Lavacolla to Santiago de Compostela

We made it!! And it was a very moving experience walking in to Santiago together with our little band of companions from the Primitivo, as well as the hundreds of other pilgrims limping in on this sunny morning.

Last night, we shared a lovely communal meal prepared by Dione at the albergue in Lavacolla.

This morning we allowed ourselves a later start since we only had just over 10km to walk. Here we are at the 10km marker!

It was a gentle walk in. We passed a very dark pine plantation...

and joined the relaxed pilgrim throng headed towards the city.

We took a photo at this star in 2013, the first time we walked. Compostela means ‘field of stars’, so the star as well as the scallop shell is one of the key symbols of the city.

And there were various other celebratory markers on the way in.

Our first sighting of the Cathedral spire through the narrow streets.

We arrived in time for the pilgrim mass at noon. It was all in Spanish and the cathedral was crowded - but it was lovely to light a candle in thanksgiving for our journey and to share in the celebration of those present.

The famous botifumiero (massive incense burner) was lit at the end and swung across the congregation - about a 40m arc, pulled by a team of five and a huge rope and pulley system!

We mingled a little longer in the square outside.

Then it was time for lunch (Spanish time - 3pm!) at a tiny but traditional kitchen just outside the city centre.

This afternoon, we wandered a bit more in the old city. It feels such a privilege to have come to know this special place, and to have a real sense of connection.

Tomorrow we will take a rest day, as our feet and legs are in need of some recovery! It will be a joy to spend another day here. Then we’ll continue on our walk to Muxía on the coast (3 days). Again, thank you for following along and for your comments which encourage us and keep us connected.

Buen Camino, 

Neil and Sarah

Arzúa to Lavacolla

Last night, we were definitely feeling the impact of the Camino Ways joining at Melide. The number of pilgrims increased massively and if, with our companions on the Primitivo we experienced the joy and kindness of strangers, here we felt more of the crush and noise of the crowd. Our dormitory was incredibly noisy after lights out, and we resigned ourselves to not much sleep. But we did sleep and at one point I (Sarah) woke to the sound of vigorous snoring, restless turning and an overwhelming sense of our being like animals in a herd, all lying down together. Hence:

Despite the endless

creaking of bed springs and noise,

we sleep in a pack.

The room started stirring at 6am and there was no point in staying put, so we too got up and out in the dark. From Arzua there are only 40km to Santiago so there was a sense of moving into the final stages for many pilgrims. We had a good breakfast about 7km into the day and a bit later passed this bar, which gave a whole new spin on the notion of a beer garden! There were thousands of bottles of Peregrino beer lining the gate posts, trees and fence line!

Despite the number of pilgrims on the path and the proximity to major roads around Santiago, there were actually many wooded sections that were delightful to walk in and we were often on our own. To our amazement, things felt quiet and peaceful.

We continued to have to manage a few foot and blister issues ... and almost every pilgrim walks with some kind of limp by this stage. Hence Neil’s coining of the collective noun, ‘a stagger of pilgrims’!

Another reason to be grateful for the softer paths cushioned by eucalypt leaves from the trees that line the way here.

A mural in Arca/O Pedrouzo.

Another peaceful path.

We had a lovely lunch stop involving pizza in a terraced bar with hanging baskets.

Neil showing our pilgrim passport, with stamps we’ve collected from albergues and cafe stops along the route.

We are now very happily ensconced in the albergue at Lavacolla, 10km out of Santiago. Traditionally this was known as ‘a place of washing’, where pilgrims prepared themselves in body and spirit for the end of the journey. We are appreciating the peaceful spirit of this place and the chance to rest and collect ourselves in the garden. Here we also expect Alba, Daniel, Jonny and perhaps others to arrive and we plan to walk in together tomorrow.
 


Though today was another 30km day, it felt surprisingly unhurried and easy, but our legs are definitely looking forward to a bit of rest!

Buen Camino,

Sarah and Neil 

As Seixas to Arzua

Today was another big day - almost 30km. In fact, in the past three days, we’ve walked over 90km. And in keeping with our friend Charles’ dictum that when camping or travelling you spend an inordinate amount of energy trying to ensure that a small number of things don’t get wet, lost or broken, Sarah is unhappy to report that she has managed to lose one of her two t-shirts since yesterday! However, in general we’re very well and happy!

After dinner yesterday, we enjoyed sitting out in the warm summer evening and the gorgeous light on the stone walls.

We fed this very appealing small flock of sheep with fallen apples, which their owner had done too!

After a lovely quiet night, we were on the road more or less at dawn (which in Spain at this time of year is just after 7am).

The morning air was cool but you could feel the heat already latent in it, and there were many wild flowers on the higher plains. Sometimes we lose all track of what day it is and have trouble remembering where we stayed even two nights ago. I don’t think it’s Enlightenment exactly, but there’s certainly something about this practice that keeps you vividly present. This gave rise to the first of the day’s haikus!

Purple heather, small

Yellow gorse, sky traced with cloud

And flightpaths, blurring.

We were conscious that later today our Primitivo route would join with the much busier Camino Frances, so we wanted to savour the quiet morning paths.

The city of Melide came into view which is the point of joining.

When we arrived in town, we met René, an American pilgrim who has been with us since our first stage at Grado. This is the church at Melide, around which was a bustling Sunday market.

And indeed it was incredible how busy things suddenly felt, a positive pilgrim highway heading out of town with lots more large groups and noisy banter. Hence, this second haiku!

Confluence of ways, 

Turbulence of rhythm, sound.

Now open your heart.

It was very hot, and any cafe with tables under trees attracted thirsty walkers.

We went pretty well given heat and blistered feet, but the cool water of the river at Ribadiso was balm!

And the medieval bridge was pretty great too!

At Ribadiso we could have stopped for the night at this albergue. 

But we decided to get another 3km under our belt to make tomorrow’s stage easier. But first a very large bocadillo strengthened our legs.

So now we are at Arzua, about 40km from Santiago. We are in another restored stone Municipal albergue and plan to walk a shorter stage tomorrow so we can meet up with Alba and others who are a few kilometres behind us. We hope to walk into Santiago and celebrate together. 

Buen Camino,

Neil and Sarah