Wednesday, June 5, 2024
I drag my sorry butt up to the fifth floor for another included breakfast. Coffee. Note-taking. Reflecting on my day yesterday and how the feeling on the day immediately changed. The highs and lows of emotion on the Camino begin to reflect the terrain, with ascent followed by descent on the trail. I ponder the merits of reserving a room for the additional night spent in town. It has allowed me to write, prepare, and image-select for several future posts. I finish and return to the room, organizing the gear required for a few hours of non-planned wandering. I locate the “Terra Nova Pilgrim House” on my sojourn through the city, but it is closed on Wednesdays. My stay is extended an extra night. This time would better allow planning my walk to Finisterre and Muxia. I like the notion of finishing all of the writing for the Comino Frances before leaving Santiago to walk the short Camino to Finisterre and on to Muxia. I am looking for closure: for this challenge, and this creative project. Finalizing the writing before taking part in additional sections would feel more intentional somehow. I locate a cozy corner under an umbrella and work from 11:00–2:00 until the laptop battery drains. These few hours on a patio produce good work, and I feel good about the decision to spend my time in this way. I later see Paul and we spend time together, scouting the direction from which the Camino leaves the city westward. I buy groceries for tomorrow to make a large and healthy sandwich. The kitchen in the hostel is amazing; large, and open, with lots of windows providing natural light. Afterwards, I remain in the kitchen, pulling up a chair to work on the laptop. As the afternoon darkens I head out, venturing out for a pint. On the way, I spot another stationery store. This one sells high-end pens, pencils, and notebooks. I found a small mechanical pencil that would be perfect for travel. I buy it along with some lead replacements. I receive a message from Peter. He and Kyosuke arrived at Finisterre, with photos of the two standing at the “0 km” marker. Such fun! I congratulate them both. I miss them! Return to the hostel by 9:30 to prepare the pack for returning to the trail toward Finisterre.
Today’s distance walked: — km | Total distance walked: 916.23 km
“The most honest actions and interactions are brought in by speaking to people.” — Styne
Tuesday, June 4, 2024
Mornings lately have been more relaxed. It isn’t until 7:30 am that I rise to enjoy the breakfast included with the reservation. I walk to the Cathedral square to find Greg snoozing comfortably in the sun. Like a cat. We sit for a while, watching pilgrims enter into the square and display all possible emotions. Our mood is relaxed, quietly chatting and reflecting upon the previous thirty-seven days. And then, the mood changes. Jess’s group suddenly arrives, eliciting several explosions of laughter, hugging, and celebration. Directly afterward, the group of Italians we have been walking with enter the square for a renewed round of celebration. “Cloudy” suggests getting together for a major dinner downtown, which we set for the beginning of the 7:00 pm Pilgrim Mass at the Cathedral as a meeting point. The majority of my afternoon is spent in a lovely park beyond the limits of the old city. I wander slowly, listening to the wind in the trees and the people strolling around me. I thoroughly enjoyed the energy created this afternoon! Some of these people I have come to know quite well—others I have only briefly chatted with. They all have such distinct and authentic personalities. Big hearts and determination to do big things. I return to the albergue to enjoy an irresponsibly long shower before setting out in search of a pint over which to put down some writing for a few hours. I find a stationery store on the way, deciding to purchase some back-up felt-tipped pens. Find the group, where Greg and Magnus are angling toward enjoying some tasty pints and limón radlers. Some big laughs follow, erupting throughout several bars before joining the larger group for dinner. I met a very interesting friend of Greg’s on the Camino a few days previous, and we continued a conversation lasting over an hour. After dinner Greg, Magnus, and I venture out once more in search of tasty beverages, rounding out the evening with some more fun and laughs big enough to hurt. We break around midnight and I make my way back to my albergue. On the way I spot Chloé on the patio of a tiny pub, and I stop in for a refreshment. A lot of fun and a bit of an evening to let loose without having the strain of walking the entire following day. By 12:30 am I am comfortably back in my lodging, preparing for sleep and flopping into bed exhausted but confident in my resolve for reaching Santiago.
Today’s distance walked: — km | Total distance walked: 916.23 km
“Thoreau had a rather extreme notion of preparing for a walk: ‘If you are ready to leave father and mother, and brother and sister, and wife and child and friends, and never see them again—if you have paid your debts, and made your will, and settled all your affairs, and are a free man—then you are ready for a walk.’ We prefer Clark’s minimalism—as long as you have a pair of sensible shoes, the rest fades away.” — Craig Mod
Monday, June 3, 2024
This morning I slept in. 6:30 I stumble out of this massive albergue into the cool and quiet morning. I walk for half an hour to the first cafe I see, stopping for coffee, orange juice, and a croissant. There is simply no rush today. There is no need. I am only five kilometres from Santiago. I reach it within fifty minutes. Today I experienced a calmness identical to that on the final day of my through-hike last year from Toronto Ontario to Sydney Nova Scotia. Everything around me seems as though it is in slow motion. I feel both satisfied and calm. This might be due to overcoming difficult challenges—completing something big and daunting. I walk into the city limits of Santiago, eventually into the Cathedral Square. I sit, looking upward at the architecture of the towers. I watch pilgrims enter the square, first one by one, later in streams. I watch it all as if in a trance, sedated by the movement. I sink into the archaic stones underfoot. Hungry, I set off in search of breakfast. I find a cozy corner where I write, book a hotel for a few nights, and plan what I want to see and where I’d like to wander. The weather app forecast is sunny, clear, and hot. Sander arrives and Chloe walks into the square, laughing and taking photos. We get organized and stash our packs, wanting to attend the pilgrim mass at the cathedral to see the remains of St. James. Next, we obtain our printed compostellas from the pilgrim office and agree to get together this evening for beverages. I locate a patio close by and enjoy a menu del dia. I write and enjoy a few pints before walking to the hostel. Shortly, Sander messages me with a location and I aim toward the tiny band, recently completing their pilgrimage. Drinks are enjoyed on a lovely patio, followed by much more conversation as we find our way across town. My hostel has no curfew—my key allows entry at any time of night. A wonderful evening of celebration is enjoyed. 2:30 we leave for sleep, terminating a great day! Flawless weather, attaining Santiago, and rest.
Today’s distance walked: 5 km | Total distance walked: 916.23 km
Does Marlow realize the ramifications involved before plunging into the heart of darkness?
