The Happy Pilgrim

I have read that the transition from The Camino back to your previous life can be challenging, well that’s according to Brierley. I have sent my Guide Book home now to make space in my bags so there are no words of wisdom from him to recount or paraphrase. These reflections must be my own and re-editing my blog five years on, they remain similar to those thoughts published in late June 2015.

We must continue with being mindful and aware that while one develops a great fondness for the Camino, one can’t be on it forever. It is probably harder for some and not so hard for others. When I returned to Santiago on Sunday en route to Malaga, I found myself quite aware that I have had my time (my arrival is over and it’s time to move on). The street vendors have moved to other parts of the square and there are new tour buses arriving at the Cathedral. I found that Finisterre completed my Camino journey for me. That walk "to the end of the world" is not for everyone. It's incredibly personal. Some choose Finisterre, some choose Muxia and some chose both. It is more quiet.

For some, if they run out of time, leave too soon and don’t wind them selves out it could be very upsetting to finish too quickly. Sort of like leaving without saying goodbye. Walking all that way, and towards the end glimpsing the ocean was truly extraordinary. I am so pleased that veterans like Helen (from the UK) didn’t give that away because it was a delightful surprise.. When I walked off the track and on to the beach and into the ocean I knew I didn’t need any more arrows. I was home. All the Pilgrims I spoke to later in the day and that evening agreed that the 2 km beach walk was a perfect way to complete the journey. Those endless shells were a delight and I collected some to bring home.

Coincidentally, as I was sitting on the stone seat at the edge of town in front of yet, another bar along came Lizzy. She called out to me and I didn’t recognise her at first (being short sighed and without my prescription sunglasses!) I may mentioned I lost them walking out of Pamplona!  Lizzy had arrived to walk along the beach and meet up with Rory.  He was a few kilometres behind me, nearing the start of the beach walk that I had just finished. Rory had made a very romantic marriage proposal in Santiago de Compostela last Sunday. They had been together seven years and their Camino was very special and obviously life affirming. Lizzy had got a lift to Finisterre because of her ongoing knee problem. She bravely battled the injury nearly the whole journey from SJPDP and Rory watched over her and cared for her gallantly.  Together they epitomised patience, kindness and resilience and I sincerely wish them well on the next stage of their life journey. Rory opted to walk the extra kms and put in a second huge day of 35kms (a mammoth effort) and they were meeting up on the beach. She asked me to join them for dinner that evening and perhaps go with them to the lighthouse. I was mindful of their privacy but she kindly encouraged me along. We parted ways and later ran into them both twice more that afternoon (as you tend to do) around the village.

My final guest house was lovely but I couldn’t check in until 2pm. This meant I had some time up my sleeve and I went and purchased some more “non-pilgrim” clothes for my next stage in Malaga and Barcelona and then on to Doha. I also needed to submit my Pilgrim passport with my twice daily “sessos” (stamps) at the Municipal Albergue. This is where the Finisterre credential is issued. The Municipal didn’t open until 1:30pm so I used this time to order a coffee. I have been limiting my coffee in Spain as it’s been so mediocre. I am a fussy coffee drinker, however today, for some reason I decided to jump off the edge and give it another go. So the story goes I need to walk to the end of the earth to get the best coffee in Spain. It was so nice I had two and laughed with the gentle fellow in hippy pants and jingling bells around his ankles and great English who served me. (He looked tanned and calm and like he was from Biron Bay). His manager was fussing around and the two of them were exact opposites. I laughed (and so did he) because he knew I was perplexed about how he could remain so patient and calm while his manager bounced off the walls. There are lessons to be learned everywhere and I found my self warming to this special place on the North Atlantic coastline at the north-west tip of Spain.

At 1:20pm I lined up for my Finisterre credential and waited about a further 20 minutes after the albergue opened. The line moved slowly but surely and everyone was polite and eager at the same time. I chatted to some Canadian ladies in the queue who had walked the northern route and were heading on to Muxia the following day (another 30kms). They didn’t walk along the beach because they were concerned about their feet with their packs on their backs. (Too heavy with the sand and they didn’t want to injure themselves).  I hope they get a chance to do the beach walk as it was not only cleansing for the soul but also extremely therapeutic for tired feet. My feet are very happy as I transition out of The Camino and I am very aware that not everyone is as fortunate.

After this I wandered around (saw Rory and Lizzy) and got a meet up place and time and went on to take some more photos and enjoy the views. I found a bank and purchased my bus ticket back to Santiago the following morning. There were three buses to choose from the 9:45am didn’t give me much time to walk the beach again in the morning,  but the 11:45am bus gave me plenty of time where as the 16:45pm bus could mean I wouldn’t get a chance to visit Saint James at the Cathedral. I missed my chances when I was there Sun-Mon-Tues. The queues were always so long. I got some snacks (fruit and beans) for the bus and train and then made my way to my guest house. It was reasonably large but not too large and way up high on a hill. I had a view out my window which was lovely, a fan and there was a little swimming pool. I did the usual Pilgrim things, washed my clothes and myself and organised my bags then went out.

When you walk the distance I had it’s just inevitable that you run into Pilgrims that you have spoken to or seen before. Sometimes you never see them again and other times you run into them every town or every second town. You see them in the plaza, at mass, in the supermarkado, at dinner or at breakfast or when stopping at a bar (and toilet) between towns. Sometimes you stop and offer to take a photo of them or ask them how they were since you last spoke (especially if they are carrying injuries). This is what this “collective” of people do, Pilgrims watch out for each other, they say hello and they check in on you. Many are self aware and respect that people sometimes like to walk alone.  It’s truly lovely and I find myself wishing I could put together a brief, recommending some of our politicians (on both sides) do at least one Camino before the end of their first term in government!

Meeting up with Pilgrims that I knew previously was inevitable and I wasn’t surprised that I ran into a 64 year old man I met in Rabanal.  I saw him regularly since then plus the couple with the little baby who had just taken her first steps on the Camino. On my final morning I met with Arjan (from Holland) at breakfast, a Pilgrim who was introduced to me by Lizzy and Rory at dinner the night before. I took a great photo of him at the lighthouse doing a handstand and asked Lizzy to pass it on to him. Coincidentally we were at the same guesthouse. He asked me to join him for breakfast and I showed him the photos on my camera and some of those already loaded on my blog. He particularly like the photo or Rory on top of O’Cebrero (one of my favourites).  He gave me his details so I could email him some photos and permission to publish any photos of him I chose and then we said our goodbyes. On the bus, I saw Kevin again. I met for the first time at the lighthouse the night before and enjoyed some very funny stories. He had been teaching English as a second language in Spain for the last two years and was returning to the US to take up a masters in English Literature. He had a great head torch which was very smart as getting back off those rocks in the dark was tricky!  Along with Lizzy and Rory we shared a taxi back to town.

As I write this latest post I have just been on an overnight train from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid and I am now on a connecting train to Malaga. I woke very early and did a few yoga stretches *standing upright in the quiet walkway outside of my four-sleeper compartment. The windows were huge and I enjoyed looking outside at the early morning landscape. It was dry and beautiful at the same time. I noticed an abundance of olive trees and there they were (by chance) a herd of wild deer, some with huge antlers. The sun cast shadows on the landscape and it was reminiscent of the Meseta in some ways (but not as flat).

I may not run into any more Pilgrims I have met before from here on, but if I do I won’t be at all surprised.  The train ride last night was noisy and squashy but I was glad to be laying down as opposed to sitting up all night. It went fast and there was time to freshen up before arriving in Madrid. Finding out how to get my connection was a bit of a challenge as the people who spoke English didn’t know the platform details and passed me on to people who didn’t speak English.  I was “shepherded" and by this I mean “pointed” in the direction with little or no detail and only in Spanish  (and a whole heap of faith). I am learning that I can’t always get the whole picture (all the details) sometimes I have to just go to the next gate/door/platform and the rest will unfold. I think if anyone explained to me exactly what I was going to have to do, perhaps I wouldn’t have been able to cope! Needless to say, there was another  (inter-city) ticket to be issued, a platform to find, an interconnecting train to catch to another station. Then a queue to stand in, a different area to move to, another queue to seek directions and finally 20 minutes before departure I found my platform and train. But I made it and that's the main thing!

When I purchased my tickets on Tuesday I had the option “upgrade” to first class for an extra 1euro on the last leg (Madrid-Malaga).. All I can say is “VERY NICE”. I have a lovely single seat next to a window all on my own. Plenty of leg room, a fabulous tray table to set up my iPad and keyboard and we even got some nice food. This means I don’t need to get a headache from skipping breakfast at Madrid train station or worry about lunch when I get to Malaga. I just need to find myself a hotel close to the station. Easy to do with “maps.me” and ”Tripso” app both on my iPhone.  It will be the same routine when I book in (shower, wash clothes) sort bag quickly and out to explore again.

The big change from the Camino is that there’s not as much free wifi evident… no free wifi on trains or bus stations (or on trains or buses). There was wifi 98% of the time from what I found. It wasn’t always fast but it was available and free.  You can’t complain about that. Never-mind I can still collect my thoughts on the train without it and comfortable trains are certainly a great new experience for me. The time flies and before you know it you’re there.

Tomorrow I catch another train 50kms out of Malaga and walk the Caminito Del Rey and I can’t wait.

The warm weather in Spain was glorious. Back home everyone was struggling through a very cold winter. I later realised that in 2015 I had two summers and I never really coped well with winters in Canberra after that.

Until next time, adios from The Happy Pilgrim in sunny-southern Spain.