A New Beginning

In order to have a deeper perspective of my pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, I thought I would wait a few days before I wrote the last blog.

Leaving Sarria, I initially planned to ride 3 days to reach Santiago de Compostela. I did not want to push too hard and, besides why not enjoy the scenery in Galicia. After meeting Juan from Barcelona for the third time in Gonzar where I stopped to have a hamberguesa, my plan evolved into 2 days.

Beginning in Gonzar, Juan and I rode together unil we reached the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. I forwarded my bags to an albergue in San Xulian, which is about 3kms past Palas de Rei but, after some careful consideration, we rode another 15km to Melide. Reaching Santiago from Melide the following day would be possible since it is roughly 50km away.

From Sarria, it is an uphill climb for 15km and then you descend for 5km into Portomarin. I do not mind climbing in the morning when my legs are fresh but, except for the 5km decline to Portomarin, the ride to Palas de Rei is basically uphill or hilly all day. I spent a bit of time in Portomarin visiting the cathedral, which is one of the oldest in Spain. Due to the building of a reservoir, the whole town was moved including the cathedral.

As I was leaving the cathedral in Portomarin I noticed a guy walking just to the side of me because his feet were heavily bandaged in gauze and he was wearing flip flops. I said to him that I was truly impressed with his perseverance. He laughed and said it was a matter of his own stupidity. We proceeded to have a conversation which lasted all of 15 minutes. He told me he had been having issues with blisters but then his boots got wet (which he thought were water proof) and it worsened into trench foot. I asked him where he was from and he told me he was from South Africa. He said he had been thinking of moving from South Africa because he has been unable to find work and does not like the danger stemming from high crime. His brother had been murdered during the past year and he had been beaten and robbed. He was contemplating moving to Spain.

Some of the stories I heard along the way were truly heart wrenching in nature but his was particularly so. Yet, despite his pain, he kept moving forward. All throughout my trip, in addition to Buen Camino, pilgrims would say to each other, ultreia, which in Spanish means to move forward. His honesty and attitude really struck me. It was another life lesson along the way that was seared into my brain about how people approach and deal with difficult circumstances and events in life.

After Portomarin, it is a fairly hilly ride to Palas de Rei. The hills gradually wear you down. Some of the climbs, though not particularly steep are about 2-3 kilometers long. I decided to stop in Gonzar for lunch at a hamberguesa stand, which piqued my curiosity. As I was eating my hamburger,which was not half bad, Juan pulled up again. From that point forward, we basically rode the rest of the day and the next day into Santiago.

Although Juan was quite emotional, I did not feel any particular strong feelings or emotions when we reached the cathedral. I was happy and grateful to have arrived safely. Juan asked me later how I felt about it and I just told him I needed time to sort out my feelings. It was not until the last day when I knew I would be leaving did it strike me how significant the overall trip had been.

Juan and I waited in line for about 2 hours to get our compostelas and enjoyed a nice dinner that evening. Before dinner I stopped at the post office to pick up my backpack but they did not have it. After consulting with shipping company over the phone, I went back to the post office the next morning and got my backpack.

Rather than take a bus, Juan and I decided to split the cost of a rental car and drive to Finisterre that evening and spend the better part of Friday touring Finisterre and the surrounding area. I think the best overall dinner I had was in Finisterre where we washed down pulpo and calamari with two bottles of wine. We topped it off the night with Orujo.

We returned to Santiago on Friday in the late afternoon for the grand finale, the Pilgrim’s Mass in the cathedral. We got to see the butifumiero swing high toward the upper reaches of the cathedral and fill the air with incense.

Juan left early Saturday morning to return to his home in Barcelona. I went to Mass Saturday morning which was actually very special. The priest had everyone introduce themselves and where they started their Camino. In his homily, he talked about how to view the Camino as a new beginning rather than the end of the journey and to take what we gained from our experiences and share them with others.

It was an excellent perspective and actually I got emotional about what he said and realizing it was nearing the end. The physical, intellectual and spiritual challenges I encountered, the lessons I learned, the people whose paths crossed with mine and the places I visited during my Journey to Santiago affected me in an immediate and direct way. Moreover, I also believe what I experienced will continue to influence me in subtle and subliminal ways for the rest of my life.

After Mass, I spent the rest of the day touring and learning about the rich history and architecture of the cathedral. My train to Madrid left at 1030pm and I flew back to Chicago last Sunday afternoon.

Buen Camino and Ultreia!