Salamanca at night

I'll let the photographs speak for themselves. It was a great tour, even if in rapid Spanish so my level of comprehension was limited. Not just a history tour, a lot about what the cathedral means, it's place in the community, and very well presented. We got all around the cathedral, and up really high. 

Beautiful Salamanca, rain & sun

Salamanca is beautiful, yesterday in the rain was OK but today in cool, clear sunlight ( think the best of British autumn) it's lovely.  It's much quieter than SdeC, still lots of tourists but it's not inundated in the same way that Santiago is. If you avoid the tour groups, loud Americans, and duck down a few side streets, it's lovely. Coming here for a few quiet days has been great, and I needed a change of place and pace. 

Salamance is an old university town, and by 'old' I mean 12th century. The cathedrals are pretty incredible, and the old university buildings in many places are still in use in their original function, or are libraries and museums. 

Plaza Major in the rain

Much better ! Plaza Major lit up at night, bustling with people. Salamanca is a real student town, so starts late and parties late. There's cafés and bars all around the square. 

Some of the beautiful columns inside the Cathedral Nueva

The cathedrals, old and new

View of the old uni buildings. Not quite Strathclyde Uni. Today's sunshine is very welcome, it's still cool but pleasant

There's an astronaut and a gargoyle eating an ice cream hidden in the stonework on the door to the Cathedral Nueva ! One of the restering stone masons a few years ago leaving his mark. 

The view I had for my lunch today, not bad at all

Grey & rainy in Santiago de Compostela

It's been a grey and rainy day in Santiago de Compostela, which has been fine for doing laundry, going to the museum, and catching up on some quiet time. 

One of my favourite people-watching spots, you see all the peregrinos coming in to get their certificates. 

A beautiful shell carving, in a corner of the cathedral 

A grey and quiet square

My Compostela, the certificate that confirms I have completed my Camino. As it's the 800th anniversary of St Francis' pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, I get this lovely document as well as the standard document. 

*************

Plans for the next few weeks - I catch the bus to Salamanca tomorrow, and spend a few days there, then catch the bus to Seville, then onto Granada. I've only briefly visited the south of Spain a few years ago, so look forward to seeing a completely different side of the country. Then it's on to Barcelona for a day or so before flying to Stuttgart to see Debbie & family, then the return home. 

I will keep adding to this blog, probably once each place, so keep reading !

The end of the world

In pagan times, Finisterre was known as " the end of the world", as it was thought to be the most westerly point and before the discovery if the Americas, this did make it the end of the known world. Well, they were a bit off, geographically, as there's a place in Portugal further west, and there's a lot more to the world than Europe, but the tradion of walking out here has been revived, and for me, it was a much clearer end point than Santiago de Compostela. 

Leaving Corcubion pre-dawn, I was walking with Jill & Deb. Lovely, clear, cool morning

The beach at Estorde, where we found a fabulous hotel and cafe by the beach. One to return to for sure, and they served the biggest portion of bacon & eggs I've seen for a long time. I feel like I've eaten a whole pig by myself, here in Spain !

Jill & Deb, my lovely companions for this Camino. I met them early in the morning of the first day out of Santiago de Compostela, and have walked and dined with them most of the time since. 

Life's tough ...

Finisterre town. We'd been led to believe, by various books, that Finisterre is an ugly and boring place, and were glad to be proven wrong. It's not picturesque in the way of other Spanish towns, but it's far from ugly, and a pleasant place to while away a few hours. 

0.00km, the waymarker at the end of the world

The famous Finisterre lighthouse. The most westerly point is approximately 10m from where I'm standing to take this photograph

I am now in my hotel, waiting for the bus to take me back to Santiago de Compostela, where I have a couple of days to collapse, then I plan to catch a bus to Salamanca for a few days. SdeC is ok, but very touristed and with endless Camino souvenir shops. So, I'd rather get to somewhere completely different, and hole up in a nice hotel in a pretty place, to reflect on the Camino and the journey I've undertaken. 

This short Camino has been a perfect finish. The social, friendly atmosphere, the beautiful and largely off-road path, the company of my two Canadian ladies, and finishing at the sea, has completed the journey in a way that a big, scaffolded cathedral in a busy city, just didn't. Finishing off with a great seafood meal, a bottle of Spanish white, by the harbour as the sun set, with Jill & Deb, was perfect. 

Cee by the sea

Well I'm actually in the next village around the bay, Corcubion, after a day of damp and drizzly walking. To shorten the day, there was a taxi ride to the start of a lovely off-road section ... well it would have been lovely if we could see much if it, the mist and cloud had well and truly descended. 

A beautiful row of angels watching over the village mausoleum, where we stayed last night. 

The start of today's walk, it's a relatively busy Camino. In front of me are the two Canadian ladies with whom I am currently walking, Jill and Deb. 

A stall set up by a local, in the middle of a long (15km) stretch without any facilities. The food and tea, coffee & soft drinks are all donativo, donate what it's worth to you. 

First view of the sea !

Pretty village of Corcubion 

Meeting Tony, a friend from work, completely unplanned as I was out wandering. I knew he was in the general area, as he's just finished his Camino Portuguese,and was maybe heading to Finesterre, but to bump into him as he was similarly out for a wander with his wife, Nola, was just amazing. 

Sorry for the squint photograph, but gives a nice view of the little harbour

Finisterre tomorrow, and it's only 10km then a 3km trip out to the cliffs. Then I really will have reached the end of this adventure. 

Leaving Las Vegas ... I mean Santiago !

I walked out of Santiago de Compostela this morning, with the Sheryl Crow song " Leaving Las Vegas" running through my head, grinning like an idiot. Santiago is a great town, but very busy and very touristy, so it was lovely to get the backpack back on and head off. 

The first arrow, immediately off the main Plaza, and a very quick walk out of the city into villages and country roads. 

I have drastically lightened my backpack, so it's now down to about 5kg I reckon. It does mean I have to wash clothes every two days, and there's no luxuries like conditioner, but for 4 days, it feels wonderful to throw the light pack on. No jacket, no sleeping bag, all very simple. 

Fields coming into view

Ponte Maceira, a lovely mill village

Well it's actually only 88km I have to walk to get to Finisterre, so it's a pleasant 4 days. Given my rather lumpy and bruised knee, there is no temptation to squeeze the walk into three days. Sitting on the sofa in the basic but clean albergue seems like a good idea, with my leg propped up on a stool. I'm in a small, fairly ordinary but OK town called Negreiro tonight. 

Nice moments at the albergue ... listening to Galician bagpipe music an Italian guy found on the internet, and I commented that they are similar to Scottish bagpipes. He immediately went and found a bagpipe version of Amazing Grace for me on YouTube, and we listened to that before moving onto some other music. Then after dinner, a South Korean peregrino brought out his Korean flutes, and played them for us, he's carried them all the Camino. Meeting a German guy who's walked from Germany and can't quite imagine finishing in two days, he's walked about 3000km. 

Starting for Finisterre tomorrow

I may be mad, but the bag is nearly packed ( drastically lightened), the excess stuff has been dropped off at the hotel where I have a reservation on my return, and I have stocked up on Ibuprufen and a brace for my knee

A bit of a tumble on loose rocks while walking downhill has left it a bit battered and bruised ! However, the injury did occur 120km ago, so I'm pretty happy the knee is fine just a bit ugly at the moment. 

It's 100km to Finisterre, which I shall try to complete in 4 days, quite achievable based on the distances I've been walking so far. 

A few photographs of Santiago de Compostela, but I wasn't really in a photograph mood, as I was picking up my box from San Sebastián, doing laundry, sorting my backpack, reserving hotel rooms etc.

The view from just around the corner from my pension. My pension looks nothing like this !

We're the cathedral I Santiago. Honest, it normally looks really spectacular but it's all scaffolded for a much needed clean up. The numbers of visitors to Santiago is increasing every year, and someone decided it was time for a few centuries of pigeon poo and weeds growing in the corners to be cleaned.

The queue outside the pilgrim's office,to get our Compostelas ( certificates of completion). Two years ago, Lisa, Fiona and I didn't have to queue at all, at the same time of year. This year, the queue is approximately 90 minutes. Why such an increase ? I don't really know, but would hazard a guess various films, documentaries, and word-of-mouth have raised awareness of the Camino.