A Peña and Piaxe

A big name for a small town a third of the way to Finisterre.

After saying my goodbyes over a cafeteria breakfast in the basement of our VAST former seminary albergue, I headed out. Sad to say goodbye, thrilled to be wrapping up this Camino with a few solo days. Ending it like I started. The time alone felt really good, spiritually and also, I’m an introvert! That was a LOT of social connection for me!

Today for the first time I saw roses! It was late in their season last time but I still saw, and photographed so many! I love them and was happy to get to say hi to some before leaving Spain.

The last hour of my walk was…exciting? There had been rumblings and threatening skies, and then the storm arrived. It wasn’t that it lasted so long or dumped so much rain on me. It was that for a little while it was Right Over me! Like, flash-BANG! The first time that happened I’ll admit it - I screamed a little. The next few times I hunched my shoulders every time the lightning flashed. Because that’s gonna keep me alive, right? Tall trees on both sides of a narrow trail. Was that good because I wasn’t the tall object, or bad because….i don’t know. I couldn’t remember my lightning safety! I think make yourself small, just your feet on the ground, but I couldn’t get myself to do it. Just scurried along, praying manically. And, obviously, was just fine. Arrived at my albergue very shortly thereafter. Phew!

Now I’m parked in a two-bunk room with two older French guys and a younger guy from…Croatia I think. One of whom keeps shutting the window. We are in for a needlessly stuffy night, I think. But day after tomorrow - the ocean!!Read more