On the way to Finisterre, the “End of the World,” and this is day 1 of 3 days that it takes to get there. About 90 kilometers total, and all to see a darn sign that says “0.0 KM” and know that I’m done! 😉

Except that I’ll then walk another 30 kilometers north to the coastal town called Muxia (moo-SHEE-ah), and an alternate “0.0 KM” sign! Muxia is supposed to be a more scenic seaside town, and both places are parts of an extended Camino experience.

After Muxia, though, I’ll be taking a BUS back to Santiago! On the 14th I’ll travel by bus to Lisbon for a little sightseeing before my flight back home on the 16th. But even after 46 days of wandering, I’m already working on ideas for the next adventure!

So now about today’s trek to Negreira. As expected, today was a pretty consistent rain all morning. And it started out too warm and really humid, as well, near Santiago. I met a couple other fast walkers leaving Santiago, a Canadian physician and his son from British Columbia, so we hiked on together. It was nice to chatter with others while walking as it’s been almost 4 weeks that I’ve been walking solo.

The humidity went down along with the temperature as we continued to climb out of the Santiago area. Ended up being very wet, but comfortable hiking conditions. Today’s walk was only ~22 kilometers and even though we left Santiago well after 8 am, we still made good time despite our breakfast stop.

So few pilgrims along the route today! To be expected since most are smart enough to not add another 100 kilometers to their journey after already walking almost 800 kilometers. But still so very few, making for a peaceful walk in the rain!

So the doctor and his son, Howard and Keith, have been doing the Camino with Jill and Brigitte, wife and daughter, but the two ladies were smart enough to drive to Finisterre, rather than walk. The family has mostly been staying in AirBnBs along the way. We’re all planning on dinner tonight.

I’ll probably walk with Howard and Keith again as we head to Finisterre. The next two days are both longish at about 34 kilometers each.

Here are some of the sights along the way today…

Flowers…

Almost no flowers today so the Flower Guy is on vacation.

Extra thought: Drive like you’re the person your dog thinks you are.

Just a relaxing day in the beautiful sunshine of Santiago de Compostela. Got a few things tidied up, stored a bag of stuff at the post office (about a dollar a day), got a few needed items, washed clothes, and napped!

Here are a few photos from some of today’s sights.

Extra thought: Life is just a series of obstacles preventing you from taking a nap.

It was a pretty efficient system for being issued your Compostela certificate. Take a number, come back in a couple hours, wait in a short line, and voila! A certificate!

Extra thought: Tweet others as you would like to be tweeted.

I hadn’t planned on making it to Santiago on Sunday, but I just felt good the whole way today and kept passing by potential stopping points. By the time I stopped for lunch around 1:00 pm, I figured out that I was only 7 kilometers from Santiago!

So it ended up being a 40 kilometer day without too much effort. Good thing is that now I’ll take a full rest day here before I head to Finisterre and the ocean.

It was cloudy this morning and must have been heavy rain overnight because there were puddles everywhere. Not much rain along the way, just a bit misty and some “tree rain” as I walked along the trails. Still it’s still beautiful and the birds are singing their melodies.

The day was filled again with “tunnel trails” through forests as you can see below.

Here are some of the other sights today on the way to Santiago.

And of course a few flower shots!

Here are a few of closing on Santiago and the cathedral.

Extra thought: My wife said I never listen to her. Or something like that.

After…

Thirty-three days.

500 miles.

Innumerable footsteps.

A few aches and pains.

People from dozens of countries.

Some beer, some sangria, and a lot of red wine.

Glorious and memorable sights.

Fabulous weather (mostly).

And the support of my family and friends.

I…

Am…

Done!!!

More later after I drop my pack and explore!

Extra thought: I am grateful.

Expect some news this afternoon!

Here are the colors from today.

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Extra thought: If it’s in stock, we have it!

A good 30 kilometer day and now less than 40 kilometers to Santiago de Compostela! Monday morning arrival!

Started out dreary and cloudy, but no rain and not too chilly. Seems like I walked through a bunch of “tunnel” trails today, with trees covering the trail from both sides. Always peaceful and quiet on those.

Also walked through a number of fragrant eucalyptus tree groves again. There seems to be a lot of managed timber in this part of Spain.

And here are some of the other sights for the day.

So what are they?

I have seen these around many of the farms in this province of Galicia. They come in similar, but varied styles and sizes. Even some of the regular homes have them, too. Here are some samples:

Mystery Solved!

As you can see in the photo below, they are apparently corn cribs!

And for lunch today…

Extra thought: For Sale – Parachute, only used once, never opened.

50 kilometers left to Santiago de Compostela!

A cloudy, misty, gray, chilly morning, but not bad for hiking. I started out well before dawn and the trails through the trees were REALLY dark. Fortunately, a bunch of folks were using flashlights or headlamps so I mooched some light as I flashed by all of them.

Walked 25 kilometers today and the ankle/shin is about 85% back to normal. Hopefully, a bit more ice today and I’ll be good for a full 30 kilometers tomorrow.

Like yesterday, lots of pilgrims on the trail early, and after I passed them, it thinned out a lot late in the morning. Peaceful and only the sound of my boots crunching and the birds singing.

Got a bit of sunshine late in the morning, but it didn’t last long. Still it was nice to warm up a bit.

Here are some of the other sights from the morning…

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Extra thought: Unattended children will be given a double espresso and a free puppy.

A lot of beauty along the trail today.

Extra thought: Anyone caught exiting through this door will be asked to leave.

My last significant hill / mountain on the Camino! Less than 80 kilometers to go. Glidin’ into Santiago in 3 days… Buen Camino!

Now you’ll probably think I’m a ditz, but…

I had no idea that German Shepherds (duh!) were farm herding dogs. They are everywhere here in Spain and on practically every farm. I had never associated them with farms in the U.S., and despite the name, had NEVER connected them to herding animals. Live and learn, I guess…

And I’ll bet there are at least 23 other people who are saying right now, “Huh! I never knew that either!”

What a beautiful morning! Even an hour before sunrise you could tell it would be glorious when the sun finally rose above the peaks.

Early in the morning there were, as expected, a lot more pilgrims on the trail. The Sarria starting point is popular with many since it only takes 4-5 days to Santiago, easily find on a short vacation. I think it’s cheatin’- but that’s just my 500 mile walk with s full backpack opinion!

Later in the morning, the throngs thinned our as I passed up the groups and singles, and the trail was peaceful again. In any case, the whole morning was sunny, cool and crisp, and wonderfully filled with the sounds of many birds.

Fog was laying over many of the pastures and groves of fruit trees. Everything was covered with morning dew and sparkling in the sunshine.

Only wispy clouds in the sky as we finally come down out of the higher mountains of the past few days. Just rolling hills now and in the crisp air you can see for miles today.

Along many areas of the trail today is the wonderful scent of newly mowed grass. Actually just weedwhacked hedges and edges along the trail. Municipal workers are out in force cleaning up the trail and it’s a delightful smell on a sunny day.

I’ve been coming down from higher elevations and moving inexorably downward toward a big river today. On the other side of the river is my town for the night, Portomarin. There are definitely beautiful sights in around the world, but the view of the town sitting on a bluff above the other side of the river is definitely the most beautiful site today!

Portomarin is a beautiful town with the majority of the buildings painted white with green window trim and black roofs. The main street is lined with shops, restaurants, albergues, and hotels. There are also numerous parks and churches, along with the scoundrel if school children playing.

Flowers for today…

Today’s albergue is really nice. More space than most, really nice bathrooms/showers, and a restaurant, too. Amazing what ten bucks can get you!

Extra thought: If a cow doesn’t produce milk is it a milk dud or an udder failure?