The journey wouldn't really feel complete without this final extra leg of the journey up the coast to Muxía.
With the clocks adjusted over the weekend I found myself leaving in daylight around 08:00 - much better :0)
The route to Muxía took me back out of Fisterra the way I'd come in, before turning up a hill and out into the countryside. The sun was rising into a clear blue, cloudless sky :0)
I passed small groups of buildings and the occasional chapel. One can't really call these villages although they do have names, albeit those names are hardly ever shown in any form - which can make it difficult keeping track of progress if one doesn't have a map or guidebook. Anyway, I soon found myself out in the relative wilderness of this part of northeastern Galicia, following the asphalt towards my destination.
The camino wound its way up and down hills - in many respects it felt like one of the more challenging sections I've walked in many weeks. I suspect a large part of the 'difficulty' lay in the fact that in knowing this was my final day of walking, my mind and body had begun unwind from the sustained intensity of getting up every day knowing one has to carry a rucksack for 30km. I had mixed feelings about ending my walk. Of course I am looking forward greatly to reprising those things I left behind me almost two months ago, and the chance to see friends and familiar faces once more. But at the same time there ws this new feeling of now being so fit for walking and with an established ability to survive well from what I carry on my back, and thus there seemed so many places still to walk to, still to be seen. Maybe another time?
The sun was warm on my skin but a fresh breeze kept the temperatures down. The camino took me out over two ranges of hills - it felt as if it were all uphill! The views were beautiful everywhere, with glimpses to my left of small deserted beaches, the Atlantic lapping gently on golden sand, the sky clear and blue. Ahead and to my right were views out across the forested hills. For once there were pine and other native species, not yet completely overtaken by the eucalyptus.
I passed quite a number of pilgrims walking in the opposite direction. Many choose to take the bus from Santiago and begin this part of the walk in Muxía, stopping in Fisterra before walking back down to Santiago. I was obviously walking the reverse.
After what had begun to seem like far too long (again, my mindset was different today) and not having any sight of a town of village, the path turned left in the woods and suddenly there before me was the sea and a descent down to the main road. 2km left!
I wandered into the small, pretty coastal village of Muxía shortly after 13:00 and stopped in front of the municipal albergue. This was it - the end of the journey! The hospitalero was a happy, smiling and helpful Spanish girl and she offered me another certificate - this one to say that I'd completed the "Ruta Jacobeo". I rather like this one, it again feels somewhat more personal than the compostela even though I can imagine that these are also issued in their thousands.
By late afternoon the albergue was full, many of the pilgrims I'd seen either yesterday or a few days before. There were hellos and a few hugs, and many people seemed to be catching up on earlier acquaintances.
The only thing I hadn't properly planned for was the fact that today was Sunday. There were no shops open and thus no possibility of adding to the food I was carrying with me (spaghetti, garlic, olive oil). In the end I went out to the restaurant with four others who were kind enough to invite me along. We had an enjoyable evening. Despite it being full moon out on a clear night we were back in the albergue by 22:00 - which is usual lockup time for the municipal albergues. This does have the advantage of preventing 'youths' returning from late night binges and waking everybody up!
Tomorrow is a rest day here before I return to Santiago to stay with my dear friends :0)
With the clocks adjusted over the weekend I found myself leaving in daylight around 08:00 - much better :0)
The route to Muxía took me back out of Fisterra the way I'd come in, before turning up a hill and out into the countryside. The sun was rising into a clear blue, cloudless sky :0)
I passed small groups of buildings and the occasional chapel. One can't really call these villages although they do have names, albeit those names are hardly ever shown in any form - which can make it difficult keeping track of progress if one doesn't have a map or guidebook. Anyway, I soon found myself out in the relative wilderness of this part of northeastern Galicia, following the asphalt towards my destination.
The camino wound its way up and down hills - in many respects it felt like one of the more challenging sections I've walked in many weeks. I suspect a large part of the 'difficulty' lay in the fact that in knowing this was my final day of walking, my mind and body had begun unwind from the sustained intensity of getting up every day knowing one has to carry a rucksack for 30km. I had mixed feelings about ending my walk. Of course I am looking forward greatly to reprising those things I left behind me almost two months ago, and the chance to see friends and familiar faces once more. But at the same time there ws this new feeling of now being so fit for walking and with an established ability to survive well from what I carry on my back, and thus there seemed so many places still to walk to, still to be seen. Maybe another time?
The sun was warm on my skin but a fresh breeze kept the temperatures down. The camino took me out over two ranges of hills - it felt as if it were all uphill! The views were beautiful everywhere, with glimpses to my left of small deserted beaches, the Atlantic lapping gently on golden sand, the sky clear and blue. Ahead and to my right were views out across the forested hills. For once there were pine and other native species, not yet completely overtaken by the eucalyptus.
I passed quite a number of pilgrims walking in the opposite direction. Many choose to take the bus from Santiago and begin this part of the walk in Muxía, stopping in Fisterra before walking back down to Santiago. I was obviously walking the reverse.
After what had begun to seem like far too long (again, my mindset was different today) and not having any sight of a town of village, the path turned left in the woods and suddenly there before me was the sea and a descent down to the main road. 2km left!
I wandered into the small, pretty coastal village of Muxía shortly after 13:00 and stopped in front of the municipal albergue. This was it - the end of the journey! The hospitalero was a happy, smiling and helpful Spanish girl and she offered me another certificate - this one to say that I'd completed the "Ruta Jacobeo". I rather like this one, it again feels somewhat more personal than the compostela even though I can imagine that these are also issued in their thousands.
By late afternoon the albergue was full, many of the pilgrims I'd seen either yesterday or a few days before. There were hellos and a few hugs, and many people seemed to be catching up on earlier acquaintances.
The only thing I hadn't properly planned for was the fact that today was Sunday. There were no shops open and thus no possibility of adding to the food I was carrying with me (spaghetti, garlic, olive oil). In the end I went out to the restaurant with four others who were kind enough to invite me along. We had an enjoyable evening. Despite it being full moon out on a clear night we were back in the albergue by 22:00 - which is usual lockup time for the municipal albergues. This does have the advantage of preventing 'youths' returning from late night binges and waking everybody up!
Tomorrow is a rest day here before I return to Santiago to stay with my dear friends :0)
Hey Alan - and greetings from a clear, sunny and VERY cold Lerma! We will set off from here tomorrow morning and expect to be in the bar at the Parador Los Reyes Catolicos in the cathedral square at Santiago between teatime and cocktail hour tomorrow (Tuesday) .... be there or be square! (as they say in my country!)
ReplyDeleteA demain (as they say in our country...!)
Ruth & Chris