The end of the world

So I started walking to the western coast of Spain, to reach what was once considered the westernmost point of the world. The sun dies there. The Milky Way points there. The origin of the Camino. It is a 90 km trek from Santiago de Compostela. The first 20 km must be done in one day: there's no accommodation within that distance. So, after a three day rest in Santiago, I went. That first day did me in. My knees said "We thought you were finished walking! We quit!" So after a horrible day of hills and heat and tears, I said "Enough of this." I got a bed at the hostel, and I extended my stay to three nights instead of one. It was a lovely place, and I was happy to treat it like a retreat.
And then I took the bus out to the village of Fisterra, on Cape Finisterre, and spent two nights there in another lovely albergue. Although most people go to the faro (lighthouse), I visited the beach instead, and it was almost deserted. I waved to many of you from across the Atlantic. It was a beautiful and profound time spent staring at the waves and beachcombing for shells. The absolute perfect way to end my Camino.

A few photos

A few photos.

I did it!

I did it! I'm here in Santiago! 450 kilometers walked!
I'm not the blubbering mess I thought I'd be, but I haven't been into the Cathedral yet. I will go to the Pilgrim's mass tomorrow.

Surreal and switches

I will arrive at Santiago de Compostela tomorrow morning. I've been planning, visualizing, hoping for this for 18 months, and it is kind of surreal that I'll be there tomorrow.
I filled all of the spaces on my credential today. The credential is a 'passport' that is carried by a pilgrim, and is stamped and dated at every stop, supposedly proving the distance traveled. It is recommended that even when you stop for a coffee, you get a sello (stamp). In order to get the official certificate, the Compostela, you must have sellos from at least the last 100km to prove you walked (or the last 200km if you biked).
So I got a new one the other day, as I knew that I would run out of space, and I had to bust it out today. I will use it on my way to Finisterre, and there I will receive another certificate of completion, the Finisterrana.

I've had questions about how to spend my time... My original plan (ha-ha, you can't plan a Camino), was to walk from Saint Jean Pied du Port. Well, I ended up getting a train from London to Irun, so I just walked from Irun, which put me about a week ahead of schedule. Then I ended up taking train and bus for parts of the way. So, now, I'm 12 days ahead of where I thought I would be. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get cheap accommodation for more than one night in a row in Santiago: the hostels along the way are quite strict about "one night only", but I don't know about in the city. So I was even thinking that I would change my flight to come home a week early. Didn't do that. I cemented my plan to remain by getting a flight from Santiago to London on the 17th, and booking a hostel in London for my last four nights in Europe. So I can't back out now! I'm looking forward to seeing lots of geeky stuff in London.

Distance

My legs are toast. I had thought that as I walked more, I would get stronger. Instead, muscle fatigue. So, yesterday, I spent the night at a lovely Pension (like a b&b), and today I walked only about 8km. Tomorrow, I'll walk 15. The next day, I'll walk 5km. That will take me to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.

Not sure what I'll do after that.