Author: fatijah

A poem about the Camino. (I especially like the last four lines.)

And with appreciation to everyone who has helped me with Spanish, here is the Spanish translation.

The Cathedral!

To all my friends and family and everyone I met on the Camino – Thank you!

Before catching the bus to Finisterre, I wanted one last visit to the cathedral – I got there a few minutes after 7am, when it opened and, in the crypt behind the altar, I was totally alone.

Then I donned my backpack and set off for the bus station.  After a two hour bus journey along the beautiful coast road, we pulled in to Finisterre and there was my friend  Jean waiting for me! She took me to a cafe and put a bowl of yoghurt, muesli and fruit, along with a cup of coffee, in front of me.  Bliss! 

I hadn’t realized that I was still rather emotional from the Camino experience – in fact I hadn’t quite completed it – and really needed this gentle environment to decompress.  Mano, Jean’s partner, joined us and we spent the next couple of hours sharing Camino experiences over coffee.  (They had met in Finisterre eleven years ago after having finished the Camino and have been together ever since).

 Many people in Finisterre have a connection with the Camino and there is a warmth and open heartedness about the place which provide a safe haven. 

Jean and Mano took me back to their apartment where I soaked in a hot bath and relaxed till very soon it was time to go out to a wonderful local restaurant for lunch – where we continued swapping experiences for another 2 hours – and though I had never met Mano before, by now I felt as if I’d known him all my life.

Photos – the port of Finisterre, a wild beach, cliffs to the sea, a popular swimming beach

Before I knew it, it was early evening – just time to walk to one of the nearby beaches – come home for a light supper – and then walk out to the lighthouse at the end of Cap de Finisterre for the spectacular sunset. 

The sun setting on the Cap de Finisterre.

  August  5th – my last day

After breakfast on the verandah, we set off to the weekly market. Our pace was leisurely as every few minutes Jean and Mano would pass a friend and of course each wanted to catch up with the other’s news. We bought cheeses and fruit, and I bought a dress for 10 euros – a delightful change after four weeks of my two tee shirts and shorts. 

We walked to another beautiful beach and ate lunch overlooking the ocean – with more experiences to share.

On the way to the cafe, one last photo!

And then it was time to leave for Santiago to fly to London and be reunited with Kenneth.

Your Camino is particular to you. A common saying on the way is, “You have to do your own Camino.” Mine could be pictured as a ven diagram of three equal overlapping circles, labeled ‘spiritual quest’, ‘adventure’ and ‘expanding the boundaries’.

Why did I do it?  I just knew I absolutely had to do it – I didn’t know why.

The other realization I had about the Camino is –  “It’s all about the people!” 

First and most important are family and friends.

 For me, this was my bedrock – feeling  connection and support from my family and my friends was more important than any of you could imagine. I kept finding myself singing the Beatle’s song, “I get by with a little help from my friends.”  And to Kenneth especially – thank you for letting me fly!

Second to this, were my companions on the way.  I started on my own – trusting help would be at hand if I needed it -and it was!  

(On the Camino the normal socio-economic barriers don’t exist – nobody cares what work you do, if you are rich or poor, old or young – the only thing that matters is your openness of heart.)

When I reached Tomar, I was very apprehensive about the next stage, which was 30 kilometers with no stopping places. That was when my merry band of pilgrims stepped in – in the form of Will, Sam, Nola, Janae, Johanna and Eli (who walked with us for only one day but nevertheless touched our hearts).  First, they invited me to join them for the dinner – delicious but  even more memorable for the camaraderie. Then Nola said, “We are leaving tomorrow morning at 5:15.  Are you coming?”  How could I refuse?  The banter and good humor got me up the hills. Laughter and conversation helped the time pass. And at the end of the day, Will, who had finished first, walked back to meet us and carried my backpack!  For the next several days we encouraged each other on, stayed together in cheap albergues and covered distances I would never have made on my own.

Then Porto, the half way point –  and Hamid’s kindness allowing me to gather my strength.

The day after Porto I stopped at a cafe – and five minutes later, who should walk in but my second merry band of pilgrims! – in the form of Martin from Croatia and four very ebullient Italians – Giulio and Martina, Nicola and Martina. And that evening we were joined by Cristina, also from Italy. The two Martinas regaled us with Italian church songs, enlivened to suit the occasion!  And again, the laughter and camaraderie helped the miles pass.

We walked together for a couple of days – and then Nicola, Martina and Martin went on ahead, followed a couple of days later by Giulio and Martina (but not before together cooking a delicious pasta dinner and together weathering the news that the albergue was full). Cristina and I were joined by Johanna, from my first merry band of pilgrims, and her friend, Cem.  I had touched base with Johanna in Porto and, in an act of true friendship, she had given me her Camino guide – I had destroyed mine by clutching it too tightly for two weeks.  And Cem,noticing that my backpack strap was torn, searched for supplies in a hardware store and mended it for me.

  In the final few days, we went slightly different routes, so I finished as I had started – on my own – but, in true Camino fashion, we all met randomly in Santiago Cathedral.

And then Jean and Mano in Finisterre – (see tomorrow’s blog)

The other phrase that you hear over and over when people describe the Camino is, “the kindness of strangers”.  I don’t even know where to begin – but here are a few examples.

There were the workmen who gesticulated wildly at us when we were blithely forging ahead in the wrong direction. One time in particular – I was walking alone and had missed an arrow – a workman, driving past, stopped his van and gestured that I needed to go back – and watched to check I was going the right way – he was not convinced, so he parked his van, got out and walked me back to the turn I had missed!   Then there were the shopkeepers who slipped an extra morsel of bread or cake into my bag.  And, maybe most memorable, the myriads of people along the way who wished us “Bom Viaje”(in Portugal) or “Buen Camino”(in Spain) and really meant it.  And, very precious to me, were the conversations along the way with some of the people I passed.  In Spain I would understand about half of what they were saying.  In  Portugal, though I didn’t understand a word, I got the meaning. One lady in a little village stopped for a very animated conversation – the gist was “Well done you for walking to Santiago.  I will pray for you.  And please pray for me when you get there.” And other times, my “Bom Dia” would elicit a torrent of Portuguese. Again, I would get the basic idea – which, depending on the circumstance, could be translated as, “It’s very hot today, isn’t it” or “Carry on around the corner and then follow the arrows” or “Your friends are at the next cafe”. They knew I wished them well, I knew they wished me well, and we all left feeling happy.

This morning I returned to the cathedral when everything was quiet and the tourists were still asleep. I met a couple of pilgrims who had just arrived – I took their photo in front of the cathedral and they took mine.

Then I went inside the cathedral, when there was almost no-one there and there was space for prayer. Behind the altar is a crypt with a silver casket, supposedly containing St James’ remains. I wasn’t expecting to feel anything there and was surprised to feel that it was in fact a holy place.

The tradition is that when you arrive in Santiago, after finishing the Camino, you randomly meet people you had walked with.  So who should I randomly bump into in the cathedral this afternoon but first Cristina and then Johanna and Cem who had just arrived. I was happy to find that the Camino magic was still alive. And then this morning I met up with Giulio and Martina – but for that I had to go to the bus station!

  Santiago at night (the top two photos are of the square by my room and the bottom photos are of the lighted cathedral and the troubadours performing under the arches of the cathedral plaza.)

The exclamation mark for Santiago de Compostela is self explanatory.  The exclamation mark for August 2nd 2016 is because that is Kenneth’s and my 35th wedding anniversary!  It had been my aim to arrive on August 2nd – but till today, I didn’t think I would make it.

I must confess that when I arrived in Santiago I was almost in tears. I didn’t know where I was going to stay, I didn’t know where the pilgrim office was and was too tired to find out and the cathedral was too full of tourists to provide any solace.  I was rescued by a kind lady serving at the souvenir shop – who gave me an address and phone number, drew on my map how to get there – and told me that I would find a place that was happy and clean – and would cost 15 euros for a single room. If it was a happy place I was on board!  I found the place, was let in by the friendly landlady, and was back to my routine – collapse on the bed for an hour and a half, take a shower and then venture out to find a cafe and explore the town – my world was set to rights again!

I tried one more time to go back in the cathedral but couldn’t fight my way through the crowds and decided to return early next morning when it would be quiet (which turned out to be a perfect decision). I was too tired even to take a photo in front of the cathedral – and decided to do that in the morning also. In fact I didn’t tell anyone, except Kenneth, that I had arrived – I wasn’t quite ready.
The streets of Santiago de Compostela

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, from front and back and showing close up of two of the entrances. (The front loses something in translation because of the scaffolding)

To be continued —

After I started the walk today, I had a strange experience.  I suddenly got the message that today was the last day of my Camino!

At the start of my Camino, when I had entered Lisbon Cathedral to get my credenciale, another strange thing had happened. When I walked in to the cathedral, I felt jangled by all the tourists snapping photos. Then suddenly the organist started playing and it was as if I were in my own bubble and — please gloss over the following if it’s against your belief system —I felt some angels were there to accompany me.

I had barely thought about that since – but when I started out today I suddenly had the feeling that, unbeknownst to me, they had in fact been accompanying me, and now they needed to move on.  So I realized I had better get to Santiago today!!!

August 2nd continued –  So, as I was saying, today was all about the breaks! – I was having to walk twice as far as I had planned.

After several more kilometers, my feet were hurting – sign for another rest stop!  Just as I was thinking this, I reached a bridge and on the other side, under a tree, was a stone bench! So I proceeded to take a catnap.

Immediately after this, the Camino veered uphill (to the left of the flags in the photo) and, unbelievably, within a couple of minutes I found myself in the outskirts of Santiago. Mind you, there were still several kilometers of uphill streets before reaching the center of Santiago!

Photos – on the left from top to bottom – getting nearer to the city center.  On the right – my first glimpse of the cathedral.

To be continued—-.

The Camino today wound through stone walled houses and narrow alleyways, past churches, crosses and the ancient grain storage buildings.

And always following the arrows!
This is one of the oldest wayside crosses in Galicia.

At this corner I couldn’t find the yellow arrow. (I knew I was on the Camino because of the blue arrows pointing to Fatima in the opposite direction.) No problem – I sat down on the conveniently located bench, had a meal of the bread and cheese I had in my backpack – and waited. And sure enough, soon afterwards another pilgrim cycled by and pointed out the arrow that had been invisible in the sun’s glare.


Today was all about the breaks!  

Photos – Walking under the grape vines – The Camino followed the railway for a while before veering off through the countryside – This is typical of the many public places for washing clothes – A path across a stream, perfect for a rest stop!



At this point I was half way and flagging – just then I was ALMOST passed by a very fit British guy, who had overtaken me a few times in the last couple of days. But something made him change his mind and he slowed down and kept me company for the next several kilometers – which passed really quickly, partly because chatting makes time pass faster and partly because I had to pick up speed in order to keep up with him. (I felt better when he told me he had trecked in the Himalayas before this) Anyway, we were three quarters of the way there before he decided he needed to speed up again and go on ahead.
To be continued…..

1. I left Caldas de Reis before dawn – and with a night of rest, keeping well away from any healing thermal waters, my feet were less swollen. The day’s walk had a nice rhythm – even though there were now many pilgrims on the way, everyone’s pace was different and so one could walk alone, occasionally passing or being passed by others.

    And then, stopping at a cafe, you would be greeted by someone you had passed on the road yesterday – and even though you knew nothing about them, except that you were both on the Camino together, it felt like meeting an old friend.

   Below – photos from the walk.  First the Roman bridge out of town and then a wayside chapel. Next walking through the woods and a view of the countryside. And lastly one of the iconic grain storage structures.

 As always, I arrived at the albergue, checked in, collapsed for an hour or two, showered, washed my clothes and then set out to find a cafe and explore the town. Padron has many historical connections with Saint James – whose tomb in the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela is the end point of the pilgrimage – and I was looking forward to explore the town.
The photos below show the first view of the town across the river – with the Convento do Carme standing guard over the town. The second photo shows the convent in the background while in the foreground is the Fonte do Carme showing the arrival of the sarcophagus of St. James with his disciples, and above that, the conversion and baptism of the pagan Queen Lupa.

Below is the church of St. James – the Igrexa de Santiago. The legend is that this is where the boat carrying the body of James the Apostle was moored by the river bank. The church was built over the site and the stone underneath the altar is supposedly the mooring post to which was boat was tied. It was also this stone (O Pedron) from which the town took its name.

The altar with the sacred stone underneath.

What was most evocative for me was Monte Santiaguino – where, legend has it, St. James first preached the gospel message. The place is difficult to find – the entrance is between two houses and easily missed.  Then the steps continue steeply up a hill – to the top, where a cross and a statue of St. James mark the place where he supposedly first preached to the people of Padron.

Tomorrow I plan to walk to Faramello – and the next day to Santiago!

Pontevedra, it turns out, is full of young people who party all Saturday night. It had seemed that our hotel was on a deserted square – but evidently the bar was just around the corner – and all night there were throngs of partygoers celebrating outside our window. When I set out at 6:30, the revelries were showing no signs of winding down and I felt decidedly underdressed with my shorts, tee shirt and backpack amongst all the partygoers with their high heels and elegant dresses.

My feet were still swollen but Caldas de Reis has healing thermal springs – which one can soak one’s feet in – so I was excited to arrive this afternoon.  Cristina was now taking an alternate route to Santiago and I again left before Johanna and Cem. I kept up my spirits by belting out negro spirituals/English folk songs/Indonesian children’s songs and anything else I could think of.  This must have increased my pace because today I arrived first.

As the Camino approaches Santiago, more religious symbols are evident along the way.

photos – a tiled picture of St. James and Santiago Cathedral, two roadside crosses and a shrine to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Caldas de Reis is a town that provides few photo opportunities! I was, nevertheless, excited about the healing properties of the thermal waters and wasted no time soaking my feet. I was puzzled that my feet seemed to be getting more swollen, not less – until someone pointed out that hot water, even from thermal springs, was exactly the opposite of what I needed!  Oh well – I live and learn.

Today was unexpected. Before we started, I was really apprehensive about the walk. But the scenery was stunning and the distance seemed shorter than it really was. Before I knew it, we were half way there. I was coaxing my body on – “You’ve done such a good job so far – just hold out a little longer!” I set off a little earlier than the others and each time they were about to overtake me, they decided to have a cigarette break.  I doubt they really wanted a break – I think they were being kind to me.

Photos – looking across the river, a yellow arrow pointing the way, a place to wash clothes (which can be found in many of the villages) and the Roman bridge we had to cross.

In the afternoon the others caught me up and we all walked together. The Camino followed a beautiful wooded stream for several kilometers. 

The path through the woods by the stream – and the delightful fisherman we met who regaled us with stories of the area.

We reached Pontevedra and made our way through the suburbs to the old town.  We found the hostel – only to find that it was full. We tried a second hostel – that was full also. I was beginning to feel nervous, when a man outside the hostel suggested we try a small hotel down the street. We did – and they had two rooms left!

After the usual collapsing on the bed, followed by showering and then hand washing our clothes and hanging them on the line, we set out to explore. Pontevedra turned out to be an unexpected jewel!

The top photo shows the square where we had coffee.  The bottom photos show the view of the square from our bedroom window, the church tower (just out of sight at the far end of the square) and the bells at the top of the church tower.

In the evening we ate in this square and then wandered round the old town, beautifully lit at night.

Today was indeed unexpected!  I was expecting a nightmare and instead it was a fairytale.

In spite of the smiles in the photos, this was a hard day. I was still feeling very, very tired.  It was an hour’s walk just to get out of the city and I sacrilegiously suggested we could get a cab to the city border. The others saved me from myself and said ‘No’.  It all worked out though because we lost the way and ended up walking along the main road, which was an hour shorter!

We arrived in Redondela, the next town, to find pilgrims everywhere! This is where the more popular central route joins the coastal route of the Portuguese Camino. It was actually a little overwhelming and we decided to walk another three kilometers to an albergue out of town – and even this was almost full.

By the evening, my feet and ankles were swollen and my heart was beating a little faster than I’m used to. We slept in bunk beds in a large dormitory – and after everyone else had gone to bed, I crept into the kitchen so as not to wake anyone up and called Kenneth in tears, to say I didn’t know if physically I could make through the last few days to reach Santiago. He calmed me down and we agreed that I should walk tomorrow as it would be a shorter stage and anyway I couldn’t stay here another day – and if I didn’t feel better tomorrow evening I would rest for a day or two.

This morning I was struggling.  I was feeling physically and psychically exhausted and kept everyone waiting while I forced myself out of bed. The group waited for me at a coffee shop and bought me a cup of coffee to boost my morale. 

But then the walk this morning turned out to be one of the most amazing on the Camino.

We walked along the sand – and couldn’t quite believe how beautiful it was.

At least until we reached Vigo!  Vigo is the largest city in Galicia and , although there is a historical town center, the somewhat unappealing suburbs stretch for miles.  In the end,when we asked a kindly man for directions, he walked us to the bus stop and explained which bus we should take to the city center and exactly where to get off the bus – when he was assured we had the information we needed, he carried on – only to walk back a few minutes later, to check that everyone had enough money for the bus fare!

Once in the city center, I sat down at a cafe – unable to walk another step.  Meanwhile, the intrepid Johanna searched for the tourist office to check on the albergue, 3 kilometers further on, where we planned to stay. It turned out that this albergue was now closed to pilgrims. In my present state of exhaustion, I would have been devastated to arrive and be turned away – so I was indebted to Johanna.  The tourist office booked some rooms for us, nearby – but when we went to the address, we were sent to a place down the street, and then to a place down another street and finally were taken to a somewhat decrepit apartment building. It definitely was not the Ritz – but we didn’t have to walk any further and we each had a bed.  I was definitely not enamoured with Vigo.  But on venturing out after a rest and a shower, I began to warm to the place.  There were lots of young people and it was actually quite lively.  What’s more, the cathedral, which had been closed, was now open. Cristina, knowledgeable from our experience in Baiona, went bravely into the office beside the altar and found the priest – who was happy to stamp our credenciales.  

The photos below show the inside of the cathedral and the lively restaurant section where we went afterwards for a grilled fish dinner – quite a treat after the more basic fare of the last few days.