April 25, 2025 This city is a sculpture. This morning I walked to the Guggenheim Museum along the river - though it looks more like a canal to my eyes. It didn’t open until 10, so I walked around the museum and was blown away. Richard Sarra’s sculptures I went in and got the audio guide. I’m not sure what I was expecting but the more pieces I experienced and the more I saw - particularly the pieces by Richard Serra - made me realize that it’s the museum itself that is the incredible work of art.

April 24, 2025 I am on the train to Madrid. It’s so strange to be moving at 250 km/hour. In Madrid I have to transfer from the train station to the bus station. They are an hour’s walk apart. I opted to take the metro to have time to get coffee and some food for the five-hour bus trip to Bilbao.

I was right not to worry about how I would get back to Santiago for tonight. I am impressed at how, over time, I have managed my anxiety around getting places I need to be. I left early this morning from Santa Mariña. I was hoping the bar would be open at 7:00 so I could have breakfast before setting off, I got ready to go at 7:10, but everything was closed.

April 22, 2025 I know I keep threatening to stop, and yet I continue. But the end is nigh. Tomorrow evening I will be back in Santiago de Compostela - not entirely certain how that will happen yet, but I’m sure all will be sorted. Misty spiderweb The weather is finally beautiful. Though it was cool and misty this morning. Second full day without rain.

April 21, 2025 When I mentioned yesterday that I was considering “closing the loop” I meant that I was thinking about walking back to where the bifurcation is from Santiago de Compostela- where one can either go north to Muxia or south to Fisterra. See the map.

Lovely walk today, mostly thru woods, but some stunning shoreline near the end or the walk. Cloudy and cool with some “sea mist” never heavy enough to don my rain cape. Likely logged about 18km with the hike out to the end of the trail and back.

April 19, 2025 The big question yesterday was whether to go all the way to Muxia today or break the journey into two days. Muxia (pronounced Mooshia) is about 28 km from Fisterra, depending how you go. Vista leaving Fisterra You may recall I was thinking of taking the Camino Dos Faros two days to Miuxia. I spoke to some people about it and was twice told that it’s very dangerous, particularly this time of year.

This post, by all accounts, should be about the profound experience of reaching the end of the world. We will perhaps get to that, but on my mind at the moment, is the high-level calculus that is required to sort out Spanish restaurant kitchen opening hours. Or maybe, if the server detects a hungry foreigner, they just fuck with them.

Another beautiful walk today, past lovely shorelines and through peaceful forests. Short day - only about three hours -13km. One of the beaches on the way to Finistère Rainy off and on all day, but while I was walking it was minimal. Staying at a really nice hostel. The people are so welcoming. They made me hot chocolate during check-in and they just all seem lovely.

Si! You can see the sea in Cee! And it is awesome! Totally fantastic hike today. 26km on an amazing trail. Stunning views. I think today was one of my favourite days on the Camino. Walking on the LH side of the road will get you some sun. Started off in the rain, then it was pouring. I was thinking that in half an hour I’d either hop a cab or it would stop raining and my pant legs would dry.

April 15, 2025 Amazing day! My knee pain is much better. For those in the know, it’s not my bad knee that’s giving me issues. For almost 60 years I’ve had issues with my right knee, and it was that knee that I was most concerned about and that gave me big issues on my last long-distance hike. It’s doing great this time, due to all the strengthening I did for it (I did both legs, please note).

April 13, 2025 Short day - 13 km only, and very rainy. No complaints, since I’ve generally had really great weather for hiking. Seldom really hot and tho sometimes cold, not a lot of rain after the first week. Clearly the smile of a mad woman - near the gates to Negreira However, for most of my time on the Camino Finistère it will be raining.

April 13 Indeed I started a second camino today. this one is short though. It’s the Camino Finistère- the walk to the end of the world. As I understand it, it’s a more pagan Camino. Apparently Finistère (like so many religious sites) was celebrated for millennia before Christianity. The beginning of the Camino Finistère 23 km, today. Typically those doing the Camino Finistère do it in three days to Finistère, but I am thinking I will do it in five days.

My big move today was down the street to a new albergue. The one I was staying in only had upper bunks available tonight, and at the best of times I dislike upper bunks. Yesterday afternoon and today have been very rainy and cool. Good days for resting. Said goodbye to Kate this morning. She’s heading to Paris by coach (!), then hopping the Eurostar.

Today was a rest day. I should have taken more. It’s so nice to sleep in (til 7:30!) and not think about packing or moving out right away. Cathedral square from the roof But I did some chores - laundry, shopping. Went to a sports store to buy compression socks because my feet are already swelling after not even one rest day.

April 10, 2025 The end. Well, sort of. I have arrived in Santiago de Compostela and yes! I do have a halo. Walking into Santiago is like walking into any big town. Kind of a drag. The outskirts are ugly and it takes a couple of kms to get to the old town. But once we were there - wow.

April 9, 2025 Sunrise over the trail Started early today - 6:30, tho we grabbed breakfast in Arzúa so didn’t really get on the road until 7:00. But the temp went up to 28 degrees today, so we wanted the walk to be done sooner. Glad we did that, as we sat out in the bar watching people dragging themselves in at 3 and 4:00 looking over heated and exhausted.

25 km today and the temperature got to 25 degrees! Phew. Started out lovely, cool and quiet, but at less than 50 km to Santiago, more and more routes are joining in the road. Bernadette told me the group of 100 students was in fact a group of 300! Now, that, I think, is a ridiculous exaggeration. Maybe they are 100, but of course now they have become “The Three Hundred” and the main goal is to keep ahead of them.

Great walk today! 20 km to a village one hour after the main stopping point. The strategy for avoiding the hoards was quite effective today. Encountered the typical half-dozen or so pilgrims. Brilliant, quiet walk. I am once again walking with Kate (2), the doctor cum priest. We have interesting conversations and spend a lot of time in silence. Kinda perfect.

April 6, 2025 Today was a better day. Long and the weather was great. Quite cool this morning, and misty. It warmed up, but was overcast. Perfect walking weather. 32 km! Misty trees Started out earlyish but ended up waiting for Denis and Veronique at a bar along the road. We got our wires crossed about where we were meeting. Anyway as we were sitting we were passed by a significant herd of people.

Started this morning with the most excellent breakfast yet. I crossed the street to where Denis and Veronique were staying because the host described the breakfast he served, and my place had nothing. Toast with ham and cheese and an egg - the yolks of the eggs here are so orange! Healthy chickens.

April 4, 2025 Today was a shorty - 19 km. I started off with Veronique and Denis in the dark. The debate was whether to start that early, but we all had headlamps. Mine was the only one that gave us any light tho - thank you Woods - and I think we were all glad for it the first hour.

April 3, 2025 Well, what to say about today? 18 km only, but loads of climbing. It feels like I have gone from the warmest jolliest place to the coldest, most dismal of places. at least it didn’t rain during my hike today. It positively poured last night which brought the temperature down significantly.

25 km today, under mostly sunny skies, tho some rain was forecast. Sunrise and grape vines I started out from Cacabelos with Kate, but she has been planning and planning around a climb that is ahead. She was amazed that I wasn’t thinking about it at all. In fact I didn’t even know about it. I am just taking this one day at a time, and I don’t have to be in Santiago anytime specific.

Walked with Kate today. Left Molinaseca before dawn - with the change of time it’s easy to leave in the dark, since the sun’s not up til after 8:00. 23 ish kilometres today under slightly cloudy skys. Apparently some rainy weather is on the way, and I think I’m okay with that. It has felt so blazing in the afternoons. …