Leaving Santiago by bus was the first step in letting go of our Camino pilgrimage. Soon we caught our first glimpse of the sea, the entrance to the end of the world, as believed by ancient mariners. It took Columbus, in 1492, to disprove that theory, but we know today that there were many prior…

Fruitless efforts to book flights on Ryan Air with a Canadian credit card lead us to a travel agency. Learning that Ryan Air charges 45e for printing boarding passes at the airport was worth the fee charged by the agent.  I'm relieved to report that our post Camino plans have been solidified. Tomorrow we'll head…

Can't seem to get plans nailed down; still basking in the Camino afterglow/letdown. It feels particularly good to be in one place not repacking each day, but I'm missing the act of moving forward. My foot, however, is appreciating the rest. We enjoyed lunch in the monastery's huge dining room while listening to a free…

A day of fun and rest. We transferred to our accommodation for two nights at the Hospederia San Martin Pinario, a renovated monastery located across the street from the cathedral. It seemed fitting for the end of a pilgrimage. Elegantly simple rooms and facilities. Fluffy towels, machine dried, instead of stiff ones dried on a…

A million (!) steps behind us, after 40 days of walking, 2 rest days, 2 touring days, and one day of errands, we arrived in Santiago. Holding back the tears of joy: The feelings are overwhelming: joy, sadness, gratitude and accomplishment. Although having successfully completing the Camino, I'm incredulous that I and so many others…

Last night the address was technically still in Arzua, but it was quite a ways from town. We walked 1k to get back on track and once we did, we saw dewy fields at 9:00a.m., shortly after the usual astonishingly late sunrise. We passed rows of trees, a wall of beer bottles, and mounds of…

The Camino wasn't going to let us off easy. It needed at least one more day of chewing us up prior to spitting us out in Santiago. The guide book showed a 100 meter incline over the 20k. My question is how many 100 meter inclines? I would guess 80% of today's path was heading…

22k of peaceful hiking, we found the solution to avoiding the crowds: 1. If you must stay in towns at the end of a stage in the popular Brierly guide, leave late. It seems most groups leave at 8:00 or 9:00a.m. 2. Even better, stay at a town located at the midpoint between the beginning…

We left Portomarin, crossing a bridge further up the river, revealing more of the landscape of the previous town. Despite the uphills, cold rain and the noise of hundreds of pilgrims, it was a satisfying walk through a lush temperate rain forest climate similar to North Vancouver's, but with mostly deciduous trees. We joked: What's…

It's not the same Camino experience once you hit the 100k marker. The trail is now marked every .5k, a concrete countdown back to reality. I was doing my best to stall and enjoy every last moment. C hit a grumpy patch, annoyed with the number of people, particularly the cyclists. In the previous sections…