Grand Finale - Day 9.10

The final stage of the Portuguese Camino is a long uphill slog of 26 km, and respecting our combined ages, we decided to take it in two halves, catching a local bus midways along and returning to our welcoming pension in Santiago on Saturday evening, and returning by taxi to complete the stage at our ease on sunny Sunday, September 10th, less burdened down by full backpacks and having once again attended the quiet early morning mass at the Cathedral. 

 The weather was hot,  and the going slow,  but abundant trees offered shade, and various little cafes and bars along the way provided sustenance and a chance to rest and recuperate. 

 The numbers of peregrinos increased over the weekend, and many were availing of the various bag delivery services competently run by the Post Office or Correos - a useful source of additional income in these email times!

Legend has it that it was near Padron that St James began his preaching tour of Northern Spain.  It equally attested that here his body somewhat miraculously came ashore after his martyrdom in Jerusalem.  The bollard where his boat supposedly tied up is kept in Padron's Church of Santiago.  O Perdon in the Galician name for hitching stone.  

Nearby in the old Franciscan monastery of Herbon lie the origins of the famous Padron peppers, seen on every menu in Galicia, and further afield - brought back from America by early Franciscans and enjoyed by many today.

A great abundance of fountains and old laundry troughs - lavandeiras - provide shade and liquid refreshment, and grapes were ripening as well as corn.  

As we got nearer to Santiago the pace and number of walkers picked up greatly, but we had decided not to try and be in time for the big pilgrim mass at noon, and instead reached the cathedral at our leisure.  It was wonderful to count down the kilometers on the granite milestones bearing the image of a yellow scallop shell on a blue background, plus the yellow arrow which had been our steadfast guide from the very beginning of this and every camino.

At 14.33 we proudly stood in front of the magnificent facade of Santiago's Cathedral, the blue of our Breakthrough tee-shirts matching the blue of the sky above.  We were overcome with joy and gratitude for having achieved our goal, and for the huge generosity of our many sponsors.  We have remembered you all along the Way!

Very shortly later we received our compostelas  or certificates of completion of the pilgrim way, written in Latin, plus an official record of the distance covered, which officially states 127 kms, but my trusty phone app disagrees and tots up our total mileage walked from Valenca as 196 km  allowing for our inevitable additional peregrinations! 

And so our official journey ends, but many who walk to Santiago extend their journey to Finisterre. Next post will cover our brief sojourn there. 

Temporal treats : Day 7, 8

Two nights at the renowned spa at Caldas de Reis allowed us the great luxury of swimming in the warm outdoor pool, and soaking away the accumulated aches and pains in the sulphur-rich hot tub alongside.

It had been a hard enough push from Pontevedra, and the lure of weightlessness was truly special: even the odd sudden downpour added to our enjoyment.  The local church is dedicated to St Thomas à Becket who made his pilgrimage to Santiago in 1167, three years before his assassination. 

Caldas' patron saint however is San Roque, responsible for pilgrims (and dogs), so a good friend of ours!   He was saved from the plague by a loyal dog who licked his sores, and brought him bread. He turns up a lot on the Camino.

 

Our second morning at Caldas we walked part of the following stage towards Padrón, and retraced our steps to once again enjoy the rejuvenating waters, a leg massage and excellent local cuisine

Only two days ahead to arrival at Santiago

Rain 'n Shine : Day 4 - 7

The trouble about writing a travel blog is having enough energy/memory after a long day's hiking to get one's thoughts together, and then transcribe them into coherent prose. 

The addition of perhaps an over-liberal intake of excellent local wine could scupper the entire enterprise quite easily.. However, our sponsors deserve feedback, and we will endeavour to provide...

Four days in, the feet became more accustomed to punishment, and the path less tarmacked.  We travelled from our chic studio in Redondela to a family hotel in ria-side Arcade, and on into the bustling university city of Pontevedra.

 Having been caught out in some serious rain en route from Arcade, that evening we sought decent waterproof ponchos to protect ourselves and our packs, and this necessitated a 12-min train ride to Vigo's revamped City centre station where Decathlon have a shop (as well as Penny's H&M and FNAC)

Thus prepared, we encountered only the lightest of showers in the past few days, but today provided some spectacular downpours and we are feeling suitably smug, and dry!

Total mileage walked so far since September 1 (according to my phone's health app) is a not too shoddy 154 kms, but a lot of that might be accounted to off- piste wandering!

In our next installment hear how we have taken a little time out to restore minds and bodies: coming soon!

Buen camino, y gracias! 

Feet and Miles : Day 2 - 3

Our anniversary morning dawned bright and breezy and promised another day of excellent walking conditions: temperatures in the low 20s and sun at our backs as we continue our north-bound journey.  

However, lots of minor roadway and hard surface began to tell and by early afternoon my left foot was in a lot of pain.  On our other caminos Frank fashioned stout eucalyptus poles, but it wasn't until several hours' walking that suitable ones were found today, and honed into ideal lengths, and no better anniversary present could be had!

Porriño, our destination for the evening, is a large town with an excellent medical centre, and I felt it would be a good opportunity to have the offending foot checked out. The doctor demanded an x-ray, and we spent several hours at a huge new public hospital near Vigo before finally being pronounced fit to continue the walk. So much would have been jeopardised had I been prescribed days of rest as feared. 

Our eventual celebratory anniversary dinner was extra sweet in every way!

Determined to cut our mileage yesterday we chose a shorter route, and the new poles made a lot of difference. Hiking one of the ancient Roman roads we marvelled at their durability and I posed at an extant milestone along the way.

By chance we discovered a wonderful concert for harp at the Church of St James near our lodging in Redondela, and were transported musically through Spain of the C15, a calming finale to our third day en camino. 

Thanks again for your interest and support. Showers are forecast for the next few days so we will keep you posted. 

En camino

We are blessed!  Dublin Airport was quiet as a lamb, our Aer Lingus flight smooth and on time, our pension in Santiago de Compostela delightfully welcoming, and sun shone on the ancient stones of the cathedral as we sipped delicious Albariño from nearby Rias Baixas. Our first dinner was delicious: the pilgrims' life excellent so far!

Light mist greeted us next morning as we headed for the 7.30 Pilgrims' Mass at the resplendent cathedral, entering by the impressive Holy Door which is only opened during those years when St James' feast day (July 25) falls on a Sunday.  This occurred last year, but thanks to the pandemic, 2022 has also been declared a Holy Year, or Jacobea.

The bus we had hoped to catch from Santiago to Valença in Portugal was overbooked, so we took a train south to Vigo and a taxi to Tui just across the Miño River from the famous fortified town. Our walk started on the narrow two-tier bridge (which carries infrequent trains on top, cars and pedestrians below), over into Portugal for a wander through  Valença's cobbled streets, gaining the vital stamps on our Pilgrim Passports to qualify for our compostela at the end of the journey. Then we began our camino proper, back over the river and steeply up to Tui's C12 cathedral, sadly closed when we arrived. 

From there we descended and left the border town, walking mainly on minor roads and woodland paths, very grateful for clouds and reviving breezes: the journey seemed to drag as the day wore on, and the feet protested!   But there were remarkably few walkers, and we were able to enjoy our solitude. My phone registered a very surprising total of 24 kms when we finally reached our hotel at 6.30. The temporal luxury of a reviving bath seemed more vital than the plenary indulgence granted at Santiago Cathedral's Porta Santa! 

Our 55th anniversary day promises fewer miles and happier feet. Watch this space.

Renewed thanks to all our amazing supporters as funds raised so far top 3000 euros. We are keeping you in our hearts and prayers ❤️🙏. 

Hasta la proxima! 

Packing

The scales are looking good. My tried and tested old camino backpack weighs 6.5 lbs, under 3kg, and contains all my needs for 10 days on the road : essential laundry will happen every few days,  and hopefully my rain gear stowed at the bottom won't get much use. It would be tempting fate to hike without it,  even though the forecast looks pretty settled :weather in Galicia,  like Ireland,  can be unpredictable,  so best to expect some heavy showers. 

Donations are pouring in and we are amazed and delighted. Targets continue to climb,  and hopefully our performance en route won't let you down! 

 

Were expecting Dublin Airport to be nice and quiet on Wednesday at lunchtime : we will report from Santiago that evening, before heading to Valenca on Thursday morning to begin the hike 

 

Buen camino y muchas gracias!