Still in Santiago.....October 12/11

Parador sitting room

Dining area at Moure Hotel

View from our room Moure Hotel

We have moved to another hotel close to the Cathedral as well......we have moved from a very grand old historical hotel to a brand new ultra modern one....this one all black, white, grey with the odd touch of lime green....and even our bath has a view.  Breakfast at the Parador was unbelievable.....great bowls of fresh mango, papaya, strawberries, orange, grapefruit as well as kiwi, pineapple & melon.....variety of cold meats including serrano ham and specialty sausage, cheeses, smoked salmon and hot dishes of eggs, peppers, bacon, sausages, cereals, yogurts, juices, breads, muffins, croissants, sweet breads & cakes......it was hard to know what to have!  There was even champagne though we didn't partake......and breakfast here at the modern place was great too.......fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice ....you should see the machine....whole oranges in one end, juice out the other......pates, jams, croissants, cheese, toast etc.....and never ending coffee/tea/hot chocolate.

Yesterday we went to the pilgrim's mass....this is a first... at the cathedral which was very impressive with about 1000 people in attendance.....a nun sang beautifully, the botafumeiro swung from side to side nearly touching the ceiling.  It spread incense throughout the cathedral killing all other smells......luckily as the pilgrim next to Derek hadn't washed his shirt in a while!

It is a public holiday in Spain today......lots is closed but Santiago being a tourist city like Victoria has a lot of bars, cafes, restaurants open.....and the weather is still fantastic in the higher 20's.  The streets have been hosed down after parties last night.....just like in Leon & Burgos .....so everything is fresh and clean in the am.

Thought we would write a few thoughts about the experience of walking the Camino:

Spanish hospitality workers work long hours and work hard.
People are generally friendly with a nod, a smile, an hola, or a buen camino.
Early mornings are fresh and lovely.
One can get by comfortably without a lot of clothing/shoes.
The more one has the more one has to worry about.
Communal living is as successful as the participants are respectful of others.
Walking uphill is easier than walking downhill.
Walking the Camino requires perseverance.
Walk with your head up but don't look too far ahead or you could miss your step or trip on a raised rock.
800 kms seems like a lot but others we have met have walked from Holland, Geneva, or Austria ....distances greater than 2000 kms.
Walking the Camino puts everyone on the same level.
Walking 20 kms allows one to eat/drink without gaining weight.

Botafumeiro in Cathedral

Santiago de Compostela - October 10/11

Well here we are in Santiago at last.....hard to believe that we have actually walked about 800 kms....it feels very good to be finished with carrying the backpack all day.....we have our official compostela (certificate) with our first names in Latin......we have been on the road for 41 days and haven´t had a single day of rain....how lucky is that!

final celebration lunch

second course of pilgrims menu last night - beef and chips!!!!

our hotel next to cathedral

in front of cathedral Santiago

Happy birthday to our dear son Morgan for the 12th and there is the next world cup for SA to win.....

Arzua - 10.08.11



 It has been difficult to access the internet other than wifi these past days.....and now we are about 40 kms from our goal.....have given up the municipal albergue scene and now prefer private albergues or even casa rurals like last evening.  Galacia is known for its wet weather and hills.....we have been very lucky with just a couple of morning mists and then bright sunny skies.  There has been a cool wind blowing the past few days which has made walking 20 odd kms much easier.....but we are feeling like it is about time to be done with the walking and so won't do the add-on to the coast.  Galacia is full of hills and valleys and so even though our guide says the walk is relatively flat - it isn't.....so we still work up a thirst for a cerveza by the time we arrive down the road....and we are starting later now as it is darker....this am we started at the civilized hour of 845am.  So the end is near and we are booked into the parador in Santiago to celebrate.....Yeah!

through oak forest

octupus is speciality in Melide

stairs to town of Portomarin

hills of Galacia

this should have been the way to carry packs

farmer loading corn in rat proof storage

Ruitelan 10.02.11

leaving Rabanal at first light

early morning pilgrims

Rabanal del Camino

We now have 167 kms to go to get to Santiago and are spending the night in an albergue in the tiny town of Ruitelan before we climb up out of the Bierzo Valley.  The mornings have been cooler but it still gets very hot midday.  We have walked through many vineyards and sampled some delicious grapes which are just beginning to be harvested.  There are more animals now that we are in the mountain valleys and we can hear cow bells again while walking.....still lucky with the weather ..... no rain yet.