We've only just begun...

 

It was dark when we took our first steps on the last stretch of our pilgrimage along the Way of St James. In some ways this seemed appropriate ..the morning mist on the valleys as the sun rose, the stillness broken only by the sound of our feet and the birds singing. 

We were both deep in thought as we began the climb out of Lavocolla, one of the last stops along the camino. It is thought that pilgrims in the Middle Ages used to wash in the stream here to arrive clean at the shrine of St James.

Sue took this story seriously and decided to wash ( just her hands ) in a fairly fast flowing stream. Suffice to say she lost her footing, but thankfully was wearing her Gor Tex boots and waterproof trousers!

For the rest of our walk we were excited, but a little sad that our pilgrimage was nearing an end. We were blessed by a beautiful rainbow which lifted our spirits. As we. Drew nearer to Santiago the road became much busier. Although from Mount  Gozo it is no longer possible to see the cathedral spires, we could still see the city, and from there it was downhill until the final ascent to the cathedral steps.

 We arrived in time for the Pilgrims Mass - words fail to describe the experience. We met lots of friends with whom we had shared the journey, and we were all united in prayer and worship in the cathedral - our final destination 

...or is it?

St Augustine said:

"Behold our end which has no end."

 

He also said:  

"Sing Alleluia,

and keep on walking!"

Day after day...

We have described our journey so far in terms of places we have visited, the beauty of our surroundings and times of laughter and fun. Never a dull moment! More difficult to express are our thoughts and feelings. As we travelled the miles we have encountered God with new eyes and in new ways in the people we have met, the places we have stopped and in the 

natural beauty of the world around us.

Each day it's as if a new journey begins... A journey into the unknown ... exciting, full of anticipation but also full of hope that we have the strength to reach our destination with blister free feet!

On Thursday 10th we had a particular experience in mind as we walked to Melide, a little town deeply linked with the pilgrimage to Santiago.  One of the best known dishes served in Melide is the octopus!

 As recorded previously we did have an unexpected taster in Sarria of the gastronomic delights in Melide. Bryan,our vicar, wanted evidence that we would not return without sampling the pulpo ... an experience we did not relish. Every picture tells a story.

When we return,we look forward to telling you about the many colourful characters we have met on the way. There are too many  to write about here - fellow pilgrims who have helped to make every day special, including a lovely couple who live along the road from Ian and Joan!!
Theads and links of those we meet never cease to amaze us!

On the road to Aruza on Friday we were happy to find two village churches open. In one of them a Spanish man enthusiastically described his little church to us. We did not understand each other but there was no mistaking his pleasure when we gave him a postcard of St John's before we left.

Each day we have shared the path with cyclists from around the world also on route to Santiago we spent time chatting to a Romanian paralympic champion who took part in the London Olympics and is now preparing for Rio. On this afternoon there was also a group of people on horseback. 

We spent Friday night in a hostel but not in bunks thankfully!

We have met so many inspiring people, but on Saturday, as we walked to Rua, we were  privileged to share the excitement of around 20 disabled people, each on their own adapted  cycles, accompanied by carers and volunteers - young and old. They had travelled from Madrid to journey to Santiago. 

Spontaneous cheers and applause welcomed them to our Casa.

Between us we have taken hundreds of photos. This little robin and many more like him provided pleasure and birdsong wherever we walked  ...and this larger bird made us smile. HAS HE A COUSIN NEAR THE GARDEN CENTRE IN TIMPERLEY fee?

Resting Places...

Since leaving Ferreiros on Monday morning, every day has brought  new experiences. Misty mornings have cleared to bring warm sunny afternoons. 

How lucky we are!

 We continue to enjoy beautiful countryside - very green with hints of Autumn on the hedgerows and trees, fallen apples and paths strewn with chestnuts. The camino is now more gentle compared with our first few days, but we still have had some steep and rough ground to cover.

On Tuesday we stayed at the town of Portomarin, which has an interesting history. In the 1960's the river Mino was dammed to create the Belesar reservoir. The old village is now under water. The most important historical monuments were moved brick by brick up to the new town. 

The following day we continued to walk through more stone villages - their grain stores on stilts, the farmers working their land. On this stretch of the trail we reached our half way mark!

 On Wednesday we had another opportunity to leave the camino to spend a night in the countryside near Ventas ...a quiet little farmers hamlet.  Unlike our last trip off the trail, we had a very pleasant drive to our destination

 - Pazo de Ludeiro..

Every night night so far we have enjoyed comfortable accommodation and good food. Compleja La Cabana - set right on the Camino path, just before the descent into Palais de Rei, surrounded by pine and chestnut trees, was our next stop. This time we were in a log cabin! 
(with a window that just fell out ... more about that another day.)

Off The Beaten Track...

Ferreiros, an extremely remote hamlet on the Camino, paper in hand, phone number to contact, but no reply, again and again and again!
Less than helpful bar staff in the Casa, one of only two inhabited places the other at the bottom of a long, steep hill!

 We tried to phone a taxi company, but abandoned our efforts 'non comprendi'.
A young Italian, a fellow pilgrim, tried to interpret for us. Eventually a young Spanish girl took pity and phoned a taxi for us. Two hours later a taxi arrived!

  There after it felt like we were on the film set of a James Bond car chase.  An expected 3km ride extended to a half hour roller coaster ride. Very scary! The mad Spanish chauffeur eventually stopped the car in Portomarin, 

our next days destination! 

 He laughed at our efforts to tell him there must be a mistake, that we were going the wrong way.  However, our panic subsided when a young Romania pilgrim joined us at this point. This was no ordinary taxi driver but the owner of Foilebar, our overnight accommodation.  When we arrived at his beautiful home, high up in the hills, he explained that his property name meant

 'House of the Wolf!'

We needed time to recover from the panic and travel sickness before enjoying a wonderful meal in the company of new  companions.  We prayed for forgiveness for lack of faith and in thanksgiving for our safe arrival.

But in the middle of the night when there was a loud banging  on the door we wondered if we were on the set of an Agatha Christie murder mystery or maybe too much wine!

All jokng apart it was a privilege to enjoy spending time in this beautiful home with such friendly, hospitable people.

The next morning we were taken back to where we had been picked up to continue our Camino. 

Hola, Hola, Hols!

Thank you all for your comments and words of advice. We appreciate some of you are unable to make a comment as your texts indicate but thank you everyone for your thoughts, best wishes and prayers.

It was a misty morning as we left Sarria on Sunday. It just so happened, as we walked down the hill leaving the town, we met Christina. She was starting out on her journey, experiencing the same emotions as we had at O'Cebreiro.

 We travelled together as far as Morgade. On the way she shared her reasons for making this pilgrimage. The road is so much busier now, pilgrims from around the world... Some walking alone, others in groups, young and old, many languages, so many different reasons for being here but the shared thread of fellowship and caring uniting us all. 

Barriers broken in the sound of 'Hola! Hola!' 'Buen Camino!'

                                            

Sadly most of the churches we have passed since Sarria had their doors closed and locked but many shrines have been created, wooden and concrete crosses, stone  cairns and a collage of stones, fir cones and wild flowers. All representing feelings, memories, hopes and prayers. We ended our days journey at Ferreiros where we waited and waited and waited...

There was no friendly 'hola' this time....

 

 

...but that's another story!

One more step along the road...

Due to difficulties in gaining internet access each day, and our need for a good pilgrim meal and an early bed, our blog news has been sparse so far.

There is so much to share and we plan to write a longer account 

when we return.  

                               

Our journey to Triacestella, and then on to Sarria on our first two days took us through hamlets which have changed little over the centuries. We passed very few pilgrims on the way, and only a few local people. We were fortunate to visit many small churches and have time to reflect on why we were there and the thousands of pilgrims who were there before us!

Triacestella

We arrived in Sarria on Saturday evening after a long winding road, sometimes exhilarating, sometimes exhausting, especially at the end, 

but very very beautiful.  

As we reached the outskirts of the town, 

we were a little disappointed. 

Yes, we were tired (the walk had certainly been longer than we expected ), but our first impressions were not good. Eventually when we almost reached our hotel, one of us discovered she had left her stick 

a few kms back at our map stop. 

So ...we retraced our steps!! 

We guessed from past experience that we would walk more than 100 miles! 

                                

However, our evening out on the town was enough to get us back in high spirits... An evening meal with 2 choices per course. ..different and more expensive than the pilgrims €10 with wine special! Since our knowledge of Spanish is extremely limited, we decided to order all the food on offer and share! ...and a bottle of good Rioja to celebrate our achievement so far. 

Well, what appeared caused much hilarity - a plateful of baby octopus, or should that be 'pi'? ...and a bowl of large prawns sizzling in what looked like hot oil and cheerios! We felt duty bound to try and taste, especially since there was nobody else in the restaurant. It would have been rude not to, but the sight of curly tentacles and shrivelled little bodies waiting to be chewed was a bigger challenge than all the hills we had climbed!  

Courses 2 and 3 were not a lot better,but the wine was good!

Enough about food! 

 On Saturday we had a rest day, when we discovered that the re was an old town of Sarria, which is more quaint and friendly. Sarria is a popular place to start the camino as the distance from here to Santiago is enough to obtain the compostela. So for us,there are now many more pilgrims to meet, 

many more stories to share. 

We went to mass on Saturday evening, which included a Baptism, and where we met Christina from Whalley Range! Later, we joined a party of pilgrims from many countries for dinner and having been told that Sue was obviously the younger pilgrim, the Granny was also described as  "very fit" and has a date with German Ralph to join him on another camino - the Northern Way from San Sebastion, when she' s 80. He'll then be 85! 

On Our Way...

                 

Two days ago we set off from O'Cebreiro to begin our walk 

 to Santiago de Compostela.   

  

We  have had to face many challenges already ..including freak storm conditions 4,000 feet up ( Sue was literally blown off her feet at one point, much to the amusement  of some German pilgrims)  

Our wet weather gear was well tested in heavy rain, and we experienced  impressive thunder and lightning. 

Source

 However, we have also enjoyed wonderful views in glorious sunshine, 

and are proud of our achievements so far. 

Two long walking days with many steep inclines and no blisters!  

We have many stories to tell another day. 

Look out for the tale of the grumpy monk, and the first 

encounter with an octopus!   

As you would expect, we have laughed a lot!  

We look forward to another adventure tomorrow.

Starting out...

This blog will be a diary of our Pilgrimage through life...