Gándara

“The three great elemental sounds of nature are the sound of rain, the sound of wind in a wood and the sound of the ocean outside on a beach.” – Henry Beston

Day 37 - Santiago to Finesterre - by bus

I awoke late as I had no concrete plans for the day. I had loosely decided to go to Finesterre for at least a day, today. When I saw all the rain in the forecast, I decided what the heck. So, I booked a bus to get out of Dodge. Well, out of Santiago at least.

As the bus wasn’t until after 3pm, I took my time getting ready. Found a cafe bar for a lovely bacon and egg late breakfast and chilled there for a while.

At noon, I had an appointment for my Camino tattoo at Sargado Corazon. All over and done with before 1pm! It is not exactly what I was hoping for ( I think I wanted it a bit more spread out) but I didn’t speak up, so here we have it. I had the artist design it based around the traditional scallop shell as well as the modern yellow arrows I followed for the duration of my walk.

The Scallop Shell today is used as a symbol of direction along the Camino, pointing pilgrims towards Santiago. It is also featured in many buildings along the routes, such as churches, in-laid to pavers in the streets, on walls etc. Pilgrims also wear this symbol themselves which further enhances the camaraderie along this great walking trail.

While today the Scallop Shell is deemed to be purely symbolic and representative, it did have its practical uses in eons gone by. Due to its shape, the shell was used to scoop food and water as this was easily carried along the trail. Food kitchens along the route would also use a Scallop Shell as a measure of one portion. The shape of the scallop shell is also said to represent the different routes of the Camino, all converging in one point: Santiago de Compostela.

More than just a souvenir, in a way, the Camino shell can be considered the original ‘pilgrim certificate’ even before the Compostela was issued to medieval pilgrims. Unlike modern pilgrims, traditionally Camino pilgrims would have to walk over to Santiago and back. The scallop shell, a common mollusc along the shores of Galicia, was used by returning pilgrims as a badge of honour and proof of having visited the city of Saint James. It was also common for Medieval pilgrims across Europe to be buried with their scallop shell, showing they had completed the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Guess I will be buried with my shell too :-)

As soon as I was done at the studio, I headed over to the the bus station to hang out until my bus came at 3:20pm. I had read that the views were best in the left side of the bus and I wasn’t disappointed. Most of these buses take the slow, coastal route. Although only an hour + drive in a car, the coastal route means this is a 3hr bus ride to Finisterre. Despite the rain, the views were beautiful and it didn’t feel like a 3hr bus ride.

I am staying just outside of town but have a private room, use of a full kitchen, and a shared bathroom with real towels! It’s only a 10 min walk to the main town and I can’t wait to explore tomorrow. I also plan on walking to the cape to see the lighthouse.

Met up with Annette again who came here yesterday, and we went for dinner. Took us a while to find a place we agreed on that wasn’t over the top touristy expensive, but we found it! A Lareira was just what we were looking for. Seafood with decent prices and good portions. We shared a bottle of wine and got two free shots each - for a total of 25€ each, including a tip. Annette had clams in sauce and I did the grilled squid - fabulous! We both left a bit tipsy as I had over a km to walk back to my room - and a curfew of 10pm. Felt like a freaking teenager again. And was totally giggling when I made it with 1 minute to spare 😁.

I have decided to stay an extra night here, and am looking forward to the walk tomorrow to the cape and lighthouse. Will likely time it so I can say a final goodbye to Annette as she starts on the rest of her journey. It’s been great hanging with her for the last week or so.

Fingers crossed that the weather cooperates tomorrow! I would prefer not to have to walk I the rain….but whatever.Read more