Day 32: Santiago de Compostela to Negreia (James)

Day 32: Santiago de Compostela to Negreia
14 Miles
Total: 502.5 Miles

Waking up on time this morning wasn't exactly the easiest task.  Our day in Santiago was full and although the official mileage was low, our hostel, the Semenario Belvis, was well over 1km from the plaza and town center.  That kind of walking adds up, especially when you walk back and forth three separate times yesterday like I did.  Usually when we get to a town we grab a bed, take a nap, explore a bit, eat and then relax until it is time to go to bed.  Not in Santiago, and especially not when Santiago is in full swing festival.  We all thoroughly enjoyed it.  From the light show (thanks Bree for staying up late to make sure we could get in) to the almost surreal nature in which you would run into other pilgrims you knew in the city, like a cast of characters all returning to the stage in the final scene, it was as some may put it, a perfect way to end.  

However, we are going to call it good at the ocean.  I like the idea of reaching a point in which there is a clear finish and when I say I walked across Spain, I want to really mean it.  Only 5% of pilgrims continue on to Finisterre, which along with the Camino itself, has it's roots in even the pre-Christian times in Spain. It's only three days, which after an adventure like this, seems like nothing.

Returning from trips like these can often be difficult.  There is a pace of life, a rhythm, that is deeply engrained and a return to "normalcy" can be frustrating.  The best part of our Camino might not have been what was here, but what was not.  We have been fortunate to live for the past 32 days in childlike wonder, always in the present moment, away from stress, bills, the constant stream of text messages, school, television, advertisements, traffic...the list could go on forever.  All of this returns when we get back.  And it hits you all at the same time, like when someone turns on music without knowing the volume is at full blast.  I am hoping the next three days to the coast, our time in Madrid, the flight back to Washington DC, and the flight back to Portland on August 5th will give us enough time to really reflect and help with that transition.  

So those are the thoughts going on in my mind, but the reality is that I have to wake up two teenagers will very little sleep and get them moving towards the coast, some 53 miles away.  Not easy.  I knew they were going to be a bit slow today getting up, but it was like watching people in slow motion.  I joined Bree outside, who had been waiting for about an hour.  We hoped things would speed up a bit as we got moving.  Sure enough, it did and we were back to climbing through the dense Eucalyptus forests that surround Santiago.  In fact, things were going so well that Auna and I blasted up and past a few other pilgrims as we climbed.  We settled into a quick pace, relying upon 500 miles of walking under our belts and the phenomenal shape we are now in.  Deija was close behind, that is until she stopped to remove a fleece top.  That was just enough time for Auna and I to round a corner and move around a large tractor blocking the path.  There were our trusty yellow arrows pointing the way, but they were difficult to see. Auna and I spotted them pretty quickly, but Deija, now not within sight of us, didn't.  She headed straight down a hill and had to be directed back to the trail by a kind local in a car.  I found all of this out, of course, after I panicked when Bree came up the trail 25 minutes later reporting that she had not seen Deija.  "What?  she's not with you?".  Now, we have made it 500 miles without getting seriousy lost, and I didn't want to start now, so I ran back up over the hill hoping she just stepped off the trail to go to the bathroom.  My gut instinct threw my mind back to that spot with the tractor, though.  Oh, when I mentioned "phenomenal shape" earlier, that was just for walking and apparently does not apply to running.  My heart and lungs were exploding the entire way up.  When I neared the crest, I saw Deija round the corner and my stomach, which had occupied the narrow space around my neck ever since Bree showed up without her, returned to it's normal position.  

All together again, we traveled further up the road through tiny villages and towards our destination of Negreia and it's small government run hostel.  Auna and Deija entertained themselves, and me briefly, with a rewording of the 12 Days of Christmas to apply to their Camino experience.  They sang it to me, all of it, even after I specifically requested the abridged version where you just start at the end.  I must admit, it was cute.

As I write, we are a mere 40 miles from Finisterre and "the end of the earth". Time to go to bed and get some rest so we can hit the road running.  Scratch that, we'll just walk.

Thanks again for all the comments.  We are glad you enjoy reading!

James