Back Home

Back home and looking at the credential I got for walking six weeks, I think what was this really all about? The fact the document is written in Latin doesn't really help. It doesn't say anything about endurance, loosing weight (4kg in my case), feet getting larger and body more toned, but then one would expect that after marching 800km. Neither does it make any reference to a supreme illumination -an alpaca moment- which by the way I have not really met anyone that had had it: No CEO who wants to become a missionary or a millionaire wanting to give his fortune away (ideally to me) and retire as a hermit in the Sinai dessert.

I think the changes experienced during the Way are much more subtle: To walk for so long definitely cleared my head and helped focusing on main issue of life which have always been there, but were covered, forgotten, ignored, stored away. I did the Way to discover a part of my other country which I hardly knew (in fact some pilgrims called me the tourist, because I did not miss out an open museum, church, palace....) but also to be with myself: At the beginning I was worried getting bored of walking, and I took the key of my mum's flat on the beach in Southern Spain, just in case.... I wanted also to meet people, which I definitely did: I have meet so many people from different countries and backgrounds, I felt like in the United Nations. In secret, I longed for an alpaca-moment around my future career and work. Instead, I remembered to really appreciate my life, health, but especially my partner, family and friends. Of course also how fortunate I am to live in a place like Switzerland, with our excellent school system (particularly languages proved very helpful along the Way). I even appreciated the military service I had to do: Thanks to that I can pack essentials in a rucksack in half a second and interpret maps and distances. With regards to my career, I am now clearer of what I don't want to do.... in summary, I remembered that life is easier than we (often) think!

PS. You don't get The Hello Kitty with the credential normally.... I got it from my new German friends :-)

 

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Finisterre - return ticket to the end of the world

The end of the world is at 90km from Santiago and you either go by foot (3 days), embark on a three plus hour public bus ride (stopping at every village) or have some lovely pilgrim friends organizing a car for a day excursion. It is said that already the celts held rituals and that the phoenicians built here a temple to their sun god. Now pilgrims go these extra miles to burn their clothes, take a swim in the sea, sleep on the nature and wake up as a new person, as they see the sun rise. We went for the environmental friendly (no burning of synthetics) and touristy version, sunbathed on the rocks before having lunch at the port (fantastic fresh dove and sea fruit) and then a swim (water too cold for me, so I tipped just feet) at the Langosteira beach, known for its shells (vieras) which pilgrims used to take back home as a prove that they had pilgrimed all way to Santiago.

Standing here on a sunny day, one thinks how bizarre the Romans called this the Sea of Darkness, where the world finishes and that it took western civilization so long to stop thinking that at the horizon the sun did not actually fall/disappear and the world was not flat. However on a stormy day, this coast line (which is called Costa de la Morte, Death Coast) with its impenetrable, black water and many dangerous rocks, was well a natural limit to explore further.

A couple of pictures later (cross at the end of the world) we returned to Santiago for yet another nice evening out, good food and conversations.... And next day back home for me!

 

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Santiago Q&A

Twice a day, city tours by local guides take place. I was lucky as not only the sun was shining, but I was the only one on the tour, so that I could ask for two hours all the questions I wanted such as:

Q: Are the relicts in silver box kept in cathedral's crypt really the ones from Jesus' apostle? A: As far as I am aware, no one opened the box and no DNA test has been done yet.

Q: Why are there three main entrances to the cathedral? A: One is the official, the other for pilgrims and the third is only opened when 25th of July falls in a Sunday. Walking through the the later on said occasion, absolves automatically every pilgrim from his/her sin. I managed to put half my hand...

 

Q: Why are there so many silver (jewelry) shops in Santiago? A: One reason are the silver mines nearby, but more importantly to recycle the many kilos of silver coins the pilgrims offered to Santiago (using the local found jet gagat/black jasper stone).

 

Q: What is the history of my hotel (Parador Reyes Católicos) A: Hospital built in 1486, the first to have a urgency room, to separate men and woman patients and also to contain a hotel, making it the oldest hotel of the world still running.

 

Q: ...and view from my room? A: You to judge....

PS. My bed had a baldachin!

 

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Arrival

800km and 34 days later, this is it: I am finally in Santiago de Compostella.

How is the arrival? No red carpet, welcoming commitee or fanfarre I am afraid. Actually, no one really seems to notice you. After all, there are on average 100 pilgrims arriving daily at this time of the year. After walking through suburbs, modern Santiago and then entering old city "intra muros", I checked in my hotel, then went for the credential office. There, an employee checks your ID, where you started walling from, that you have all the stamps from places you passed by and asks for the reason of pilgrimage. If you fulfill all points and answer "religious", you get a certificate in Latin (including your name finishing in -um) that you have accomplished the pilgrimage. Then, you can either hang around and great other fellow pilgrims, as they flog in, go to sleep, sightseeing or attend mass. I went shopping, as I wanted to spend the next couple of days in (grey) jeans and (red) polo, rather than (déjà-vu)sports gear.

On my arrival, I was a bid disappointed, personally expecting some feeling of relief, accomplishment, happiness... Nothing really, I just felt tired (and hungry). At midday, I attended mass: the cathedral was full and although I arrived 20min in advance, I had to stand. The priest welcomed all the pilgrims, stating nationality (there was another one from Switzerland starting at St Jean,with whom I have become friendly) and held a simple, but very nice mass, accompagnied by a young choir from Grmany. When we all started to shake hands, this woman from Montana apeared out of the blue. I had talked to her a couple of times, actually first impression of her had been not good and I thought she was dead boring. However, when she hugged me and said "peace" I couldnt help but to start crying. Difficult to explain what happened, though all books warn that at one stage of the pilgrimage, the Way makes you cry: Despair, pain, sadness, abandonment but also happiness. None of this for me, however I can add the simplicity of a woman from Montana.

The cathedral here is famous for containing the remains of St James and also for the Bota Fumeiro, a 1.50m silver and gold adorned incense pot, which is swung by 5 men through the ails of the cathedral. Originally it was to remove the bad odors of the pilgrims, now it is a highlight of the mass though not used in every mass.

 

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Lavacolla, alpacas and eucalyptus trees

Last night before arriving at Santiago: I am sleeping at Lavacolla, where at its homonymous river pilgrims traditionally stopped to cleans themselves before arriving to Santiago. Funny word "Lavacolla", which basically can be translated as "cleaning bollocks".

Once upon a time, behind seven hills, after the house of the seven dwarfs (basically in the middle of nowhere) lives an Italo-Austrian woman, who walked the Way several times. On her seventh trip (not 6th or 8th) the Way spoke to her and said: You shall live here and "grow" alpacas from now on - so she told me and 4 other peril grimes sitting in her garden.  I said to her that alpacas would "grow" well in this climate indeed, thinking she meant capers as she was talking about growing them. The woman ignored me and turned to tell her story to two English youngsters, a Swedish woman complaining about her feet (surprising after walking 750km) and a heavily tattooed guy, that she first had to google (sic!) "alpacas". Once Wiki had revealed her what alpacas were, she bought the plot of land we were sitting and has been since been waiting to get a permit to "grow" i.e. breed alpacas. Everyone was ecstatic to hear about this revelation and all agreed this is a typical Way-revelation .... whilst I asked myself what these guys were drinking to believe this was such a fantastic revelation and not just a crazy business plan. Whilst continuing walking, I thought to myself what business plan the Way would reveal to me if I walk this another 6 times?

Ps. Picture of alpacas

 

Finally, on a more environmental note, I noticed that my co-pilgrims love the eucalyptus forests we have been walking through for the last couple of weeks. They are impressive to look at and also smell incredible. In 1950's, General Franco started a reforestation program in northern Spain (also for paper production). The Franco Regime looked for a tree type that grows quickly and decided to plant Australian white eucalyptus trees: Not Austrian, but from a continent completely opposite of Spain. No wonder that the trees turned out to be a bid of a curse: Despite thriving fantastically, they killed other vegetation and destroyed the soil.... There are often two sides to a story.

 

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50km

How quickly the last 100 km mark has passed: Before yesterday, I passed the 100km mile stone (not very glamourous) and today only 45km left. In proportion to kilometers left, the number of people on trail have increased: I see much more Spaniards or other groups ready to walk the last 100km and so get the same credential than those who have walked 800km, or more... somehow unfair, but then that is the camino, that is life.

X

And whilst weather for the last couple of days has been ideal for walking (sunshine & mild temperatures) today it rained all day: Ideal weather to to stop in Melide, the capital of pulp (octopus) to eat some tapas and drink some local white (Albariño or Ribeiro) however not that ideal to walk another 15km afterwards: I felt so tired. Though, I was in company of two Spanish guys, cracking one joke after the other and a butcher (girl) hapelly confessing missing cutting to pieces chickens and rabbits!

 

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Samos

So far I slept twice in a nun convent, time to try a monk convent: so the convent of Samos (Benedict order) almost perfectly fitted the bill. I wanted to sleep there because of the historic setting, funded VI century, oldest this, largest that....bla, bla, bla... eventually it burnt down in 1951 and only few, non-wood treasures survived, like a fountain with Neiredas: Naked, breasted water-goddesses in the middle of the convent!

Instead many snorers in the room: When I arrived, the receptionist convinced me with the argument the room was only half full. However by the time I went on the tour of the convent, mass and dinner, the place had filled completely (62 pax!) and during the night I attended a snoring contest. Isn't it weird that people who snore don't wake up, it's always the others? I don't understand people who spend one month, i.e their whole holidays in such rooms, sleeping so little... Maybe they are the snorers?

After much snoring, little sleep and mandatory waking up at 7am with Gregorian songs, I walked two daily legs arriving to Portomarin. This was once a flourishing village in the valley, flooded after building a barrage in 1951.

Prima facie, not that interesting. However, good Catholics, they rebuild the two churches stone by stone and invented a medieval village around. Worthwhile a visit.

Ps. You may ask yourself if "Samos" has something to do with the Greek homonymous island. Indirectly: It means in the languages of the Goths "land of monks".

 

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O Cebreiro

Finally crossed border between kingdom of Castilla y León to enter into third and last ancient kingdom on this trip, Galicia. Around three million people live here, with their own language (very close to Portuguese) and capital city Santiago. The border stone is full of graffiti, which raises the question if this is art or just pollution....

 

This means that I have only one third more to walk (around 200km) before redeeming all my sins. After climbing up to 1500m to O Cebreiro, where I spend the night (with no wifi), from now on the landscape will be green and hilly until arriving at Europe's most western point. Galicia is ancient land of celts, national instrument is the back-pipe and people are fair, many ginger people, character-wise very reserved. Famous Galician people include Julio Iglesias (and Enrique to some degree) as well as Fidel (and Raul) Castro. It's also country of rain, and their tourist slogan was "where rain is art": I hope to see more sun that art though!

 

 

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Llïbre Llïon

En León visité el museo Historia del Reino de León y hablando con los empleados (ya que era el único visitante) me entero de que muchos leoneses preferirían hacer parte de una región autónoma junto com Asturias (y no Burgos o Palencia). También que hay Maragatos, los cuales son "especiales" y que la parte de León lindando con Galicia (El Bierzo) quiere hacer parte de Galicia, visto que el siglo pasado era la quinta provincia gallega durante algún tiempo ¡Galicia xa! Leí en varios grafitis...Además, hay un movimiento para un Llïbre Llïon: Seria original tener un pais que empieza con una elle, el único en el mundo, además posiblemente con la bandera rosa... Esto tiene que parar, si no España va a quedar desintegrada completamente. Cómo nos lo demuestran las grandes potencias (y Suiza!) la fuerza está en la unión... Y como en la vida: Un divorcio es fatal y las dos partes pierden económicamente ... Bueno, ya paro.

 

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Blasé

Landscape changed for good: After walking for weeks in the Meseta planes, I crossed a first mountain range to arrive in the lush valleys of El Bierzo. Near to the Atlantic ocean, seafood here is excellent, as well as its DOC wine (both red/white) mainly Mencia/ Godello grapes, very rich in flavor... In fact, I am sipping a glass whilst writing this, so sorry for spelling! At the beginning of the last century there was an internationally imposed ban on these grapes and production therefore only for local use. Nowadays, I would say Spaniards rank these wines above Rioja, reason why El Bierzo wines nowadays are for connoisseurs only.

The problem when traveling for so long through such historic places, one tends to get a bid blasé: What, a V century roman bridge to cross? Do I really need to stop at this XIII chapel? Another medieval church? Another baroque cathedral? All stones after all.... Still, Ponferada with its Templar castle at the river Sil, is well worth a picture (and a visit). I went out until 3am, bars full of local people (remember most of my co-pilgrims have to be at their hostel before 10 pm!) very chatty, in fact the most happening city so far... maybe because first of May is a bank holiday: Labour day!

Hence, I woke up late and was the last pilgrim on the Way: In fact, for the first time I arrived to Villafranca del Bierzo and the first three hostels I entered where all booked out!

 

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Un...

• ....expected: Snow on the last day of April!

• ...planed : On today's agenda, Cruz de Ferro (Iron Cross). Originally, this was possibly a place to worship Hermes, the Greek god of travelers. For thousands of years, people leave here a stone taken back from home. For Christians,this symbolizes that at Judgement Day, the stone hopefully will weight in favor of their good deeds. For others, this is the dropping of a "soul weight" i.e. something to forget, to leave behind. I am Gemini, so both, just in case! I planned to wake up when everyone had left my hotel, but before the pilgrims from the previous village catch up, and so be alone at the Cruz de Ferro. But I had not counted on the group of 40 Polish bikers that arrived just when I was having my mini-spiritual moment... At least, I got a pic taken by them!
• ....expected: After the plains from Castilla y Leon, landscape has become more varied and challenging to walk:

• ....likely: In Manjarin a village situated 9450km from Machu Pichu, already mentioned in XI century history books, but that somehow never took off, I met the only man living there with 2 cats, a dog and some chickens, caiming to be a knight of the Templars!

 

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Astorga (Asturica Augusta)

11'000 inhabitants, build on a hill surrounded by green fields on the foot of the first mountain since the Pyrenees. After 400km of plains, the Meseta has definitely come to an end today. Astorga has old churches and a house built by star-architect Gaudí for the local bishop: However to me, this could be the home of the Addams Family.

 

Sleeping again in a nuns convent tonight, however this time they are not secluded and do talk to outside world.

 

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SPICE PILGRIMS

One can classify pilgrims by nationality or by characteristics, similarly to the Spice Girls:

- Posh Pilgrim: Talks constantly money, prices and how successful they are in their carriers, how hard it was to get time off. They say they need to do the Camino asap, wear only label, colorful clothes (normally their rucksack is disproportionately large)

- Sporty Pilgrim: They do 2 recommended legs in one day. A home, they go to fitness regularly and have seen higher mountains than the Pyrenees. However, suddenly Sporty realizes this is a different way of walking and discovers -surprise- blisters and tendinitis. Often has to return back home, not making it to Santiago.

- Ginger Pilgrim: Likes to party, very loud and gregarious. Always first in the bar, if possible outside on the sun. Drinks local "vino" (color not important). The younger ones forget that their hostel has a curfew at 10 and you will find them desperately knocking at midnight to get in, sometimes at the wrong door.

- Baby Pilgrim: Minority, as this attracts the after-30 generation. Often walking with their mother, marching ahead and carrying large books in their hands.

- Scary Pilgrim: Very boring (avoid if possible.) Constantly talking about themselves, weather and how great they are to walk with two artificial knees (they explain operation also). Often knows and understands Spain better than the Spaniard, surprisingly without speaking a word of Spanish.

And then, there is Me pilgrim ... not on the picture:-)

 

 

 

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León: Repeat

Friday evening and León is heaving with people! Start of evening drinking cava with two Canadian pilgrims I have become friendly with, before hitting the Barrio Húmedo for a tapas dinner. When my colleagues left for the hotel, I went for a last drink to my regular bar (i.e the one I went yesterday). There were more people than the night before and next to me two girls talking about sushi. As my new favorite bar tender was busy working, I started to talk with them about sushi and sake. Conversation got more interesting, after an hour very personal also: It's amazing how people open up when they know they won't see each other ever again... Surely wine helped :-) Anyway, we became best friend for an evening, they showed me several bars, including "Glam" the in-place for the rich and beautiful. There I was with my (clean) sport trekking wear, talking and dancing (despite tired feet) up to 5am...

Foto con las chicas más guapas del "Senso"

 

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No Leons in Spain

The next cathedral after Burgos is in León (english: lion)....and what a cathedral! Built in the XIII century, when León only had 5'000 inhabitants, according to my guide "it is a pearl of neo-gothic architecture". According to my humble understanding, this means basically that the architects at the time discovered more lofty, higher ways of building than the Romans, resulting in more windows, light and higher towers. Also according to the guide, in that century alone, 200 cathedrals were erected in Europe.

After visiting the historic center including well preserved city walls, palaces, churches, a basilica (by importance: chapel, church, basilica and cathedral) and all the history of the ancient kingdom of León -covering in XII century half of Europe, from today's Portugal to Switzerland- Leon invites people to visit its Barrio Húmedo, humid quarter: 5 streets full of bars, pubs and restaurants, serving -what a surprise- original and fresh tapas and good local wines: After all, we are getting nearer to El Bierzo, a region that produces excellent wines, not yet commercialized abroad, but arguably as good as La Rioja. Back to Barrio Húmedo, infamously famous in northern Spain for going out. Hence, I was looking for a bid of party (Saint Jakob, forgive me!) and in good Spanish tradition, I started a pub crawl at 23h, just after dinner .... and found all the Barrio rather empty: Talking to bartenders (rather than myself, or walls for instance) they said it was very quite today, also due to economic crisis, people don't go out... it's shockingly sad .... Well, I will see what happens today, Friday. PS. You may ask yourself, why I talked to bartenders and not other pilgrims: There are none at that time of the night, 98% sleep in hospices and have curfew of 22h, if religious hospice 21h even....Basically when Spaniards start to dinner!

 

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CH

Lustige Sachen, die ich über die Schweiz gehört habe:

- Eine Italienerin war sich nicht ganz sicher über unser politisches System und fragte, ob wir eine Monarchie seien

- Zürich ist die Hauptstadt (öfters) und dann "Bern? Wie bitte?"

- Was redet ihr für eine Sprache? Ist Schweizerdeutsch wie Katalanisch?

- Ein Hamburger sagte mein Schweizerdeutsch sei klar und verständlich. Ich machte ihn darauf aufmerksam, dass ich Hochdeutsch mit ihm spreche...

- Eine Irländerin erklärte, die Schweiz sei ein Mini-Europa, das funktioniere.

 

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Full seclusion

Having an nun as an aunt, I have slept in a (nun) convent before. However, it is quite different to sleep in a XIII century convent run by Clarisian nuns, who live fully secluded from outside world, only exiting the convent to seek medical assistance, attend important meetings and voting. In Carrión de los Condes, I spent a night in such a convent: The hostel is in a separate wing of the convent and the recepionist is a layman, as the nuns do not normally talk to the pilgrims.

I have a friend of a friend, a young, bright, attractive women from a very wealthy family, well travelled, who decided one day to give up everything and become a Clarisian nun, seclude herself from the outside, including her (devastated) family for the rest of her life.... And whilst I think about ultimate sacrifice, another pilgrim said these women must have been deeply hurt by society: Whoever is right, this place is unique!

(My room is just above the entrance door)

The patio with XIII century columns:

The nuns celebrate a daily mass, open for public. The church is richly decorated, they sing beautifully all along and one can see the 14 nuns living in the convent curently: They sit at the back of the church in a separate room, behind iron bars.

 

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