopus but I later tell Chris that I will be a vegetarian when I return for at least 3 months to offset all of the meat and fish I have consumed on this walk.

    I tell Kevin that I need to walk alone, he reserves at the same albergue as me, so I need some time to myself. He says he admires that in me, and I leave happy that I have set a boundary!

    The last 10km are sunshine, which I am beyond ecstatic about. I listen to albums from my childhood, walking through familiar smells and singing along. I probably look insane, but I feel great on this last bit of the walk today.

    I arrive at the albergue in a small town, most pilgrims will go further today, so the room is quiet. I manage to do some laundry and make dinner plans with Kevin.

    I start to plan my final real walking day tomorrow, it hasn’t really sunk in yet. I will go on to Finisterre, but the French Camino will end on Friday. I will have walked 780km.

    Over and out from me today, I love you all.    Lue lisää

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    Day 34: Ribadiso a O Pedrouzo

    2. kesäkuuta 2022, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    I try to sneak out a little early today, to get some time on my own. This was not possible, and I and up leaving with Kevin. Today my ankle is very sore, and everything is still a little damp from yesterday. It seems likely I have developed the same affliction as Kevin which is tendinitis in my left foot.

    Each footstep on the uneven pebbles brings me one step closer to Santiago. Today, I don’t have a plan. The rain threatens in the horizon, and in my mind I feel I might continue on as far as 36km today - so that I can enjoy a leisurely start tomorrow. My body has other plans, and it becomes clear after traversing up and down hill after hill that I need to rethink.

    I ask Kevin for some alone time, he is happy to oblige. Although I walk as fast as I can to get a little distance, the two of us are hobbling at the same speed. We end up linking back up, and walking the remainder of the way together. We stop just before the rain in a town 19km from our starting point. The forecast doesn’t look good, and we decide to stay at the next town. We end up booking the same albergue, and Kevin mentions it would be his honour to walk in with me to Santiago in the morning.

    I feel conflicted, as most of me really wants to walk this final day alone. But, I know it would mean a great deal to Kevin not to be alone. Perhaps this is a Camino kindness I must do. I still haven’t decided. I’m now in a quiet hamlet about 22km from the cathedral in Santiago. Kevin would like to walk the way with me, I want to leave early to ensure I can get there when the pilgrims office opens at 10.

    I feel a bit distracted to be fully present in the experience, perhaps the overwhelm of the situation or the uncertainty about how I will feel tomorrow. Either way, tomorrow I arrive.

    I go to dinner (Kevin is there too!) and enjoy a peaceful setting with some wine. Kevin tells me his plan to create a Camino tattoo, with the initials of all of the important people he has met on the way. He has said he will put A for a girl called Anouk that he started with, and M for me, as we will walk in together. I am touched by this, and also by his honesty and vulnerability. We should all be a little more Kevin I feel.

    I make the decision to walk in with Kevin tomorrow, as perhaps it will be an important moment that will be nice to share. Who knows. I have an early night, in preparation for an early start tomorrow at 5. I will keep all posted, and I will have completed the way by the next time I write!    Lue lisää

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    Day 39: Lagos a Cee

    7. kesäkuuta 2022, Espanja ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    On the way to the end of the world, and three days in.

    There is a different energy to this leg of the trip. Perhaps it is me, but there is a tiredness of the body and perhaps even the soul. I leave later, my muscles are more relaxed, a drink wine for longer and I rest for longer. The knowledge that I have reached Santiago, accomplished my goal, still sinks in as I drink coffee this morning.

    I wake up around 6.30 naturally, having had a good sleep with an actual duvet, I make my way down for a coffee. I am with a lovely group, there is a close familiarity they have shared that I feel I am slightly on the outside of today, so I drink some coffee and eat a little breakfast before heading off on my own today.

    It is a fellow pilgrims birthday, and I reflect on what that experience might be like to celebrate in the company of great Camino friends. I hope to see them at my final destination and enjoy a glass of wine to celebrate.

    I stop a few times on the way today, a coffee here and a coffee there. Everything feels almost dreamlike, a slow steadiness that is unlike the energy of the last week. A natural slowing as I move closer and closer to the sea.

    The walk today is peaceful and beautiful, the familiar look of the countryside is very evocative. With eucalyptus at either side of the path, and the smell of sea salt in the air, I really do feel as if I am walking home.

    I begin to make plans for when I return, I will cut my hair, I will start screen printing, I will start to sing again. I resolve that I will continue the journey I have started to enjoy myself and my life, living it to the fullest. As this chapter comes to a close somewhat, I know it is just another page in the story. I am in a reflective mood and walk mostly in silence, although I do meet Hodges along the way!

    I arrive in Cee, crossing over a hill to the first sight of the sea. It is absolutely beautiful, and just the look of it is refreshing. I know that I get closer to finisterre, and closer to Doniños by the day.

    At the hostel I share some of my fruit with a Dutch pilgrim, who tells me he is looking to make large life changes in his marriage and his job. It is amazing that I have grown comfortable talking with people about such personal and intimate things; I think the Camino teaches you that in many ways. We are all human, and we can support each other.

    I am invited to eat spaghetti with some Italians at the hostel, and there is a birthday dinner to celebrate also! I hope I can do both.    Lue lisää

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  • Meaghan CurryCamino De SantiagoMatkaaja

    Day 40: Cee a Finisterre

    8. kesäkuuta 2022, Espanja ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today is really for many, the last walking day. It is a short day of only 12km, and there is a bittersweet feeling that hangs in the air today. For most of the lovely group I’ve been sharing the last week with, this is the last stop before parting ways in different directions.

    A lovely birthday dinner was had yesterday, and a real sense of family. Like Hodges, I hope to travel onwards in life with the knowledge we will reunite at some point. It was a truly special evening.

    The day starts at a cafe, where a monolithic spread is presented and many pastries consumed. I am so surprised by my appetite, which is voracious at the moment. Ah well, plenty of time to sort that out in my ‘normal’ life. We start walking together, but all fall into a natural pace. I walk ahead with Hodges and Pien mainly, the air is humid and there is a drizzly rain that soaks you through in five minutes.

    The day is beautiful, and as soon as you see the sea there is a real sense of coming home for me. It is fresh and I am so grateful to be near the water.

    We all link up together in the town of Finisterre, and there is a real energy to the day. With every step closer to the cliffs, we are closer to the end. Pien Hodges and I walk together to the Faro in Finisterre. But we wait for Becky and for Ophelia to walk together to KM 0.

    What a moment.

    I feel truly emotional, more so than reaching Santiago. Grateful for the friendship and kinship I have shared over the last week with truly beautiful people. We pop open a bottle of champagne and I feel proud. I have covered 893km in rain, heat, sun…through fields forests and cities. And now, the end of the world. As I stare out into the ocean with my Camino family by my side, I know that this is only just the beginning of my journey.    Lue lisää

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    Day 41: Finisterre a Muxia

    9. kesäkuuta 2022, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Goodbyes today.

    To the journey so far, to following the arrows to the sea, to friendships and to the path forward as I’ve known it for 40 days.

    The day starts with a heavy head after some red wine consumed and perhaps a few chupitos. Too late to walk today, I will take the bus to Muxia.

    I say goodbye today to some truly wonderful people, who knows what the future will hold, but I look forward to keeping them in my heart and I look back at the memories with fondness. A final Buen Camino, and I am on my way forward.

    The plan is yet to unfurl, for the first time I really have no idea where I go after tomorrow. I take the bus to Muxia and listen to music. I arrive, and it’s a beautiful little town. Quiet and peaceful, a small fishing town with few pilgrims. The day passes in the sunshine.    Lue lisää

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    Day 42: Muxia

    10. kesäkuuta 2022, Espanja ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    I had hoped that I could keep my early mornings going, but it is clear after a 8am start today that I will struggle with this on my return. I feel far more rested, even in my albergue for the night. I have booked an apartment in Muxia so that I can rest today, feeling that I need some strength back so I can plan the next few weeks ahead.Lue lisää

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    Matkan lopetus
    10. kesäkuuta 2022
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