Fishing Town

Fishing Town of Corcubion, originally uploaded by martinbruce54.

This was the little town of Corcubion, just before Finisterre. We stopped and got a sandwich and sat in the park by the bay and had our lunch. We must have sat for over an hour, enjoying the sun and eating bread and salami and cheese, for the 50th time.

Seems like all the “boccadillos” we ate at the little cafes had bread and cheese and some kind of meat (smoked ham, sausage, salami, hot salami, or the like). And they all cost 3 Euro or so (about $4.50), so someone was getting rich off the pilgrims.

But, no worries, this one tasted especially good.

Sea Celebration

Celebration when seeing the ocean!, originally uploaded by martinbruce54.

Can you see the sea?? It was an amazing feeling to come over the hill and be able to catch a glimpse of the sea for the first time. Imagine pilgrims who had NEVER seen the ocean before!

As you know, I grew up on the Mediterranean, so anything with salt water is a big plus for me. Ralf and I sat down and had some chocolate to celebrate, plus we guzzled a liter of water in that hot sun.

Ralf Kunze

Ralf Kunze, originally uploaded by martinbruce54.

I met up with Ralf again on the second day to Finisterre, and we walked to the ends of the earth together. I had met Ralf on the arrow-straight Via Aquitana which the Romans built, and now about 2 weeks later, we met again!

Ralf was one of the few committed Christians I met on the trip, and it was very special to think about walking to the sea together to demonstrate our love for our God who went to the ends of love to demonstrate His love for us!

Here we are after seeing the ocean for the very first time. Ralf had his little sheep stuffed animal sticking out of his pack which his niece gave to him, and he used as a pillow each night. He got lots of comments on that. And lots of comments on the fact that he must be 6′4″ or so. His stride is about 2 feet longer than mine! Not fair.

Path to Finisterre

Path to Finisterre, originally uploaded by martinbruce54.

This was the last walk into Finisterre. The path was absolutely beautiful, and very quiet. I let Ralf go ahead so I could have the day alone, and the trees became more stunted and the soil more sandy as we came up to the coast. Stunning.

Fall in Spain

Fall in Spain 2, originally uploaded by martinbruce54.

The mornings were crisp, the evenings were cool, and there were even some colors starting to change. These vines were growing on the last day, not far from the coast.

Have the leaves all turned in Iowa?? I missed it!

Stone Corn Crib

Stone Corn Crib, originally uploaded by martinbruce54.

When we got into the area around Finisterre, all the corn cribs turned from having wood slats to having these stones for the walls. They all seemed to have a cross on one side, and a wooden door, but everything else was stone!

Note the little “mushroom” pillars on which the corn crib sits…I was told it was to keep the mice from being able to crawl up the leg and under the lip of the mushroom-shaped rock.

Farmers in Iowa, how would you like to have to store your grain in elevators made like this?

Hans & Franz Farewell in Santiago

Hans & Franz Farewell in Santiago, originally uploaded by martinbruce54.

We took the bus back from Finisterre to Santiago, and arrived just in time for the Pilgrim’s Mass at noon. That was an experience! We took this last picutre of Hans and Franz outside the cathedral.

I told my traveling companions that I had more pictures of the two of them than I did of my entire family put together, and I promised them this was the LAST picture I was taking of them. Ha.

When we said goodbye, they handed me a T-shirt of the Camino de Santiago as a gift. They had bought exactly the same shirt themselves, so now all 3 of us can match! That would be a funny picture, but I already promised them NO MORE PICTURES!

Too funny…I told you they have matching backpacks, matching shoes, matching walking sticks, matching hates (but they left them up at the cross on the top of the mountain) and matching shirts (like the orange one).

And now, matching T-shirts to remember their trip. Me too! I am finally one of the Austrian brothers.

Blind Girls Arrive at Cathedral!

Blind Girls Arrive at Cathedral!, originally uploaded by martinbruce54.

When I got back to the Cathedral on Monday just before the Pilgrim’s service at noon, the 2 blind girls walked in with their dogs!! They had just arrived. Can you believe it? 800 kilometers with no eyes!

Yes, they made it 4 days after I did, but what an accomplishment!! I went up and congratulated them, and the dog was very happy too (maybe because they were DONE).

They were even thinking of walking on to Finisterre. A big hand of applause for their feat…..pun intended!

0.0 Mile Marker in Finisterre

0.0 Mile Marker in Finisterre, originally uploaded by martinbruce54.

What a wonderful sight. After seeing mile markers saying 700 kilometers to go, or 500, or even 100, this was a welcome sight.

I wanted one more proof that I was there. And you can see the edge of the lighthouse at Cape Finisterre.

Sunrise over Santiago

Sunrise over Santiago, originally uploaded by martinbruce54.

As I left Santiago at 8 a.m. on my way to the coast, this was the view as the sun peeked over the city and over the Cathedral. You can imagine the joy of all the pilgrims over the last 10 centuries who saw the cathedral for the first time. A breathtaking sight.