After saying goodbye to Dawn, Nallie and the Sarah, Madison and Greg, the A&M kids , I’m pretty much on my own until Rick shows up. That’s an odd feeling on the Camino.
Decided to walk to the Faro, about 5km. It’s interesting that now, walking 5km, 10 round trip isn’t even something you think about. That’s a little over 6 miles.
Walking from my hotel is about 1.5 km to Fisterra and another 3.5 to the lighthouse, all basically up hill.
As I head up and out of town, the pavement finally ends and the familiar crunchy sound of crushed stone under my boots begins. Walking on paved roads is hard and boring.
There are 2 of us, me and a woman, making our way up this early morning, we pass each other as we pause to enjoy the incredible views and to take pictures.
About 1/2 way up, there’s one last statute of a pilgrim, climbing to the end of the World. We stop to take pictures and, as is so common on the Camino, we ask if they will take a picture and then return the favor.
These interactions are often the beginning of a conversation and it was in this case. Katja is from Frankfurt and spoke English better than I do.
We climbed up towards the summit and talked which makes the time fly. Before we knew it, we were at the zero KM marker, the end of the World. Of course we took pictures.
Katja shared that her mother had passed away, we talked about that for a while. When we got to the Faro, we both separated and found spots to reflect on our journey in the greater sense.
I thought about how lucky I was to be here and all the people that made it possible. I thought about Grandma Jones and what I would have liked to shared with her. A flood of emotions came over me like a wave.
Katja and I had a coffee, she too had similar feelings about her mother, she’d carried a rock for her and had found an appropriate spot for it. We were lucky that it was early before the tour buses arrived.
As as it turns out, she knew some of the same people I did. She had walked with a group of Canadians, another German and an American that we’d crossed paths with over the last month. Small Camino.
The walk down took no time and we found ourselves in town discussing the pending bus strike and how we planned to get back to Santiago. We had lunch at a vegetarian (not exclusively) restaurant and it was one of the best meals I’ve had in Spain, period. La Frontera across from the bus station.
I had a tomato and onions salad with fresh herbs (you don’t get fresh herbs much in Spain) and a curry rice wth veggies, I was in Nirvana.
After lunch, we went our separate ways only to find ourselves thrown together again as the the remaining Canadians showed up, waiting for Sandra, who was walking as I was waiting for Rick who was also walking. It’s interesting how small the Camino is and how intertwined it is.
Rick rolled in, I fed him a beer and he related how he got lost on the way in the dark and basically walked an hour or so only to end up where he started.
The Hotel Playa Langosteria had 1 last room, a Jr. Suite, long way from an Albergue, it had a jacuzzi tub, which he took full advantage of.
After some rest, back into town for dinner with the Canadians, Katja, Carol and Latina (the Kiwis) and, Bernie and Nigel showed up too, the last reminants of my traveling village.
I truly like the Kiwis. Carol cracks me up with her dry sense of humor and Latina’s smile I will never forget. They are a mismatched set that belong together.
Bernie and Nigel, Mutt and Jeff, tall and short and inseparable. She is your mother one minute, your sister the next and a mischievous imp all the others. Nigel, comes across as very straight but has a mad (not crazy) funny streak to him. Combined, they make a formidable team. Their love of travel is shared. They insisted on wearing their backpacks to the end. I’m in awe.
Dinner is made better by the company, a sense of gloom is heavy in my heart though as you realize that these moments have a shelf life that’s rapidly approaching.
I said my good nights, 4 of us plan to take a taxi back to Santiago because of the bus strike. Katja and Sandra may stay but Bernie and Nigel will take their place.
Rick and I plan to go back to the Faro tomorrow, I hope the rain holds off.