Blog

Monday 5th June 2023

Distance – A long Way

Santiago de Compostela – Paris

Packing up for the final time I reflected on what a wonderful experience this had been, though I was stilll having problems comprehending what I had done over the last six weeks. I had stepped out of normal life into a different world. I had been part of a bubble of people, a community with a single destination and a multitude of motivations. I had designated my Camino as a Religious Pilgrimage. It was a journey framed by daily prayer and a ‘serious seeking after God’. Now it was ending, today I would begin my journey home back to real life.

I said Morning Prayer and headed to the Cathedral. I couldn’t go home without paying my respects to Saint James. I arrived during an early morning Mass. I sat quietly appreciating the peace and the rhythms of worship. I don’t suppose I will be experiencing a Roman Catholic Mass again but sharing these times with my brothers and sisters on my Pilgrimage has been an important part of my experience. After the end I had a look round the Cathedral.

I found the entrance to the crypt and the silver casket holding the precious relics of Saint James. It didn’t seem to me to be the pace to take photos so I stood quietly in a niche and prayed for family and for the people of St Albans and St Johns churches. This felt like yet another final act on this journey, ending wasn’t a one off event.

Once I left the Cathedral I was focussed on leaving then. I returned to the Albergue, retrieved my backpack from the left luggage locker and headed to the bus station. I climbed on the bus ready for my 21 hour plus journey to Paris. There were plenty of stops on the way, thankfully but nothing really makes a journey like that pleasant. It was good to gaze out of the window and realise how far I’d walked and how quickly I was returning.

At the border with France, we all had to get off the bus while the French police checked for drugs, I was definitely back in the real world now.

Sunday 4th June 2023

Only walking around the city

Santiago de Compostela

I had finished my walking but the pilgrimage wasn’t over yet. There were two big things to do today meet Frank (the lad I’d given my stone to), for breakfast and go the the Eucharist at the Anglican church. It was good not to have to pack up this morning as I was here for another night. I said Morning Prayer in my room and set off to meet Frank.

The City was very quiet on an early Sunday morning and as I passed through the main square I thought I needed a selfie – looking happy or what?

I met Frank and we caught up with what had happened over the last few days. He shared some of the photos he had taken as he had journeyed on through Santiago to the coast. I was so thankful to share precious moments with Frank and be a part of his spiritual journey too.

We said our final farewells and I had time to meander around the city taking in the sights and sounds as it got busier. I did think about visiting the Cathedral but the crowds and the queues were so long I reckoned it would be better to wait for a quieter time. I headed to the park where the church was and had time to sit on a bench and think while watching the world go by.

I had an idea of what next for me by now. It was very much about starting from where I had left off before this Camino. There wasn’t a sense of some radical new direction but more a continuation of the general direction of my life. I had received an understanding of the phrase ‘Keep us, O Lord, …… in an affectionate walking with you’. I had found inspiration in the writings of Franciscans and the rule of those in their Third Order. There was plenty to consider in the days and weeks ahead.

It was time for the Eucharist and whilst there were just a handful of us, rather than the hundreds who would be at the Pilgrim’s Mass at the Cathedral this felt like real ending of my Pilgrimage. This was what I had walked 800 kilometres and over 500 miles for. This was such a sublime and precious time – in the peace of this place I felt such a sense of joy, this was the culmination of my journey.

The Post Communion Prayer summed it up.

Generous and faithful God, you have fed us at your table. May the nourishment we have received enable us to enrich the lives of others wherever we may go from here. Whether the future be dark or bright, the road be smooth or rough, whether our cares be light or heavy, our song be strong or weak, keep our hearts warm and our hands open, our lives embracing and ever embraced by your love. Amen.

St Susana’s Anglican Church. Santiago de Compostela

Saturday 3rd June 2023

Distance 5km / 3.1 miles

Monte del Gozo – Santiago de Compostela

I could have taken my time this morning, but I needed to finish this. I was up at the crack of dawn as usual and sat in the main square of the complex to say Morning Prayer. I suppose I was excited but to be honest I am not sure what was going on im my head. I had to face up to what this journey was about – to draw some meaning from it.

I walked down the hill and into the outskirts of the city. It was only 07.21 when I arrived at the city proper.

I walked on, taking my time. There weren’t very many people around. I followed the arrows and waymarks for the last time and arrived at the Praza de Obradoiro and the official end of my pilgrimage. I stood there gazing at the west end of the Cathedral and I felt a sense of acheivement and relief. No joy, no excitement, no jumping up and down just a sense of thankfulness that I had been able to do this. I almost felt there was something wrong. I sat for a long time just being quiet watching other pilgrims arrive and being happy and excited. I’d walked 800 kilometres over 45 days and I wasn’t sure what I should be feeling.

The Pilgrims Office opened at 09.00 so I set off to get my Compostela and my certificate of distance. On the way I passed an open cafe/bar and got a decent breakfast. This was their answer to a ‘Full English’.

Armed with the proof that I had completed the pilgrimage I returned to the square. It is normal to attend the 12.00 Pilgrim’s Mass in the Cathedral but the day I arrrive they decide to install the new Archbishop so the Cathedral was out of bounds apart from the great and the good who had tickets. I did catch him arriving in procession, not at all like the procession I was expecting it all seemed a bit chaotic. They all disappeared into the Cathedral and I decided I would have a look around. I still had plenty of time before I could check in to my hostel.

The city was beautiful lots of imposing buildings and lots of tourists too.

I found my hostel, part of a seminary and checked in. I had treated myself to a single room for two nights so it was good to settle a bit.

Once I was sorted I set off to see a bit more of the city and to find the Anglican church which was in a park on the other side of the city centre. It was a lovely park with views back over the city.

I found the church which was open for people to go in and pray. I took the opportunity to sit and think as well as pray. I was still seeking some idea of what this pilgrimage was for. That sounds odd now I think about it, there was no one thing I wanted from God, no life changing decisions I needed to make. I’d walked all this way and now it’s over I am not sure why! As I was thinking I heard thunder which got louder and more frequent. I thought I would try and get back to the hostel before the rain, unsuccessfully as it happened so for the first and last time on the Camino I got completely soaked.

Friday 2nd June 2023

Distance 22.6 km / 14 miles

Salceda – Monte del Gozo

I was up early as today was a longer day – about twice as long as the previous ones. I said Morning Prayer in my room then set off. The sky was brightening as I walked beside the road past fields.

I was going to miss the beautiful sunrises.

I passed through the busy town of O Pedrouzo without stopping and continued on. There were more bars and cafes the closer you got to Santiago and certainly more pilgrims. As the morning wore on it got busier and busier and noisier too. There was a couple in front of me walking with their music playing for all to hear. Though it was very different to the peace and quiet of the earlier days I treated it as a gradual acclimatisation to normal life.

There were a succesion of villages and lots of ups and downs. I stopped at a bar called Kilometre 15 which made it quite obvious how far there was left. I met some british women here who I had last seen when we stayed at the same Albergue on Day two.

I passed the Airport and headed down into the village of Lavacolla. There were loads of people crowded in the bars and cafes here. I headed for the tiny Chapel of St Roque where it was much quieter and took time to pray. It was then more climbing first up one hill in the shade and then a further climb which never seemed to end to the summit of Monte Gozo.

I had my first view of Santiago with it’s Cathedral. The end was now literally in sight.

I didn’t want to arrive in Santiago until tomorrow so I had booked a bed in a huge pilgrim complex just on the hillsid overlooking the city. There was block upon block of dormitories with a central plaza with restaurants and other amenities. I kind of thought it was a bit like Butlins of the Camino – minus the entertainment and and funfair. While I was waiting for check in I put everything I could in the dyer at the launderette which gave me peace of mind as far as bed bugs were concerned. I also had a drink and a sandwich. After a rest in the afternoon I returned for a proper meal that evening.

I had time to think about what my pilgrimage was all about but didn’t come to any conclusions.

Thursday 1st June 2023

Distance 14km / 8.7 miles

Ribadiso da Baixo – Salceda

I woke this morning to discover more bites on my arm and some on my stomach too. It was a but worrying and I was concerned that this was going to spoil the final days of my journey. At this stage there wasn’t anything I could do so I applied more cream and took more tablets. I continued with my routine and sat beside the river and said Morning Prayer. Whatever else was going on this was why I was walking, it may have been a pilgrimage to Santiago but I was very consciously now walking with God.

I climbed the hill out of the village and was able to enjoy a beautiful sunrise over the valley. The colours of the sky just took my breath away, though maybe the steep hill had something to do with it.

I walked into the town of Arzua hoping to find a laundrette which Google told me would be there, Sadly on this occasion Google was wrong. I had gleaned from forums that the best way of eradicating bed bugs was to put clothes and bedding through a very hot tumble drier. I continued on through more beautiful scenery.

I had booked a hotel room for tonight and once I arrived there I got some breakfast and waited until I could check in. It was a good room with and en-suite bathroom. I could get my stuff sorted and the things which needed to be heat treated in separate dry bags. As the restaurant at this hotel was branded as a Pulperia specialising in Octopus I decided that this was the time to try it. It turned out to be something I wouldn’t have again and I was glad of the bread and wine which came with it. On principal I eat it all.

I only now had one more stop before I reached the end of my journey.

Wednesday 31st May 2023

Distance 11.1km / 6.9 miles

Melide – Ribadiso da Baixo

The day began with itching. I noticed some raised bumps on my arm which seemed to be getting more uncomfortable all the time. I suspected bed bugs but did not do what the guides told me to do and report it to the Hospitalera. I regretted having chosen a normal single bed with an uncovered mattress rather than the plastic covered mattresses of the bunk beds, I persuaded myself it was not bed bugs and continued with my morning routine of getting ready and saying Morning Prayer as I set off.

It became clear as I walked that this showed every sign of bed bugs. I applied some hydrocortisone cream which I applied and some anti-histamine tablets so it took the edge off the itch and consoled myself that there were only a couple of bites so maybe it waasn’t bed bugs and if it was I had escaped lightly.

The walk was over hills and through valleys which were heavily wooded. I came to some stepping stones over a stream which was a perfect spot to take a photo or two.

As I walked on I began a conversation with the young man I had seen crossing the stepping stones. The conversation turned very quickly to quite deep things which happens on the Camino. I felt certain that he, Frank was the person I should give my ‘stone’ to.

This ‘stone’ was a small flat pebble with “Be Still” written on one side and “and know that I am God” written on the other. I had been given it whilst I was satying in the retreat house on Holy Island last year. It had been given to that person as she battled with cancer. I had taken it with me on the Camino because I felt it was time to pass it on to someone else. So far I had not come across the right person but now only a few days before the end I knew that Frank was the right person. It was such a sublime moment. We continued our conversation for a while and the we parted as he was walking much faster than me.

I continued on and came to the little village of Ribadiso. Once again I was early but was able to have coffee and pastries at the bar next to the Albergue.

It was a beautifully converted collection of buildings and modern showers and toilets. I had a great conversation with one of the volunteer Hospitaleras. Today was proving to be one of deep conversations. I was happy that my day had turned out so much better than I expected.

Today was also the anniversary of John’s death. I wasn’t feeling sad as such as those last weeks in the hospice were some of the most precious times we had. I remembered how I had already started thinking about this pilgrimage and was telling him about my dreams. It didn’t seem to affect either of us knowing he would no longer be around when I did it or indeed the fact that he couldn’t walk at all. We were just living each day in the present while we could.

Tuesday 30th May 2023

Distance 14.7km / 9.13 miles

Palas de Rei – Melide

Morning Prayer on a bench in the square then off I go. Today was another walk through low hills and valleys and lots of woodland. The highlight of today was catching the scent of Eucalyptus. These trees were becoming more common as I got closer to Santiago. Apart from the Eucalyptus there were times when I could have been walking in this country.

I stopped for breakfast at a bar along the way but was soon arriving in the town of Melide.

As I was too early to check in I grabbed some food from a supermarket and sat on a bench and people watched. I saw so many pilgrims passing it felt a bit weird that I was finished walking for the day. I had booked an Albergue which turned out to be what looked like a garage door in a row of unremarkable shops. It was however lovely inside very modern and well appointed. I used the washing machine to get some laundry done and put it out in the garden to dry as by now the sun had come out.

I chilled out and read for a while and as soon as I could I went out for something to eat. I found a really nice Pizza place and had a lovely meal. This town was famous for it Pulperias, (Octopus restaurants), but I decided to put that off for another day.

Monday 29th May 2023

Distance 13.1km / 8.13 miles

Hospital de la Cruz – Palas de Rei

There were only five of us in the Albergue last night. Somehow that added to the relaxed feeling when I got up the next morning.There is something about my short walks which is causing me to relax more. I am sure that physically I am now attuned to the journey and the daily walking and my feet were free of any blisters or discomfort. I said Morning Prayer as I sat on a low wall beside the Albergue and then set out through the morning mist.

There is something special about walking when you can only see for a short distance around you. Your attention is no longer drawn towards the views and the countryside it leads to more of an inward gaze, and opportunity to let your thoughts wander. This was another day when I was very conscious of walking with God, nothing obvious, or overt just that consciousness.

Once again the mist began to lift and the sun began to break through. The walking was just so relaxing through beautiful countryside and woodland

Once again I arrived at my destination very early. As I walked into the town of Palas de Rei I passed and open church and went in to pray. It was an old church but very much geared up to reach out to pilgrims with a little bowl of paper slips each of which had a different bible verse. I continued on and arrived at the Albergue. For once I wasn’t the first there. I chatted to a couple of other pilgrims as we waited for it to open. After checking in I had a look around the town and got some salad and snacks for my meal. It was good to rest after my long walk! I continued with some reading and a bit of thinking.

Sunday 28th May 2023

Distance 11.2km / 6.9 miles

Portomarin – Hospital de la Cruz

Today I continued the theme of very short walks. I left the Albergue and stopped in the main square to say Morning Prayer. I had taken my time this morning so dawn had already come. The sun however remained behind the cloud and thick mist. There wasn’t much of a view as it was misty or foggy however you want to describe it. I walked down though the town into the valley. I was surrounded by quite quite a lot of people and was conscious what a collective endeavour this pilgrimage was, there is something special about having a very personal journey as part of a community.

It was a stiff walk up from the valley floor through the woods. The landscape opened out and the mist was lifting. I stopped for breakfast at a very busy cafe – it was almost industrial in scale. I started noticing more British pilgrims today too

I continued on and arrived at my chosen Municipal Albergue at 10:10. This was certainly a weird kind of walk with more sitting than walking.

What all this down time did give me was plenty of time to think. I was ‘much exercised’ about what my future life might be like. This isn’t some ‘New Year Resolution’ moment. I wasn’t unhappy about my life, indeed I am happy to tell anyone that Retirement is great and I am having the best time of my life. I was conscious though that this pilgrimage was an opportunity to consider what might be next on my faith journey.

I was looking forward to getting home and resuming my retirement projects, my garden, my family history and more walking of course. On top of this though something had changed over the past year. That fateful day just over a year ago when God was suddenly there in my life again had opened up a whole new way of life and looking at the world. This was the start, (or the resumption) of a journey of faith, a pilgrimage. Last year I discovered a connection to Saint Cuthbert, the beginnings of daily prayer and attending my local Parish Church. This wasn’t about picking up where I had left off either the faith of my childhood and teens, or the faith of my later life, I was conscious of this being something completely fresh even if it did incorporate some things of my past.

I wanted to make the most of the time I had left. What would be the next steps of my life, what direction would my journey of faith take me on my return to normal life. There were no firm answers just the beginnings of some ideas. I began researching a bit more about the Franciscan Third Order, feeling that there was something there which could help me.

Saturday 27th May 2023

Distance 8.5km / 5.2 miles

Ferreiros – Portomarin

This was a very relaxed day on account of just having a couple of hours walk to my destination. It is a strange end to my Camino. I don’t want to arrive in Santiago before next Saturday. I have a whole week of short walks with plenty of time to sit and wait, sit and think, and sleep and doze.

I have time as I walk to think too. The walking is not too challenging and I am so happy to have ‘discovered’ the joy of walking with God. It sounds grander than it is but it is just a sense of joy and peace knowing that He is there.

Just outside the village of Ferreiros I pass a significant milestone. Only one hundred kilometres to go!

It gives a bit more urgency to my thinking. I think about what kind of life I should live on my return home. I do have some changes to make as this faith of mine has made me feel much better about myself.

I could see the mist and cloud in the valley below which had not yet been burnt off by the sun. There were also more and more of these iconic Galician grain stores too. They came in all shapes and sizes.

I began thinking about my daily prayer and felt an urge to add to my habit of Morning Prayer. I had reminded myself a few days ago of a visit when I was at University to the Franciscan Friary at Alnmouth. It set me off thinking about their daily cycle of prayer. There is a certain attractiveness to the structure of this. Is that something I could aspire to. I was clear in my mind that I didn’t want to set myself unattainable goals so if it happens it will happen gradually I think.

I had begun thinking about my garden too. I have passed so many vegetable plots on my pilgrimage and each time I think of my poor neglected garden and there is a longing to get back to it. I want to to spend more time growing and eating vegetables; looking and smelling flowers; sitting on my seat and giving thanks for the goodness of God.

As I approached Portomarin the mist had almost gone.

When I arrive in the town it is so quiet. Being a Saturday helps I suppose but it’s probably more to do with the fact that the pilgrims who stayed last night have mostly left and today’s pilgrims haven’t arrived yet. I look around the town and then pop into a bar for a coffee and Napoletana.

Today has been a day of wonderful views and the views from the town across the valley are great.

I get checked in to the Municipal Albergue and do my normal housekeeping. More time to sit in the sunshine and just relax. I could see the clouds building up and the forecast was for thunderstorms. I got my washing in off the line and thought I would head out for a proper meal. Just as I reached the restaurant the promised thunderstorm arrived and the rain was torrential. Everyone headed inside. A pizza and a beer later I headed back to the hostel.

It had been a good thinking day. It will be good to get back to normal life again. In a sense I knew I needed to get my life back as this pilgrimage had been dominating my thoughts for so long. I wasn’t in a hurry to finish it but I think I was ready to get back to my own house.