Day 34 - Wet, windy and wild

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." - Jimmy Dean

Day 34 - O Pedrouzo to Monte Do Gozo 15.5km - approx 4.5hrs walking time

It rained heavily all night. I was woken by the sound of thunder and the flashes of lightening. Forget getting up early. I am much happier listening to the rain than walking in it! I dozed off again and woke around 7 am as people’s alarms started to go off. I still didn’t want to get up, so had a more lazy morning.

Annette was due to make Santiago today, but I am stringing it out. I felt from our conversations the last few days, that she needs more time to process this journey - so we did not make plans to walk together today.

I left shortly after 8am (still in the dark) with the lights of the town to guide me. It was rainy and cool, but I was snug enough in my poncho and long sleeved shirt. I found the trail easily enough and spent the next few kms dodging puddles and rivulets of water. I purposely did not buy waterproof shoes, but was trying my darndest not to get mine wet. Nothing spells B L I S T E R like wet shoes. No thanks - not right before the finish line! I was fairly successful in keeping dry, but the walking took its toll. Being wet and muddy, the mud stuck to my shoes, making them heavy to walk in. This made my progress slower than I am normally but I wasn’t in a rush today, so I guess it didn’t really matter.

The rain let up within the first hour and as I pulled to the side of the trail to take off my poncho, Annette pulled up beside me. We had a quick chat and with a Buen Camino, she was off.

After 7km I stopped for a tea and croissant. Darned lucky too as before I was done, the heavens opened again and the rain came slashing down. I was so happy I was not caught in that! I hunkered down inside the cafe as the awning leaked, ordered another tea and watched the weather. Once the rain let up a bit, I headed out for the second half of my walk today. It really did drag on and on, but I put my music on an just walked. No thinking, no checking the time. Just walking. And it was good (despite all the hills!). Again, I walked through eucalyptus forests with their amazing smells. Passed the airport and through cute villages. This is my last day walking in the light and I wanted to take it all in! The rain had tried to make it a miserable day, and then the wind took over. It was so strong it was almost blowing me off my feet!

As I got to Monte do Gozo, I stopped at the chapel of San Marcos de Monte do Gozo. A simple chapel that was built in or around 1105. The Bishop Diego Xelmirez instructed the construction of a church dedicated to Santa Cruz, where he later laid to rest
the remains of San Marcos. It is believed that in 1116, Xelmirez, whilst barefoot, led a procession accompanied by the clergy
and the towns people and that he arrived in Compostela carrying la relic of the head of Santiago Alfeo that had been gifted to
him by the Queen Urraca de Leon. It was a place of intense worship and where pilgrims left many donations of which the members of an ecclesiastical chapter of Santiago, in 1228, received 8 'marcos' (currency of the age), in accordance to thé agreement made with the Archbishop Bernardo. The Chapel coincides with the first "xiro' of the city, this territory was comprised by the land in a 3-mile radius from the Cathedral itself, as established by King Alfonso Il O Casto in 834. The limits of the xiros' were marked by 'Milladoiros' which were vantage viewpoints (markers) and the Monte do Gozo had one of the vantage viewpoints making it three miles from the Cathedral of Santiago. I then took a detour so I could go and see the pilgrim statues in the same area. These are two giant pilgrims pointing towards the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. They were built in the 1993 Holy Year and were design by the Galician sculptor Acuña. Due to the weather, I was the only one there, which was wonderful. I took my time looking out at the city I’d Santiago de Compostela and thinking about my journey this far.

To get to my accommodations, I crossed a field that was wetter than any other part of the trail I walked all day. Wonderful. Wet shoes - just what I needed lol!

As I sat at the cafeteria, I reflected on those moments at the statues. It blew me away that I could see the city I have walked so far to visit. I am so close…. Tomorrow I will hopefully arrive before the dawn, and watch the city come awake from the Cathedral square. I will line up with the other pilgrims to get my Compostela to show I have walked The Way of St. James, and I will sit in the square and watch the joy on faces of other pilgrims arriving. I also want to go to the noon mass. No, I am still not Catholic. But I feel this is an important part of the journey, and I look forward to sitting in a pew while the words of the Spanish mass wash over me.

I am alone on this part of my journey and that is as it should be. I need this time to come to terms with what I have and have not accomplished. Hopefully it will come clear before I walk into the square tomorrow.Read more