Journey to Santiago - Day 33, Thirty-first Stage

Day 33 - Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela

Distance walked today: 20 km (12.5 miles)

Total distance walked: 526.3 km (328.9 miles)

Total distance left: 0 km

Information on the stage traveled here.

He made it!  He made it to Santiago after 33 days of journey and walking!  He walked a total of 526 km, almost 329 miles, of a total 744 km (465 miles). 

He walked the last leg slowly, no pain, but slowly.  And as he was arriving in town, an old lady seated at a bench laughed at him, and told him "there's another hill left."  He laughed too, but you know inside his head he called her a bad name!  The hill was not that big of a deal, especially after all he's been through.

So he walked right to the Cathedral of Santiago, got his compostela, saw the cathedral, visited the tomb of Santiago (actually nobody knows who's bones are buried there, but they are supposed to be St. James the Apostle's), and checked into the hotel. 

He sounded exhausted but happy to finish!  His small lesions had grown a bit, but he never lost any more toenails, so he's still up to 9 toenails.  His plans?  A nice long hot bath and a looong nap!

So any final words from Adal about the completion of the journey?  Yes.  He said "This long journey has been completed.  Now to start the next journey."

How true.  No sooner we complete one journey, we embark on the next one.  Immediately.  We are constantly "walking," always on a "journey," through life or whatever else.  May you continue to have good journeys Adal, buen camino always.

N was so happy her daddy finished!  You should have heard her gasp on the phone and say "you found all the shells!"  She misses him terribly and is counting down the days till his return.

For more information on what happens once you reach Santiago, read this:

"On arrival at the Cathedral in Santiago, pilgrims take their credencial or Pilgrim Record, duly stamped along the way, to the nearby Pilgrim Office and a Compostela certificate (still written in Latin, and confirming the completion of the pilgrimage) is generally issued. Walkers and pilgrims on horseback must have completed at least  the last 100km and  cyclists the last 200 km,  in one stretch, to qualify. You will be asked your motivation: those who do not count 'spiritual' as part of their reason for making the pilgrimage can obtain another document, a certificado, to attest to their having completed it. 

For a translation of the Latin text, click here. (Another translation, by Mario Pozzati Tiepolo, appeared in the Confraternity of Saint James Bulletin, vol 113, March 2011,, pp 31-32.)

Shops nearby will laminate your Compostela in plastic for a small fee - an excellent idea, protecting what is likely to be a precious souvenir from damage in your rucksack. 

The Compostela (take a photocopy, which the hotel staff will retain) may be presented at the Hotel de los Reyes Católicos who provide 10 free pilgrim meals three times a day. Pilgrims may take such meals for up to 3 days. Don't apply at the main entrance however: pilgrims queue at the garage door, down the ramp to the left, collect their meals on trays from the kitchen, and sit in a small comedor or dining room set aside for them.
It also gives you reduced-price access to the Cathedral museum, and is supposed to give access to the refugios for those making the return journey the way they came. 

Don Jaime García Rodríguez, the canon in charge of the Pilgrims' Office at Santiago wrote to all Diocesan Officials, Priests of the Camino, Refugio Wardens and Friends of the Camino at the beginning of July 1999 reminding them of the conditions governing the granting of the Compostela and the Jubilee Indulgence.  To read his letter, click here.
 
Don Jenaro Cebrián, now canon in charge of pilgrims, in 2008 also issued reminders that only credencials recognised by the Cathedral authority would be acceptable to qualify for the 'compostela' from 2010."

Don't worry, I didn't know what a plenary indulgence was either.  I had to google it.  More information about what an indulgence is, here.  We are not religious, and that's not why he chose to walk, but what the heck, it's a cool piece of paper!  The Camino is fraught with history and culture and interesting people.

I find it hard to believe yet that it's over.  Adal's first completion of the Camino de Santiago.  It's inspired me to try something similar, and we've shared it as a family.  And through these means we've shared it with our friends.  I hope it has brought something positive to all of you.  Maybe it's just proof that when you try hard enough you can achieve that which seems impossible, as long as you take it in small steps.  That life is beautiful, and can be simple and lovely.  Or that family and love can take you very far.  I hope every one of you embark upon a similar journey, to bring perspective and beauty to your life.  There's so many lessons here I just can't sum it up.  It leaves a lot of food for thought for all involved, myself included.

Somehow I don't think this will be the only time he will do this. 

It has been a Buen Camino, my friends.  A Buen Camino indeed.

Journey to Santiago - Day 32, Thirtieth Stage

Day 32 - Ribadiso da Baixo to Pedrouzo

Distance walked today: 22.1 km (13.8 miles)

Total distance walked: 506.3 km (316.4 miles)

Total distance left: 20 km (12.5 miles)

Information on the stage traveled here.

Another important milestone: Adal has walked over 500 km!  And he only has 20 km left, only one more day of walking.  I know we all had our doubts, although we all thought he could do it, but he's PROVEN it.  Amazing.

So how is it that the journey from Roncesvalles which is 749 km away has only added up to 500 km so far?  Well Adal skipped a stage to Estella, then about 7 stages when his feet were really bad, so that adds up to about 200 km of unwalked path.  Not that this takes away from this incredible journey, but I like my numbers to add up and wanted to explain why the distance was not equal to the distance to Santiago.


He found today's walk very easy, very pleasant, and made it all the way to Pedrouza, only 20 km from Santiago.  His feet felt great, no discomfort whatsoever.  When he checked his feet today he found two small lesions.  He's not worried about them at all because they cause no discomfort and he only has one more day of walking.  So I suggested he wrap the lesions in Betatul, a Betadyne-soaked gauze they recommended at one of the hospitals he went, and a bit of tape, to avoid infection.


So close to the goal, he is desperate already to finish.  I asked him about the other walkers he knows and their state of being.  He says everyone wants to finish this sh*t already!  He ran into the girl from Cali, Colombia and her boyfriend from Rome.  He had tendonitis most of the way and pushed through it to keep walking.  I've heard this is one of the most painful injuries to walk through.  But he cried and walked through it.  They've invited him to dinner, they're cooking something at the albergue.  I'm glad, they were a real nice, pleasant couple.  


So why did I decide to blog about this anyway?  I knew Adal would be so focused on the journey that he wouldn't have the energy to write down the every day minutiae.  The stages and towns stayed in, the km walked, the little conversations we had along the way.  So I wanted to document.  For him.  For us.  For N.  For the memory of the Journey to Santiago, the Way.  For love.

Journey to Santiago - Day 31, Twenty-ninth Stage

Day 31 - Palas de Rei to Ribadiso da Baixo

Distance walked today: 25.8 km (16.1 miles)

Total distance walked: 484.2 km (302.6 miles)

Total distance left: 42.1 km (26.3 miles)

Information on the stage traveled here.

Today is our Anniversary, for the first time since I can remember celebrated separated.  It's been a long journey, for us as well.  Nothing is perfect.  But right now, at this instant, I'm proud of Adal.  Because this journey has been a psychological as well as a physical accomplishment.  I love him very much.

Two more days of walking left after today.  Adal is at a sweet spot, walking easily.  Today it was raining along the way, stopping and starting several times.  And nobody likes to walk in the rain.  So he didn't make it to Arzua as planned, just a few kilometers short.  He still walked from 6 am to 4pm!  He got stuck in a room with a bunch of young 12 -14 yr old rowdy German kids.  They were loud, obnoxious, and even throwing stuff at each other.  Finally, they turned out the lights and calmed down.  Good thing or I think Adal would have really blown a gasket!


We are adjusting to being back again.  Days are so long now!  Sun seems to come out at 4 am and go down after 10 pm.  But the weather has been gorgeous here.  70 degree days with gorgeous sunshine.  N really enjoyed Spain, and now these last two weeks of school are weighing on her.  I'm absolutely enjoying my jamon and cheeses, I brought back a nice cut of jamon Serrano and it's just melt in your mouth delicious.  I still miss the wonderful octopus I ate there, my, how I ate octopus!  


I can definitely hear in Adal's voice the ending of the journey.  He wants to get there already!  He wants it to be over.  The transition was almost overnight from trip euphoria to trip exhaustion.  And really, he's almost there.  He's almost there...

Journey to Santiago - Day 30, Twenty-eighth Stage

Day 30 - Portomarin to Palas de Rei

Distance walked today: 25 km (15.6 miles)

Total distance walked: 458.4  km (286.5 miles)

Total distance left: 67.9 km (42.4 miles)

Information on the stage traveled here.

68 km to go!  How fast it all seems now.  It seemed just yesterday Adal headed out on his adventure.  Like an old-fashioned knight's tale, out to discover the world.  And even though it has been an incredible experience for him, as with most goals we see so close after having traversed a long journey to achieve, he just can't wait to get there.  He really just wants to get there, badly.

He felt great today, almost as if he walked barefoot.  His feet were just cooperating the whole way.  But when he took his sock off, he was shocked to see one of the middle toes was black halfway down.  Now, we know this doesn't look right.  So he headed off immediately to the doctor.  Luckily, it just seems to be a hematoma, a bruise, pooled blood in the toe.  He just doesn't understand how his feet could feel so great and then look that bad.  So no worries for now, unless it keeps spreading.

The people are different now, although he still recognizes some long distance trekkers in the crowd.  Most are there for the last 100 km stretch, and there isn't the same sense of sharing with others as there was at the beginning and middle of the journey.  

To think of all the interesting people I met that were walking.  There was a couple from Italy; she was from Cali, Colombia and moved from Florida to be with her boyfriend in Rome.  She does graphic art for the Vatican.  Her boyfriend said he was crying from the pain of tendonitis on some of the stages.  Both were beautiful people.  Or how about Alejandra, from Salamanca, who just decided one day to do this, with minimal planning, and now doesn't want to stop.  She feels it is an alternate reality she is living on the Way.  How to go back to a job, an apartment, a life that is so different?  

I think Walkers, "peregrinos," will need a time to recover from coming back to our world.  It is a shock to the system to leave this path, this way of life however temporary, and come back to their "normal" life.  They need time to settle their thoughts, their "survival mode," and let the introspection they experienced on the journey slowly concretize.

I think I am ready to help Adal with the transition.

Journey to Santiago - Day 29, Twenty-seventh Stage

Day 29 - Sarria to Portomarin

Distance walked today: 22.4 km (14miles)

Total distance walked: 433.4  km (270.9 miles)

Total distance left: 92.9 km (58.1 miles)

Information on the stage traveled here.

Adal completed another stage today!  He made it to Portomarin.  He's feeling fine and his feet are doing well.  He says as you approach the town of Portomarin there is a very high bridge, with a very narrow footpath that one has to walk.  I've never known Adal to be wary of heights, but he says he felt vertigo as he was going across.  I asked him what he did, and he said nothing, keep on walking because you have people behind you and there's nothing else to do.  Yes, another metaphor there.

He's connected right now at an internet cafe.  At most towns there are internet shops, where for a few euros you can connect for 10 minutes.  Most restaurants along the way will post if they have WiFi available, if you choose to connect via smartphone.  Adal has a very cheap calls-only local phone he uses to call me every day, when he can.  He buys minutes as he needs them at the larger towns.  

N had a great time in Spain.  She liked that they spoke Spanish and was trying very hard to speak it.  She asked me how to say everything in Spanish, so hopefully this will motivate her to continue to learn.  She played for hours outside in the plazas, while Adal and I sipped drinks and ate food.  Adal taught her to identify the seashell shape of the Camino, so she carefully looked everywhere for it, and found it at some very interesting places!  

Many hundreds of years ago, pilgrims would mark the road with shell markers, which they picked up in Santiago, due to its location on the coast.  All the pilgrims had to do was to find and follow the shells.  Since then, the shells were replaced with concrete shell markers, spray-painted shells and arrows (mostly in yellow), large signs put up by the municipality, and everything in between.  The result is over 100 different types of shell designs along the Way!  Every time N found a shell on a wall or on a road, she would say "Look!  The shell Daddy is looking for!"  It was very touching to see her so involved in helping Daddy find the shells.  

In fact, N and I got little silver shell pendants, a silver shell bracelet, and shell earrings.  It was our way to honor and respect the Way, although I feel a bit like a fake, since I haven't walked the Way.  But we wear it to honor Adal and his incredible feat.  N says it reminds her of Daddy and she wants to wear it every day.

At first she wasn't sure if the walkers without "sticks" (trekking poles) were really walkers on the Way.  She thought all walkers should have sticks to help them walk.  And in fact Adal says they are a life saver.  They transfer up to 30% of your weight when climbing up or down, and across the span of the Way, that's a lot of energy conserved.  Since you transfer energy to the poles, there's less stress on your feet, your ankles, your knees, and back.  

The Way takes you through some deep mountain towns, and as of Cebreiro, takes you to Galician lands.  They speak Gallego, close but not Spanish.  Triacastela was about 20 km from the main highway, around many curves and bends.  It reminded me of some of the interior towns in Puerto Rico.  Getting to Villafranca del Bierzo, N got sick.  Luckily, I saved the airsick bags from the plane, since I wasn't sure how she was going to react to all the driving.  Then on the way to O Cebreiro, more curves and another airsick bag.  Finally, leaving Triacastela and JUST as we got on the main highway, she let out the most I've ever seen.  Airsick bags gone, the car seat and floor got the full force of it.  The curves and hills were just too much for her.  So I had to stop on the side of the road, peel every bit of clothing off, find new clothes in the trunk suitcase, and change her right there.  I tried to wipe most of it off and it didn't look too bad, but I was sure the rental company was going to charge me extra.  N was a complete trooper, she felt better afterwards (having nothing left in her little stomach, poor kid!) and kept a sunny disposition.  I was upfront with the rental company, and completely explained that N had gotten sick in the mountains and their brand new automatic Diesel Mercedes whatever model, that had less than 2000 km when I took it, was going to smell eggy when they opened it.  And you know what?  They said not to worry about it, I wasn't the first nor the last, and that's what cleaning was for.

I brought back some cheese and ham from Spain.  I haven't even opened it yet because once I do I know I will not stop eating it.  And it still reminds me of the afternoons in the plaza with Adal and a "clara," a light beer mixed with tonic water, or a Sangria, fruity and light.  I still smell Spain in the air.  I still smell Spain on my fingers.

Journey to Santiago - Day 28, Twenty-sixth Stage

Day 28 - Triacastela to Sarria

Distance walked today: 18.3 km (11.4 miles)

Total distance walked: 411 km (256.9 miles)

Total distance left: 115.3 km (72 miles)

Information on the stage traveled here.


So Adal traveled today another stage, putting him in Sarria.  Sarria is the minimum distance starting point to receive the Compostela in Santiago, which means that you can walk the 115 km from Sarria to Santiago and get the same church document that you completed the pilgrimage as those that walked 800 km.  It seems unfair, but it's not.  Those that have traveled from Roncesvalles know who they are, there is a look to them that is missing from those only traveling from Sarria.  Not that it is any small feat anyway from Sarria, but you can tell who has walked 6 days and who has walked over 31 days.


The practical portion of this is that are many more pilgrims from Sarria on, since so many start there.  This means the albergues and hostels get very full very quickly.  Luckily, he walked very quickly today, getting to Sarria at about noon, which was quite fast for travelling 18 km!  He was able to get a bed very easily at the alberque, but by 2 pm it was completely full.  He says the new walkers starting in Sarria saw his feet and were in shock.  He must've freaked out a few of them!  I think he got a rise out of it, he he.  He's kind of proud of the lesions and callouses he has accumulated on his journey.


There are different flavors of accommodation when on the Way; there's albergues, hostels, and hotels.  Albergues are generally free or take a donation, and can be run either by religious organizations or the municipality.  It's usually a very large room or two, bunk beds all around, common toilet facilities, sometimes they have a communal kitchen, clotheslines, etc.  These get filled up quickly and first by the walkers.  Once these are full, most walkers move on to the hostels, which are usually privately run by individuals, but with the same facilities more or less.  These can cost from 5 euros to 15 euros.  In this category you can also count those rooms which are usually a double room or so, for a slightly higher price.  Then you have the hotels, which can vary from European one stars to four stars.  One stars are much like hostels, except they might be individual rooms, usually bathrooms are shared.  Two stars are nicer, usually have their own bathrooms in suite.  And three stars is more of what we are accustomed to; spacious rooms, nice bathroom, tv and a/c, etc.

Today we traveled home from Santiago.  We caught an early morning (very early!) flight to Madrid and then changed to Stockholm.  It was exhausting.  I realized when we got home that we had no food in the house since we had finished everything before going.  So, it was a McDonald's day.  I took a two hour nap, enough to recover some energy, and incredibly N played quietly by herself and let me sleep!  She was such a trooper the whole trip!

We are all missing each other, but we are at peace.  We know the other is doing fine and happy.  And I know Adal is happy.  Very happy.  And that's what counts.

Journey to Santiago - Day 25, 26, & 27, 23rd to 26th Stage

Day 24 - Ponferrada

Distance walked today: 0 km (0 miles)

Total distance walked: 352.1 km (220.1 miles)

Total distance left: 207.2 km (129.5 miles)

Day 25 - Ponferrada 

Distance walked today: 0 km (0 miles)

Total distance walked: 352.1 km (220.1 miles)

Total distance left: 207.2 km (129.5 miles)

Day 26 - Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo
Distance walked today: 24.1 km (15.1 miles)

Total distance walked: 376.2 km (235.1 miles)

Total distance left: 183.1 km (114.4 miles)

Information on the stage traveled here.

Day 27 - Villafranca del Bierzo to Vega del Valcarce (on by car to Triacastela)

Distance walked today: 16.5 km (10.3 miles)

Total distance walked: 392.7 km (245.4 miles)

Total distance left: 166.6 km (104.1 miles)

Information on the stage traveled here.

So here I sit late in my hotel room ready to leave tomorrow for Stockholm again. But I didn't want to leave Spain without some notes. We said goodbye to Adal today as we left him in Triacastela.

We spent Tuesday all day again with Adal and buying things he needed in town. And maybe just a few little things for us girls. Well, N ended up with 3 new pairs of shoes, two new dresses, and I don't know how many pairs of hand knitted wool socks for winter/fall which is practically year round anyway. I went for a quick haircut since I can't seem to find a decent hairstylist in Stockholm that cuts hair the way I like it. I found a beauty academy and besides being super cheap AND very good, they liked me enough that they sold me some of their professional hair stuff to me and for a good price.

He headed off from Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo yesterday Wednesday for the fist walking attempt after being grounded for almost 4 days He felt great! He was all smiles that he is walking again. Here they tell the walkers (called "peregrinos" or pilgrims in English, even if they are not walking for religious reasons) "Buen Camino!" which means "Good Walk" or "Good Way". And he was so happy when he heard the first Buen Camino of the day! I checked out of the Ponferrada hotel (Hotel El Castillo, a very good European three star hotel close to older historical part of town, at a very nice price!) and had my last coffee at the hotel cafe downstairs. We saw the cafe girl several times a day and always got our morning coffee there. I told her I was following my husband for a few days on the Way and we talked for a bit about our story. She gave us our coffee and juice for free with a smile and a good luck. These kinds of people just warm your heart!

His feet are better, extremely ugly but better. He may have to take it a little slower now but he's a lot closer to finishing. So we headed off from Ponferrada to meet him in Villafranca. I have to admit that there was something charming in Ponferrada that was lacking in Villafranca. Maybe it's because we stayed there so long (3 nights, 4 for Adal), or because it was the perfect blend of small enough town but big enough to find what you're looking for. Maybe it was that we paid such a reasonable price for a nice hotel room and got scalped in Villafranca. Or maybe it's that except for the business that the pilgrims bring, there's no other big influx of economy there. The Hotel Posada Plaza Mayor was like a three star European with four star pricing. The reception was very nice but I just found it overpriced.

So today's plan was to meet Adal at O Cebreiro, the uppermost point of the trail for the next few days. That way I could drive him to Triacastela and he would save himself the pain and suffering of the very steep decline. Well it didn't quite work out that way. Today thursday we set off from Villafranca to O Cebreiro, which isn't even on the GPS of the car I rented, and once there found that Adal had only made it 13 km away. There was a real possibility that even if he walked most of the day, he just was not going to be able to make it that far up. So we decided to go pick him up in La Faba. Another place not on the GPS, but when I force-entered the coordinates, twice it led me back to a donkey trail that was just not car passable. We decided to try for a larger town called Vega del Valcarce and try to meet him up there. Mind you, when I say bigger town it's because it had about 10 buildings. And a car passable road. From there we set the GPS to Triacastela, and lo and behold, it took me right in front of O Cebreiro. So I decided to stop so Adal could see the albergue.

Off to Triacastela we go, and the first hostel is full. He was able to rent a double room from farther down the road. And that's where I left him. It was a sad goodbye because we had such a good time together and we will all miss each other. It was a fun adventure together. But we need to let him go on his Way, to let him keep walking and find his way. We know he is well and he knows we are too, and we wait for him to complete this awesome journey.

There is so much more I want to talk about, about the pilgrims I've met and the Way's ways, but it will have to be tomorrow, because for now I bid Spain a see you later. I feel I may be back. And possibly as a pilgrim next time.