Eat. Sleep. Read. at the End of the Earth

Okay, so I´m taking a page out of Elizabeth Gilbert´s book “Eat. Pray. Love.” (Which, incidentally, I very much enjoyed.)

Eat, sleep and read is pretty much what I have been up do since arriving in Santiago last Thursday. Here´s a rundown of the events from the past few days:

Thursday – Arrive in Santiago! Jubilee!

Friday – Sleep in. Run errands. Eat delicious food. Run more errands. Found a bookshop that sells books in English and purchased two. Eat again. Sleep.

Saturday – Bus to Fisterre! Fisterre is also known as “Finis terre” or “end of the earth.” Before people realized the earth was round, they really thought Fisterre was the edge of the world. I had originally hoped to walk from Santiago to Fisterre (a distance of about 100 kilometers), but lack of time and energy soon turned that dream into a 21€ round-trip bus ticket. So, Saturday morning we woke up early, headed to the bus station and jumped on board for the two and a half hour ride.

We arrived in Fisterre around 11:30 a.m. Hungry and tired, we checked into the first hotel we saw, dumped our bags and then went in search for food. But, because the Spanish are sooooo… Spanish, they don´t serve lunch until 1:00, so we had to settle for a sandwich and a bag of chips. After leaving the bar, we found a grocery store, stocked up on junk food, and headed back to our hotel room where we proceeded to eat, sleep, and read the rest of the day. It was FABULOUS. Just what this weary pilgrim needed.

View from Hotel Finisterre window

Sunday – We slept in, of course, got some breakfast and then headed out the door for the 7 kilometer round trip walk to the Fisterre lighthouse.

Cape Fisterre

Believe it or not, it actually felt good to walk again. But what felt really good, was literally walking to the end of the earth. After 400 miles across Spain, I finally felt like I crossed the finish line when we walked by the “0.0 kilometers remaining” sign. At last, my Camino came to an end.

We took some time and sat on the rocks overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. I have seen the Atlantic many times from the east coast of the United States, but I had never had the opportunity to gaze on it, looking west. It was wonderful and peaceful, and just the conclusion I had hoped for. Ann and I recounted some of the memories from our trip, and it was such a lovely way to bring the journey to an end. I feel really grateful that we made the effort to go there.

"End of the Earth" at Faro Finisterre

End of the Earth

After the lighthouse, we walked back to town where we proceeded to…. you guessed it… Eat. Sleep. and Read. In two days, I ate a box of cookies, read the two books I purchased in Santiago, and slept approximately 20 hours. Fab-u-lous.

Monday, Today – Woke up, took a three hour bus ride back to Santiago, which is where I currently sit, passing time, until our overnight train leaves for Madrid. Tomorrow we will meet back up with Sofie, and pick up the belongings we shipped to her in the middle of the Camino. Wednesday we fly HOME.

(In case you´re curious, I purchased two additional books today, which will hopefully get me through the train and plane ride home.)

As for home… I can´t wait. I really can´t wait. Not because the pilgrimage has been much more difficult than I expected (which it has), or because I miss you, my family and friends (which I do), but because I am just so excited to get going with my life.

And, NO, I did not magically discover what I should be doing for the rest of my life. I am excited about the unknown. I am excited about the possibilities. I am excited to just SEE what is going to happen next. Like the books I read over the weekend, I am just so excited to keep flipping pages of my life and see what the next chapter brings.

Which brings to mind the blog post I wrote in August called “Ridiculous Bliss” about the day I realized that I was just excited to be living THIS life. MY life. Once again, I am filled with that excitement. My life is far from perfect, but it´s mine and I am so thankful I get to live it. So thankful.

It is time to return home now. Home to my family. Home to my friends. Home to the unknown. I hope you´ll continue to join me on my journey as I flip the page and see what the next chapter brings!

Blessings from España,
Luci

0.00 Kilometers Remaining

Jubilee in Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela Cathedral

We Made It! 400 Miles in 41 days of walking.

FOUR HUNDRED MILES in FOURTY ONE DAYS. (Actually, it took 43 days, but two of them were rest days, so I´m not counting them.)

400 miles. Amazing.

Can you believe it? I can´t believe it.

The last two days went really well. No rain, just tired bodies and feet, but spirits were high.

Yesterday, as I started my last day of walking, I declared to Ann that it was to be a “Day of Jubilee.” I felt such joy! It was the best way I could find to express all of the joy in my heart. And, right before we arrived in Santiago, we climbed our last Galacian hill called Monto de Gozo, which translates to Mount of Joy. It was there we saw our first sights of Santiago de Compostela. Jubilee on Mount Joy!

Once we arrived in the city center around 2:00 p.m., it took us a couple hours to find lodging, but we finally did. At last, our pilgirmage was over. At least the physical one is over. I can only imagine the ways it will continue spiritually…

The Day of Jubilee was capped off with one last international pilgrim dinner with Penny and Terry (sisters from Canada), Niel and Mia (friends from Denmark), Rowan and Aiden (father and son from Ireland), and Ann and myself. (I even managed to have some chocolate cake, which only added to the jubilee.) As Ann and I walked back to our hotel after dinner, we walked among some street musicians playing traditional Galacian music. It was a perfect end of day to an incredible journey.

This morning, we treated ourselves to a nice long sleep in (9:00 a.m.) and then went and got our Compostelas from the Pilgrim Office in Santiago. The Compostela is basically a fancy certificate saying that we walked at least 100 kilometers to Santiago. (When I get home, I´ll scan it and post it on here for you.)

I have to be honest… this whole time, walking to Santiago, I didn´t think the Compostela would be a big deal for me. I mean, it´s just a piece of paper. But for some reason, it really meant a lot to me when I finally received it. It felt like exactly what it was… some kind of official recognition of everything I went through: the blisters, the tears, the foot pain, but also the joy, and peace, and love. When I look at that certificate, I don´t just see fancy writing… I see everything I went through to get here.

After receiving our Compostelas, we headed to the pilgrim´s mass at the Cathedral with 1000 of our closest international friends. After that, we treated ourselves to a nice lunch and now, here I am, sitting in an internet cafe in the middle of an ancient city that has been a pilgrimage destination for millions of people for more than a thousand years.

I have to admit, I´m feeling pretty proud of myself at the moment. One of the many reasons I wanted to do this pilgrimage was to simply see if I could do it. And I did. I had no idea that I was capable of such a thing. It makes me wonder what else I could do if I set my mind to it. It makes me wonder what anyone could do with enough love and support and courage.

Four Hundred Miles.
Four hundred miles of mountains and meseta.
Four hundred miles with 75 percent vision loss.
Four hundred miles of foot pain.
Four hundred miles of new friends, new thinking, and renewed faith.
Four hundred miles leading me to JOY.

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.”
–Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)

Photos from October 23, 2008

Signs leading to Monte Gozo

Monte do Gozo (Mount Joy)

Sculpture at Monte do Gozo

My "white" shirt after 41 days and 400 miles. And, yes, I washed it every night.

Photos from October 22, 2008

Pilgrim Parking

Arca do Pino

Day 44 – “Seeing” in Melide

Sunrise over Palas de Rei

Despite the fact that we have been walking for 40 days, our bodies are still adjusting. Both Ann and I are surprised that walking is still difficult, even after all this time. We both thought that after the first few weeks we would adjust and be able to walk 15 mile days without problem. Well, it´s not quite that easy.

After our 16 miles yesterday, our bodies were hurting today. We walked 10 miles and arrived in Melide at 2:00 p.m. We found a decent looking hotel to stay at, checked in, found our room, took off our packs and boots, and crashed. Both of us slept three hours straight before waking up from hunger. I guess we were tired.

Now we have napped and eaten and I find myself thinking about this journey´s end. I can´t believe we only have three days of walking left! Mostly I can´t believe we´re just 33 short miles from Santiago. It´s humbling to realize we could be there so quickly if we just hopped into a car. I guess it´s been that way all along though, really.

I´m starting to wonder what my reaction will be when we arrive in Santiago. Will it be a meaningful arrival, or will it feel like I have walked 400 miles to an arbritary destination? I have no idea, and I guess it´s really not worth spending too much time thinking about. What will be, will be.

Anyway, that´s all for today… mostly more questions, and few answers. It brings to mind a favorite quote by Erik Muiderman from his song “Bless My Voice.” The quote is, “Seeing is to let the questions live inside of you.”

We´ll see where the questions take me tomorrow…

Day 43 – Fabulous in Palas de Rei

Today was fabulous. Just fabulous. And just to warn you – you´re going to read the word fabulous a few more times before this post is finished.

We left Portomarin this morning unsure of how far we would walk today. The elevation maps indicated hilly terrain, so we thought we would make it a “light day” of 18.4 kilometers to Eirexe/Airexe. We arrived there around 2:00, after a fabulous morning of beautiful scenery. We stopped and had a delicious lunch and then decided to go for the gusto and walk another 7.7 kilometers to Palas de Rei. All said, we covered 26.1 kilometers, or 16.2 miles, in 8 hours. That´s 16.2 miles of fabulous scenery on a blue sky kind of day. GO US! Seriously, we were PUMPED that we walked 16 miles. That´s our furthest distance in one day to date! GO US!

6 inch slug

Traffic Jam

Anyway, once here, we decided to treat ourselves to fabulous hotel room, in which I took what was probably the most fabulous shower during my entire time in Spain. There was even a “shower gel” and “shampoo” dispenser in the shower. Isn´t that so fun? (No really, I do try and bathe every day… it´s not like this was my first shower in forever. BUT, it was the first shower I have taken after SIXTEEN MILES in one day! Woohoo!)

Okay, I´ll stop with that now. BUT, I can´t stop with the fabulous because as soon as I´m done with this entry, Ann and I are going to go to dinner where I am going to have some Fabulous Chocolate CAKE for dessert.

So, to summarize: 16 miles is the longest distance I have EVER walked in one day. AND, I lived to tell about it! AND, I´m still able to walk! (Which is a good thing, because tomorrow is another day of more walking.)

Okay, I´m going to stop with the annoying now. Promise.

But mostly I´m stopping because I really want to go and eat that chocolate cake.

Love to All,

Luci

Fabulous Chocolate Cake!

Day 42 – “It´s All Good” in Portomarin

100 Kilometers to Santiago!

It´s crazy to think we are within 100 kilometers from Santiago! All of a sudden, the reality that this pilgrimage is almost over (physically, at least) makes me acutely aware of the fact that I still have no idea what I am doing with my life once I return home.

Actually, as I walked along the path today, I was reminded of the blog entry I wrote after my last day of work. Here is a link to that post, to refresh your memory. Suddenly, I realized I was about to experience all of those emotions all over again, this time with the completion of my “job” of walking to Santiago.

Once again, within two weeks, I will face more freedom than I know what to do with. Which direction should my life take? Where do I go from here? What should my next career be? Questions I am no closer to answering now, than I was when I started this journey 42 days ago.

That said, I realize that it´s all going to be okay. Some way. Some how. More than anything else, this pilgrimage has solidified my faith in God´s provision, whatever it may be. I just need to be patient in His timing, and flexible to His will. (Easier said than done on some days, I know.)

So, though I have no answers, I rest easy tonight. It´s all going to be okay. Or, as the used car dealorship in Memphis says, “It´s All Good!”

Leapin' Lizards!

Chilling out in a mountain meadow.

Day 41 – Sparks of Souls in Sarria

Triacastela

“When you walk across the fields with your mind pure, then from all the stones and all growing things, and all animals, the sparks of their soul come out and cling to you and become a holy fire in you.”
–Ancient Hasidic Saying

(Sil, I don´t know who you are, but thank you for sharing that quote on this blog.)

I found myself reciting that quote out loud today as I walked up and down green hills, through forests, and past little tiny villages consisting of four or five stone houses and a barn. I would say those words out loud and then feel the sparks of life from the plants and animals and stones and trees and grass all clinging to me. It was lovely and perfect.

Today was probably one of the best days I have had so far on the Camino. My thanks to all of you for your thoughts and good wishes and prayers. They are most definitely felt!

As of right now, I feel like I am ready to rock the last 100 kilometers to Santiago! It´s amazing to me that it is within 6 or 7 days walking. After so many weeks, we are almost there! The rush of adrenaline that comes from this knowledge is awesome. A week is nothing after everything we have done so far. 80 miiles seems like nothing now. (It´s amazing how my perception has changed on that front. My training used to be 4 miles, and now I look at 4 miles as a “rest” day.) Anyway, I´m feeling great, and I´m ready to rock!

It is now almost 4 pm and we are trying to figure out what to do next – food, shower, nap, or laundry? Yes, on the Camino, these are the daily afternoon choices to make. Life is much simpler, that is for sure. My vote is for food, but the longer I sit here in front of this computer smelling my sweaty self, I´m beginning to think a shower might be the better option. Or, at least the friendlier option.

Other thoughts at the moment… I keep thinking about going home and all the things I will do when I return. Right now I am just excited at the prospect of sitting with my feet up. Oh, and I will be eternally grateful when I don´t have to sleep in a sleeping bag every night. I can´t wait for clean sheets in my own bed.

Aside from that, I´m looking forward to watching lots and lots of movies. For some reason, during the walking portion of my day, I have started to think about all the movies that I´ll watch when I return home.

(Man, from the sound of it, you´d think I have been gone for years!)

Okay, that´s enough jabber for now. The free internet at this alburgue is a hot commodity, so it´s time to share. Plus, I really do smell. Time to hit the showers.

Until next time…

Sarria

What every pilgrim wants to see at the end of a long day: steps. (Sarria)

Day 39 – Tired in Ruitelan

Soooo… I have a confession to make. But before I make it, I just want you to remember that my Spirit Meter continues to rock on. And, I want you to remember that to date I have walked 311 miles.

Okay. So my confession is: I am tired. Seriously tired. Tired of the walking. Tired of aching feet. Tired of the alburgues. Tired of the Camino.

I am ready to come home.

The problem is that I still have 120 some miles to go to Santiago, and two weeks before my flight home. So, what do I do? Do I take a bus or train to Santiago and wait for Ann there and just chill out in a hotel with clean sheets and clean towels? Do I take a bus to Finisterre (the end of the world) on the sea and rent a cottage for two weeks?

Or do I push on? Do I push through the pain and finish out the Camino? Will I regret it if I quit so close to the end?

I have learned so many lessons on the Camino that I wonder if I can handle any more. I mean, I´m already hepped up on love and faith, surely that´s good enough, right?

These thoughts have been going through my head yesterday and today. And every time they rear up, they are challenged by spectacular views of autumn in the Galacian mountains, or by an engaging conversation with another pilgrim. Basically, just when I think I´m ready to hop in a taxi, something happens to keep me going.

So, that´s where I am today. Still basking in God´s love, but also feeling physically tired and weary. It´s kind of a strange combination, to be honest. As I do every day, I´ll sleep tonight and see how I´m feeling tomorrow.

By the way, thanks again for all the love and comments and emails! I love hearing from you all!

Until next time,
Luci

Photos from October 14, 2008

Villafranca del Bierzo