8 days in the Alpujarras

Well we have been in the Alpujarras now for 7 days. This is such a great part of Spain. The Alpujarras are a series of white villages in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Southern Spain.

 They were all built by the Moors and were the last villages the Moors lived in before they were ordered to leave Spain. As usual, with all things Moorish, they have fantastic waters systems running through the villages and the countryside.

 Down below the weather is scorching hot, but up here at 1400 metres, the temperature is much nicer. It is still hot but it cools down at night and the early mornings are lovely to walk in. Of course we are doing some walking. We have found many lovely trails along aquaducts through chestnuts forests. 

 

We even managed to do a 32km hike one day, unintentionally; we just kept going and going. 

Around here they still have wild Ibex goats and wild pigs called Jabali. We did see a few wild goats but no pigs.

Spen looking for wild goats

We have found a great little apartment to rent for the 8 days, with a view out to the Mediterranean Sea.......

  and a swimming pool.

We are staying in a  little village called Mecina Bombaron. We basically just put our finger on a map of the Alpujarras and then took a bus to the village. It turned out to be great spot.  It is one of the highest villages without being touristy. The road up was a bit sketchy at times. 

Tomorrow we are off to Aguilas to visit friends that we haven't seen for 9 years. Then off to London....

Day 54 and 55 Finistere and beyond!!!!!!!!

Day 54 and 55                        Cee to Finistere  and Beyond!!!!!!!!!!!!!!                   15kms   

For a last day of the camino we were so lucky. Warm temperatures , cloudless skies and no wind are a rarity in Galicia and we got them all. But it is all so bitter sweet. The last 15kms of walking was all along the coast with the last 2 kms along the beach.

  In some ways Finistere reminds me of my home town in Canada, Tofino, the end of the road. 

 After we found our great hostel  ( again with a view) we walked the last 2 kms out to the lighthouse. 

The most western point of Europe

Tradition has it that one must burn a possession on the rocks at Finistere. Of course we complied. The other tradition is to watch the setting sun.

dipping our feet in the cold Atlantic Ocean

And that’s it.. we are done our camino. We did have the option to walk another 32kms to Muxia. Muxia is further up the coast and also has pilgrim significance. It was apparently to here that the Virgin Mary sailed in a stone boat (yup…….. a stone boat)  and encouraged Saint James to continue preaching.

Many pilgrims go to Muxia but I did not have the desire. I felt Finistere was a very wonderful ending. Besides, I need to leave something to end the next pilgrimage. I would love to do another one someday.

We met several pilgrims finishing their journey in Finistere but the most impressive was a beautiful young man from Germany. We watched him crumple in front of the 0km marker and just sob.

  He had just walked from Berlin to Finistere, 3000kms.He said all he wanted to do was keep walking. He was having a hard time dealing with his end. We also met another woman who had just finished a 5 day come down retreat. The retreat was dedicated to helping pilgrims come to terms with what they have accomplished. Hmmm.. now there’s a business?? Apparently the retreats are full.

We are now off to Madrid and then back to Granada. We will spend 8 days hiking in the Alpujarras. I will try to keep on posting until the Olympics.   Max races on August 12^th.

Day 50, 51, 52 and 53 Santiago to Cee

Day 51,52 and 53               Santiago to Cee               80kms

These last few days it is hard not to feel a little deflated. The realization that the walk is coming to an end is hitting us hard. We have enjoyed the camino much, much more than we thought we would. Fortunately we still have so much to look forward to. We will head to the mountains in the south of Spain, the Alpujarras, for one week of relaxing and hiking there, then head to Aguilas for a week to visit friends. After that comes London, Max and the Olympics. All great things. 

leaving Santiago early in the morning

On the road again

The last few days of walking have been glorious, the weather has been unreal, actually hot for Galicia.

a perfect lunch break

walking into Cee

The countryside and the architecture is beginning to look a lot like Portugal, in fact, even the Spanish sounds like Portuguese.

view from our hotel room

 The idea now is to get to Finistere and watch the setting sun as a gran finale to the walk. 

a busy Galician highway

Day 46, 47, 48 and 49 Xunquiera to ..Santiago!!!!!

Day 46                               Xunqueria to Ourense                                           22kms

I guess we can’t have it perfect everyday. Today the weather was perfect for hiking but it was mostly on asphalt. We are now within the last 100kms of Santiago and there are many, many pilgrims on the road.

 In order to get your pilgrim’s certificate you only need to walk the last 100 kms. July and August are the busiest months, there are now groups of 10 people walking together, entire families, packs of cyclists. It is an entirely different camino than the one we started 7 weeks ago. In many ways I miss the solitude but on the other hand I am looking forward to walking into Santiago with some of the people we have come to know on the camino. 

Our accommodation in Xunquiera

Day 47                     Ourense to Cea                                               24kms

Fortunately the walk today was NOT on asphalt but through forests of oak and bracken fern. 

We left the city of Ourense quite early and chose a route out of town that was a little longer than an alternative but not as steep. Even so it seemed very steep. It makes me wonder what the other route was like. 

Ourense in the background

When we arrived at our destination of Cea, everything was closed due to Cea’s Saint Day. This turned out to be a huge celebration, with a parade, 2 orchestras, 2 rock bands, fireworks and music that continued right outside our door until 5 am.

 I remember reading a statistic once that said “Spain is the noisiest country in the world”. I can believe it!!!!!!!!!!! They love their noise.

Day 48                                   Cea to Laxe                                    33kms

Great walk! The weather is just so nice to walk, so fresh and cool. Galicia reminds me so much of Vancouver Island in vegetation and landscape. 

Day 49                                Laxe to Ponte Ulla                       30kms

We are getting  so close

Day 50                     Ponte Ulla to Santiago                        22kms

Today is our last day of walking before Santiago. We left rather early as we wanted to catch up with all the other folk so we could walk into Santiago together. We caught up with them as they were having coffee in a bar about 8 kms from Santiago. 

walking into Santiago together

It as a bitter sweet moment walking into Santiago, it was a moment I have been thinking about for 12 years but also it means the last 12 years of dreaming has come to an end. Yes…. We will continue on for another 136kms to the sea but the reality of this dream ending is beginning to sink in.

finally in front of the cathedral of Santiago

Nevertheless Santiago is stunning. We attended the pilgrim mass and blessing and received our official compostelas. There are hundreds of pilgrims, from all the different routes, arriving everyday here in Santiago.

  We are in the process of saying goodbye to all our fellow pilgrim friends. Sweet, sad but we are here!! 1200km, We only have another 5 days of walking to Finestere (end of the world) and our camino life will be over. 

Day 44 and 45 Gaudina to Xunquiera

Day 44        Gaudina to Laza                                       33kms

We left early this morning as we had quite a high mountain pass to cross. Unfortunately it was a very foggy morning and after about 5 kilometers of climbing we reached the first summit. Apparently it is a great view but we were socked in with fog. The clouds were swirling and I had the feeling we were in Ireland more than Spain.

 After we crossed the first pass we encountered rain, buckets of rain. This took us quite by surprise, we were not prepared physically or mentally. In the 6 weeks of walking, this was our first day of rain. 

Later the rain stopped and the fog lifted revealing beautiful green mountains all around. It is kinda cool walking across a country and seeing the landscape change as you walk. 

Felt more like Peru than Spain

Day 45                    Laza to Xunquiera                          34kms

Galicia is so beautiful, such a contrast to the plains of Spain. But…. that saying ‘THE RAIN IN SPAIN FALLS MAINLY ON THE PLAIN’ is not true at all. It falls mainly in Galicia. There are so many parts, trees and plants that remind me of British Columbia, it feels like I am back in Canada. 

We crossed over another mountain pass and at the top arrived in a small village, only to hear Leonard Cohen music blaring from a small bar. The elderly bartender turned out to be quite a character and has this bar full of scallop shells signed by passing pilgrims.

 Of course we signed a shell and hung it up on the wall. We saw some names of other Canadians, all from Quebec.

This part of Galicia is known for its corn shelters. These buildings are used to store the corn year round, mostly for livestock consumption.  

  We know only have about 120 kms to go to Santiago. So hard to believe!!