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.

Homestretch and homesick

Today was a rainy day, but my pack cover and poncho did well by me. Jett's kind of disgusted with me that I didn't use the umbrella he bought for me. (I did use it once, in the sun...)
The walk was beautiful: through a nature preserve. I covered about 17 km today, and was the first to arrive at the Albergue in Miraz. I'm still always so grateful to get a bed. I was just chatting with the hospitaleros, who said that last night, 19 pilgrims spent their night in the field adjacent, as the Albergue was full. Tonight, there's still two beds open, but they might fill up later. Lots of young people walking the last 100km, and I've still been fretting about whether or not I'll be able to get a bed every night. Relax, Jolie.

I've been homesick the past few days. Earlier this week, it was my halfway day: the midpoint of my time away from home. My "camigos" Miriam and Leontina told me about the halfway day phenomena: everyone is 'off' on their halfway day, depressed, cranky, or irritable. I was all of that and more. My homesickness has been quite pronounced, and I'm so ready to go home to my family and friends.
But I can't see anyone right away because I stink so bad. I'm just going to lock myself in the washroom and soak in the tub for a week. All my gear will be confiscated at the airport because they won't let anything that filthy into Canada. They'll just put a match to it, and it will immediately combust.

Numbers

Yesterday, I walked my 300th kilometer. Three hundred. In three weeks. Holy moly.

Today, I took the bus from La Isla to Gijon, then (after spending 6 hours in the city) Gijon to Vilalba. I'm now 150km from Santiago de Compostela, and 240 km from Finisterre ("the edge of the world").
Wish me luck. :)