Week 6 - Camino de Santiago

 If you are new to this blog, please read Week 1 first.

Week 6 on the Camino de Santiago, Camino a Finisterre y a Muxía

Day 36 - Tuesday, July 01, 2025 Finisterre (Fisterra) to Muxía

Voice memo from the trail:

I’m on the road to Muxía. I’ve only been walking less than an hour outside of Finisterre when there was another one of those little churches with the same volunteer. It was open so I went inside to pray and broke down in tears again unexpectedly. Praying for every step that I take between here and Muxía God gets rid of my old life, my old worries, my own everything, hatred for myself and replace it with something new so by the time I get to Muxía I’m good to go. Last night so I chose to watch the sunset, kind of a bucket list thing to say I did it. Not that there was any magical powers, or major religious significance.  It’s also not like I’ve never seen a sunset over the ocean before so it was definitely just a bragging rights kind of thing but still cool. However, that put me back at the albergue after 11:30 and probably midnight before I was trying to fall asleep. The windows were open and the street noise was horrible people talking until late in the morning and here’s a news flash for you: SEA GULLS NEVER SHUT UP! When do they sleep? Do they sleep? It is 24/7 of their squawking. So I already told myself I was gonna get a late start and I did. It’s 930 and I haven’t even been walking for an hour. Had a pretty big breakfast right across the street from the albergue …  again no rush 2 cups of coffee and chilling. I am walking the trail all alone and I’m good with that. It feels like I have this gorgeous coast all to myself.

Not too far outside of Finisterre was this church and I definitely recognized the orange vest. It was the same lady that was out in the middle of nowhere the day before and the same lady that was at the church last night. It was only fitting that she and the church would be how I say farewell to Finisterre.  

We talk about “Camino Angels” … it is someone that God places in your path on the Camino for something that might seem/look trivial all the way to something very serious.
I have had a handful of Camino Angels and this woman was one. It was shortly before 10:00 and I was just doing my pilgrim thing, walking through yet another rural village in Galicia. This woman was on the side of a field, I could see a man working in the crops who I assume was her husband. As is my custom, I always make a point to greet the older people using a formal greeting of respect. Every other time, they greet me back and will often add in the customary “Buen camino”. But this lady was different. She approached me and squeezes my hand. She spoke Gállego so I was using my Latin connections the best I could. I was able to understand that she was blessing me and talked about my smile then blessed me again. I went a few steps along my way and was just hit with the need to turn around and take a photo with her. I told her that I did not want to forget her and asked her permission to take a photo. That’s went she started blessing me again and this time it came with kisses. I wish I could explain this kind of human connection that happens. It’s as though everything else gets bypassed and only your hearts (or maybe your souls) connect. That we are just all God’s children: no age, no nationalities, no skin color, no language barrier … just God’s children.

One of the pleasant little surprises along the way was finding a “hippy compound” that was providing a little r&r for the weary pilgrim. They had only been working on the place for a week. They provided drinks and snacks for a donation. They were preparing to be able to offer lodging as well. One was excited to give me a tour of the compound. 

Common chill area. The beds are on the mezzanine behind the curtains. 

Behind each sheet is a sleeping area. 

This was a one-stop-shop mill. You probably cannot see inside but there were me. Working inside using these huge open saws. I love how the tree trunks are neatly stacked on one side of the building and newly milled boards are neatly stacked on the other.

I cannot get enough of this plant!

How sweet is this little flower?! And how it just has the few yellow florets among the pink. Try to tell me that nature itself is not a miracle. 

These advertisements for taxis make me laugh. I swear that they are strategically placed where so many are probably wanting to give in at that point. 

Not sure if this photo does it justice but this house … better said, estate, was absolutely gorgeous. 

Loved this stately old farm house. 

These crosses are a Galician thing. Every community has them, and sometimes they seem to be random. Even the random ones probably were not random at some point in its history. 

First look at a beach outside of Muxía

I have done it … sort of. It won’t be official until I make it to the cape and the way sign of km 0,000.

From here, you know the routine as well as I do: find the municipal albergue, laundry, shower, food.

Day 37 - Wednesday, July 02, 2025 Tourist Day in Muxía

Today is a chill day in Muxía … and by chill, I mean wear the raincoat and as many layers as I have. The rest of the Iberian Peninsula is having a record heatwave, but here on the upper northwest coast of the Atlantic, we’re wearing extra layers. 

I am usually out of the albergue before sunrise, so I do not know if I have ever written about the 8:00 am check-out. They are very strict, you must be gone by that time. Another rule is that you can only stay one night. Now, the private albergues that allow non-pilgrims might give a little leeway on that rule, but the public ones definitely do not. So I had to find a new place to stay. I did, however, sweet talk the guy into letting me store my large backpack while I did the tourist thing. 

I definitely wanted a coffee to start my day so I headed down to the shore to find something open. While I was having my coffee it started to rain, so coffee turned into breakfast as I waited for the rain to stop so that I could walk to the cape. 

This is the sanctuary that was built in the honor of Mary showing up on a boat of stone. It is called “Our Lady of the Boat”

The little placard in the corner of the photo is written in Gállego. It says that on Christmas Day 2013, a bolt a lightning hit the church and started a fire that completely destroyed (beyond repair) the main alterpiece.

This rock is supposed to be part of the boat.

This is María José from Zaragoza. She offered to take my photo and then we started talking. It turns out that we had a lot in common. We exchanged numbers and might try to get together the next time I am in Zaragoza. She is another “Camino Angel.” It was odd how we just started sharing about our lives as though we were old friends. She said some things that I had been needing to hear. And that, folks, is the magic of the Camino and its angels. But what it shows is is that these angels exist in our every day lives, we just don’t see them as such. And don’t forget that you might be someone’s angel on any given day. So the next time you feel it on your heart to say something to someone, don’t hesitate. 

¡Another km 0,000!

See the full video 1m19s here

See the full video 1m40s here

Day 38 - Thursday, July 03, 2025 Muxía to Dumbría

Voice notes from the trail:

I’m sitting in the kitchen of the albergue in Muxía listening to the wind howling outside … I mean like screeching. It’s still dark. I don’t want to walk in the dark because I would rather enjoy this time so I’m taking a pre-chill this morning, relaxing, not in any hurry to get on trail. I’m ready to go … shoes are on which is always the last thing. I think that I am also procrastinating a little because this is the start of the return. Up until now, every morning was a step forward to a new destination. This morning I start the return back to Santiago. I strongly dislike repeating the same course so I am happy that the return trip is a completely different trail that brought me here, that is up to the point called the bifurcation where the trail from Santiago splits to either that to Finisterre or to the Muxía trail. My pack is also extremely heavy. I bought some food for breakfast and I want to take it with me: Gállego honey, which is very heavy, muesli, and some cookies for a snack. I will buy yogurt wherever I end up for the night and have it in the mornings with the honey and muesli. I hope I don’t regret the extra weight. 

I’m remembering back before I began the Camino, when I was still kind of just talking about it and planning it and people would ask me why why am I doing it and I had to have reasons you know for doing this because it sounds crazy. So I had a checklist. I had a checklist of things that I needed to figure out and I would repeat that I was at crossroads but then I would reference to Denison and how we call it “the bucket of worms” because it’s more than just an intersection and that’s what I felt like my life was like. I felt like I was at a bucket of worms: William soon to be graduating college starting on his independent adult life making me a true emptiest nester; of course the end of my relationship with Javi; my lack of desire to continue with Jazzercise; mom and her being older; my extended family expanding into that next generation when you just aren’t involved with each other’s lives as much; school, which is going great but you know I’m at the end … I can retire in a few years. What am I supposed to do with myself? Can I financially retire … just lots of stuff and the Camino was supposed to figure this all out. I was supposed to have answers by the end. That was the whole purpose. I was to search out the answers. But I’m done now. I finished. I’m on my way back to Santiago with no answers, but instead with an understanding that it’s not in my control. None of those items on my list “to figure out” is. It’s all in God‘s control and that those outcomes I’ve given those all up to Him. I’ve surrendered him to God and that’s the Camino. The last coastal scene of The Way (extended version), Martin Sheen’s character says “Now I have nothing to bring home.” But his son corrects him, “But you have so much more.” 

Maybe that’s it … I’m not bringing home any answers, but yet so much more. 

6:30 am - I needed to get started early, but I didn’t want to start out in the dark because I wanted to see the beautiful coast of Muxía one last time.

One of the several beautiful beaches that Muxía has to offer. 

See the full 51s video here.

The mountain that the village was formed around is a sacred burial site dating back to possibly even the Paleolithic period. It definitely has yielded archeological evidence of Celtic, Visigothic, and pre-Christian Roman burials. The area of Muxía is said to have a very energy and the ancient civilizations knew it. Modern healers also honor Muxía for this powerful energy. People say that it is no coincidence that it was here that Mary appeared to the Apostle James. 

Yesterday morning I saw a publication on the albergue’s bulletin board for a tour around Muxía. While I was having coffee and waiting out the rain I called. It turned out that the tours no longer existed but the guy now gives lectures on the history of Muxía and there was one that night. I turned out to be the only person who showed but I was able to meet the researcher, historian and amateur archeologist and had an amazing private presentation on Muxía. He has written a book on the area and is currently writing his second. He is where I learned all about the ancient burial stuff. 

I’m a little sad about leaving. There is definitely something special about this place. I would like to return with the intention of staying longer to really get to know it better.

See the full 1m13s video here.

This is supposed to be the sidewalk. The wind has completely buried it with sand.

The sand dune is starting to drift over the highway.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the trail soon left the highway and took me along the coast for one last look at the little fishing village with such a rich and diverse cultural history.

As soon as the trail turned away from the coast, it was a straight up climb.

These unstated little wild flowers were quite abundant along the road side. Their sweetness seems wasted since only someone walking by can enjoy them. I have seen so much beauty along the road ditches … there is a metaphor in there somewhere. 

Sorry … I am fascinated by these succulents. 

A little different angle of the cemetery, this is from the outside of the wall, aka street side. 

Hey, it’s a matter of owning it, working it, and styling it … “I’m too sexy for my poncho!”

I have to give a lot of credit to the people of Galicia, there is a pleasant lack of graffiti throughout the region. It’s not that they keep it cleaned up, it’s that people don’t do it. Compared to Castilla y León and other areas, RESPECT to the Gallegos. 

I made it to the village where I will be staying but it will still take another 45 minutes of walking across the town to get to the albergue on the outskirts on the other side.

Impressive!

This is kind of crazy and kind of creepy. This place is super modern, big, completely unlocked, and totally deserted. There is a sign that says to claim a bed and registration is at 7:00 pm. I had the place to myself for about an hour. I won’t lie, showering under these conditions was a little nerve-racking. 

Spain’s government has been very proactive when comes to controlling the threat of bedbugs. They understand how devastating it would be to the cash cow, aka El Camino, if social media started posting about bed bugs. We all know that social media would be ruthless. So the majority of the albergues, and all of the public ones, follow this protocol. These blue covers are of some sort of rubbery material that gets disinfected every day. The bed bugs won’t lay their eggs on this type of material and the disinfection kills any that even try.

Next line of defense: paper sheet and pillow case. You only get the fitted sheet. You are expected to have your own sleeping bag or sleeping bag liner. A very small handful will provide a blanket, but most do not. Even those that do, I refuse to use it. A couple of nights when my liner was not enough to keep me warm, I spread my poncho over me. It locks in your own body heat so I was toasty. 

Day 39 - Friday, July 4, 2025

Dumbría to Santa Mariña

Happy Birthday, America!

My Camino(s) are drawing to a close. I’m headed back to Santiago with two more certificates of completion: one for walking to Finisterre and one for walking to Muxía. They don’t carry the same prestige as the Compostela, but they are still getting framed!

I walk now with a lot more awareness, realizing that this is the last time that I’ll be walking under this canopy of trees, passing by moss covered stone fences or the last time passing through small rural stone villages. I walk slower, trying to absorb every step into my memory. I am also not in such a hurry to get on the trail. This morning had a 7:30 am start time, one of the latest of the past 6 weeks.

Just five short days ago, and who’s counting how many miles ago?, and I am back at the bifurcación … this time returning from the other destination. 

So happy to have been able to experience what I have these past five days …

… but sad to think that I will now be repeating every step. From this point on, it will be the same trail as when I left Santiago. 

Creative and insanely cute … someone built a manager scene out of rocks and twigs. 

What makes it even more precious is that it is so small and subtly placed in the moss covered rock wall, that only someone mindful of their surroundings is going to see it. 

Day 40 - Saturday, July 5, 2025

Santa Mariña to Ventosa

OK, I know that most of you do not want to see this next photo, but I feel like the toe saga needs a proper ending. What started out 20 days ago has come to an end. In my 56 years on this Earth, I have never lost a nail, toe or finger … until this morning. To be honest, it was kind of fascinating. I’ll keep wrapping it just to make sure it can handle the rubbing while walking.

Thanks for hanging in there for as long as you did!

Say hello to my new little friend. 

The ancient history of so many Spanish villages is so amazing to a young country like the United States. I wonder if they even realize how cool it is that they casual drive through the same city gate that once upon a time a knight dressed in armor on horseback probably defended. 

I am the only person that I have met that is walking back to Santiago. Honestly, most pilgrims take a bus back after getting their certificate in Finisterre or Muxía. I am met with a lot of impressed smiles from those that are traveling in the direction to the coast. At the albergues when I tell them that I am in the return, I always get an impressed WOW. Good for the ego.

10 hours of walking! I am a little tired. I am staying at this super cute private albergue just three hours out of Santiago de Compostela. I had stopped here for a café con leche on my way out of Santiago and I remembered how cute and relaxing the garden was. I am chilling in one of those suspended wicker egg chairs. Laundry done, showered, now just chill and enjoy my last afternoon on the Camino. Tomorrow I enter Santiago for the second time. 

Day 41 - Sunday, July 6, 2025

Ventosa to Santiago de Compostela

No hurry to get to Santiago. I attempted to get a bus out of the city today but the only one going to Oviedo was at 9:00 am. So I will, unfortunately, have to spend the night and leave on that same 9:00 am bus Monday morning.

With no where really to go no where fast, I took my time this morning and enjoyed a café con leche and tostada at the albergue before hitting the trail at 7:45 am.

The trail head looks like I’ve about ready to enter a tunnel. 

This is what it looks like once you enter. 

Eight days ago I took this same photo except I was standing on the other side (the Finisterre side). Well, it’s over, folks. I am officially back in Santiago de Compostela. It has been 41 days of constant walking. Even though 3 of those days were touring cities: Burgos, Santiago, and Muxía, I still count that as walking because there was A LOT of walking involved in touring a city.

This was in a little church in Santiago. I was drawn to it because I feel the pain of a mother holding her son … not “the Virgin Mary” and “Jesus Christ the Savior”. But a mother holding her son and crying out in the pain that only a mother can show. 

Day 42 - Monday, July 7, 2025

Santiago de Compostela to Oviedo

So what happens next. Week 6 ends with a new chapter beginning. I arrived in the capital city of Asturias, Oviedo, about 2:30 pm. It took me an hour to walk to the albergue from the bus station. I got there, looked around and thought, “Nah! Not tonight.” So I got on Booking.com and found an inexpensive hotel in the city center. Another 45 minutes to walk to the hotel. Now what? Explore the city. I signed up for a walking tour for tomorrow morning. Another opportunity to practice Spanish. 

For a couple of years, I have been saving items to a Dropbox folder on Asturias. It is a place that I have wanted to get to know for several years. So Option A is to rent a car and start checking off the list. … or Option B: start another camino, El Camino Primitivo.

When the grave of Saint James was discovered, that area of what is now Galicia was part of the Asturias Kingdom under King Alfonso II. So King Alfonso II headed out of his castle in Oviedo to check out the claim. Under his authority as king, he declared that the bones were legit … thereby creating the phenomenon of the Pilgrimage to Santiago. His journey is considered the first pilgrimage and for centuries, pilgrims had to first pass through the cathedral of Oviedo before going on to Santiago. Not only is it the original pilgrimage, it is also the most difficult and challenging of all the routes because of the mountain trails and passages that the majority of the route consists. 

So what do I do? Rent the car or get back on the trail? I prayed and prayed over the discussion. Even though I have wanted to see these places for years, I was not excited about it. Then I felt it on my heart. It was not a thundering message, more like a gentle whisper that said: 

“You are still not finished. I have more things to show you, to teach you, and you have more things to change. Get yourself back on the Camino.”

This is where I feel like I need to insert the chorus from White Snake…

“Here I go again on my own. Going down the only road I’ve ever known. Like a drifter I was born to walk alone ….”

That’s Alfonso II … the first pilgrim to Santiago. 

This is the side door of the cathedral through which the pilgrims exited after receiving their blessing inside the cathedral. Once they passed through that arch, they were Santiago bound!

Traditionally, the Camino Primitivo has to start at the Cathedral. 

Plaque outside the Cathedral marking the start of the Camino. It’s 6:45 am, let’s get to walking.

See you in two weeks in Santiago de Compostela!