Day 24, May 19, part 1. Yet another day of rest in Muxia

Day 24, Thursday, May 19, part 1. And once again, we walked ZERO miles (except for our strolls around town). 

We slept late yet again this time in our new albergue (pronounced all-BEAR-gay, as Chris noticed that Simon pronounced it, not all-bear-GAY, as River had been pronouncing it). Then we sipped coffee in the beautifully stocked albergue kitchen before heading out to our usual breakfast cafe. 

After breakfast we strolled along the coast to the Church of the Virgin of the Boat and tried to locate the tipping rock and rock sail (which apparently were sites of pagan pilgrimage and rites of passage long before they became part of a Christian miracle story).  Photo 1 shows River taking a photo of the coastline (part of the Costa de Morte, famous for shipwrecks and most recently a disastrous oil spill, as well as longtime pilgrimage and ritual holy place). 

 

And photo 2 is the picture River was taking. Chris had said she was surprised River wasn't clambering over the rocks to get closer to the ocean, and so of course River at once started clambering. Photo 3 shows the amazing little wildflowers growing there among the rocks and tide pools. 

 

 

 

On the walk back we were both curious about the old stone walls -- it didn't seem reasonable that they were enclosing pastures or that they were the walls of long ago houses -- River wondered if they had s ritual significance -- Chris finally guessed they were dividing the land into plots and terraces for gardening. Photo 4 shows the walls. 

 

We are enjoying the rest and the time to reflect on our Camino. One of the interesting themes of this Camino for River has been meditating on the difference between how she and Chris typically respond to pain and discomfort. River focuses rather aggressively on diagnosis, etiology, and treatment. Chris tends to see these changes very much the way she sees weather: variations in the everchanging nature of things that do not require (and in fact would elude our attempts at) labels, explanation of causes, or attempts to control. So that diarrhea or back or foot pain are just like clouds and rain. The sky isn't always sunny nor do we expect to explain or control it when it isn't. It is just what is happening. Strange for River (who thinks of herself as a skeptic in relation to science and rationality) to see herself so firmly entrenched in a Western scientific, rational tradition and Chris more Taoist ( and River's desire to note and label these differences just another example...). 

River is wondering, as we approach the final chapter of our lives, aging and dying, if the metaphor of weather might often be more comforting (perhaps in its own way more healing) than the metaphors of western medicine?

We're sitting here in the sun again, this time with white wine and an empanada, wondering whether we will rest another day in Muxia and then bus to Finisterre, or whether we will attempt the walk to Finnesterre in two relatively short gentle 10 mile days. We know what is wise, and, unlike in the early days of our Camino, we will probably bow this time to what is wise. 

"We don't know!" Chrissy says, with a mischievous giggle. 

To be continued

Day 23, May 18, Part 2, more rest in Muxia

Day 23, part 2. Wednesday,  May 18, another day of zero miles. 

Continued from part 1. 

In the late but still sunny afternoon, after writing most of this post, we walked very slowly (Chris says "I don't have to walk this slowly but my foot really likes it." ) to a small beach just beyond town.  We strolled on the sand, collected a few tiny shells for sister Judy's shell garden, and sat a long while on the beach just watching the gentle waves arrive, lap the shore, and depart; the seagulls ride the wind; a sailboat anchored nearby slowly turn on the wind. 

Photo 8 shows River at ease on the beach, photo 9 shows the beach she is gazing toward, photo 10 shows the boat. (By the way, on her walk earlier River met a couple who seemed to be struggling with heavy packs. She congratulated them on completing their Camino. They laughed and said they just came off the boat. On second look the heavy packs were of garbage bags they must have brought to shore to discard! It seemed to her that arrival by sailboat on that rocky coast known as the Costa de Morte, coast of death, because of its many fatal shipwrecks deserved more congratulations than walking the tame Camino. )

 

 

 

 

We thought about how the Camino occupies the part of ourselves that needs to be constantly "doing" with walking, allowing the rest of us to simply be in the moment. But here we seemed content with simple being, no doing needed at all. 

We also reflected on our Camino and how it differed from our first Camino in 2012. The first, we agreed, was like a honeymoon: we fell naturally and easily and head over heels in love with the Way and the other wayfarers. Day after day of pure bliss. (Yes, we had our wounds and injuries, but that did not change the overall mood. ). This year's Camino was more like domestic love, the willingness to accept and endure the difficulties and limitations of the Camino and other pilgrims (including one another) for the sake of love, with small moments of bliss all the more precious because they are rare. We both felt content with both Caminos and very grateful we had chosen to and were able to walk them both.  As a walk of gratitude and celebration of Chris' 85 years (and so also of course of our  35 years of knowing each other),this Camino seemed just perfect.  

Day 23, May 18, part 1. More Rest in Muxia

Day 23, part 1. Wednesday, May 18. Another day of zero miles. 

We slept long and deeply at the alburgue. We are still in Muxia, feeling deeply entrenched here, practically ex-pats. 

In a mostly cloudy day we have managed to find moments of beautiful sunshine. We began the day with a leisurely breakfast, then left our backpacks at our new albergue, and enjoyed a slow beautiful stroll along the coastline. Just by chance we arrived at the church of the virgin of the boat along with a small tour bus that included two different pairs of peregrinos we had met earlier. We were really delighted to see the couple from Flagstaff Arizona (and be able to ask them to convey our greetings to their Camino friends from North Carolina) as well as a couple of women around River's age who had been friends since college. 

As it turns out we must be quite notorious (given our matching turquoise jackets and Chrissy's wrinkles)for we learned that these two pairs had already spoken with one another about having met us along the way. 

Photos 1 through 3 show the lovely coastline beside the church and (with wild calla lilies) on the walk home. Photo 4 shows Chris walling on the walkway. 

 

 

 

 

We walked back into town and had a big salad for lunch, sitting at an outdoor table at our breakfast place. Then Chris returned to the albergue for a nap and River went for a walking adventure of her own, exploring beaches on the other side of town and scouting the walks we would have taken into Muxia from Santiago if we had followed the Camino through Finisterre, or if we had taken the alternate directly to Muxia. 

Photos 5 and 6 show two of the small white sand beaches just beyond town. 

 

 

Photo 7 shows a pelegrina, newly arrived via the Muxia alternate Camino, who left her backpack on the beach and ended her Camino with a plunge into the ocean. 

 

 

Day 22, May 17, Relaxing in Muxia

Day 22, Tuesday, May 27. Relaxing in Muxia. Walked zero miles. :-)

Here we are again sitting in the sun, under a blue and for the moment cloudless sky. Photo 1 shows a happy Chrissy. 

 

We slept late, and stretched breakfast out until almost 11. Photo 2 shows the view from the cafe that has now become our regular for breakfast. You have to imagine the sun umbrella snapping in the wind. We hadn't idea at this point what a lovely sunny day we would eventually have. 

 

After breakfast we walked up toward the church which celebrates the Virgin Mary's miraculous appearance (on a stone boat) to encourage St James in his rather unsatisfactory efforts to convert the local Celts. Chris paused part way up the knoll and lay in the sun like a cat. River continued to the top. Photo 3  the church, photo 4 an interesting sculpture, photo 5 the view back of the town of Muxia which revealed shoreline on both sides of the town. 

 

 

 

 

Back at the alburgue after our stroll, while we waited endlessly for our clothes to dry, we both began reading a kindle version of Melville's translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses (that River bought by accident when she thought she was just window shopping). 

Our afternoon walk took us to the bar where we began writing this blog and where we sat for a long while soaking up sun. We then explored the other coastline of Muxia. Incidentally, Chris pronounces it  Moo-Shee-ah and River Mook-hee-ah and it turns out we're both right except Chris is just a little more right because hers is the Galician pronunciation and River's is the Castellan. 

Photos 6 and 7 show the rugged beauty of the coastline (which reminds us a little of our sister Judy's beach near her home in Shell Beach CA). One of the great things we weren't able to capture in a photo was all the young families and children playing on and near the beach. It was especially magical because for them as for us it was the first truly sunny day after almost two weeks of rain. 

 

 

We had a pleasant early dinner and learned a lot from our waiter about differences between Galician and Castellan Spanish. Now we will head back to sleep at the same alburgue (which generously allowed us to stay a second night). 

Tomorrow: more rest. And we hope more sun. 

Day 21, May 16, Lavacolla to Muxia by bus

Day 21, Monday, May 16, Lavacolla to Muxia by bus. 

Chris had the excellent idea of taking a taxi the short way into Santiago to the bus station. This saved quite a bit of time, anxiety and navigating challenges. We were able to enjoy our hotel breakfast and get to the bus station in plenty of time to confirm the schedule, find the platform and get our backpacks secured to safely ride in the baggage compartment 

Photo 1 shows the bus to Muxia pulling in right on schedule. 

 

The bus only took a little over two hours and we loved arriving at the ocean, though the overcast sky and fierce wind was not exactly what we had in mind. We found beds at the municipal albergue (an unusually pleasant and welcoming albergue, although they actually all are quite wonderful). We were relieved to be back in an albergue and over our culture-shock at being in a hotel. 

We're now sitting in the sun sipping beer but with every layer of our warm clothing on. We are enjoying watching local boys playing at a small skateboard park and settling rather easily into relaxed mode (after napping several hours when we first arrived. 

River listened to her audiobook of The Paradiso on the bus and in the albergue and this no doubt has great significance since River has been reading and retreading the Inferno and Purgatorio for decades and never until now (with the help of her reading buddy Peter McCorison and now the bus to Muxia) made it to Paradise.  

Photos 2-4 are from our first slow stroll through this very quiet, uncrowded, unrushed little town and along the shoreline. 

 

 

 

We realize this could be the end of our walking for this Camino, which is disappointing. But on the other hand, we have walked about 300 miles (starting at Burgos mile 176, ending Lavacallo, mile 379.6). That is quite a long walk, and we have loved it. 

Day 20, May 15, Taverna Vella to Lavacolla

Day 20, Sunday, May 15. Taverna Vella (mile 465.4) to Lavacolla (mile 379.6). Walked 14.2 miles. 

We were very excited to have the sun come out for the first time in what felt like weeks Also Simon told us that the weather prediction suggested warm sunny weather ahead. Photo 1 shows Simon with Lady, one of the four cats and three dogs that live at Heidi's home, where Simon and his dog (with whom he walked his multiple Caminos) have lived for a year. 

 

We even got to walk in our t-shirts for part of the day. We were still making our way through mud (photo 2) but were thrilled to be able to see the sun coming up (photo 3). 

 

 

And loved seeing sunlight between trees in the woods (photo 4) 

 

As always there was a simple joy in finding the arrows and way markers and knowing we were on the Camino. Photo 5 shows a spot with three different styles of markers. We felt very secure. 

 

We had planned to stop just outside Santiago -- in an area where, alas, there are no alburgues. So the first time ever (on this Camino) we stayed at a hotel. We felt a little out of place. Many people make this choice in order to arrive fresh at the Cathedral in Santiago the next day. We found ourselves not very interested in Santiago this year and had imagined just walking through and starting on our final part of Camino to Finisterre and Muxia. Simon so enthusiastically recommended Muxia (where we had never been) over Finisterre that we were leaning toward walking straight to Muxia. 

However while River was luxuriating in a warm bath she had the idea that maybe given Chris' (unmentionable) sore foot, we might consider taking a bus to Muxia instead, and perhaps walking back from Muxia to Santiago after a few days of rest and relaxation and reading. BIG change of plans. 

Day 19, May 14, Melide to Taberna Vella

Day 19, Saturday, May 14, from Melide (mile 453.6) to Taverna Vella (mile 465.4). Walked 11.8 miles. 

We found an enticing description of a very small (8 beds) private albergue referred to in our German guidebook (that Chris' sister Hanna had introduced us to) as "Heidi's home." There was no sign and except for the guidebook we would have had no clue. We later learned the German author (a friend of Heidi's) had nevertheless included it without her permission and that formerly it was known only by word of mouth. So we couldn't resist calling for reservations.  And here we are. 

Photos 1 and 2 show the brand new kitchen built by volunteer Simon (born in London, has lived in Minnesota and southern Spain, last year walked the Camino with his dog until he "understood" -- that meant walking from Gibralter to Madrid to Santiago-Finisterre-Muxia and then "backwards" to St. Jean and back toward Santiago again until his dog told him to stop here and he understood. 

This room was originally a shelter for pilgrims traveling with donkeys. As with all buikdibgs along the Camino, the existing structures must be preserved in the renovation process. All of it is considered cultural heritage. 

Our day started out misty and rainy but we are told that the sun will come out tomorrow -- and stay out. May it be so. (We know heat will be an issue but that's hard for either of us to imagine right now. ). 

Photos 3 through 5 are River's attempt to share the wet green beauty of the morning

We are both feeling simple happiness in this magical little alburgue. The shower was exceptional and we find ourselves more blissfully relaxed than in any other albergue so far. We will probably have another little nap before the communal meal prepared by woodworker/chef Simon.