Finally, Finisterre

First sighting of the Finisterre lighthouse or Faro

The title today is from a sign I saw last week while walking with family and it has been repeated again today as we checked into very nice Albergue run by a young couple. What it says is, Tourists demand, pilgrims appreciate. This in part is what makes walking the Camino such a wonderful experience. Early in our walk today we passed a private home. A simple row house, with a cooler of fresh water and a basket of fruit out for pilgrims to enjoy. They also had a bowl of water for anyone walking with their dog as well as a tin of dog treats. They did have a can out for donations but this was all about giving pilgrims what they need. There is obvious pride all over northern Spain in what the Camino means. This and so much more as my other acts of kindness say volumes to the millions of pilgrims from all over the world about the open hearts of the Spanish people.

Today we started a bit later after a breakfast at our hotel. We had only 13 Km to walk and the temperature was in the high 50s to low 60s with a cloud cover. Perfect for walking. We covered the mostly coastal roads in about 4 hours. It was wonderful. In my life I have walked over 1000 Km of Camino routes and had yet to see Finisterre. Today was the day. The pictures will show our first sighting of the town and it’s famous lighthouse as well as our smiling faces at city center and the cross. Also shown are scenes of some of the pathways along the coast that have been traveled by millions of pilgrims over many centuries.

After showers and a fabulous lunch in the port, we are now relaxing before we walk to the lighthouse to watch the sun set beyond the end of the earth and reflect upon what early man must have thought about what could have been over the western horizon.

The reasons for walking to Finisterre is based on the tradition of walking to the end of the earth after your pilgrimage to the burial site of St James (Santiago). Hundreds of years before Christopher Columbus, and thousands of years before that, this rugged terrain that juts into the sea was worshipped by pagans as something special. Am Armenian bishop who walked these paths in the 1490s is said to have seen a werewolf in these woods. We came upon its statue today

Steep down hills are tough on old knees

First view of the Atlantic

Fisterra or Muxia

The well groomed trail through the eucalyptus forest

Take your pick

A mere 17 Km today in the first sunny day on out Camino Fisterra. The name of our location keeps changing I believe due to the influence of the Gallego dialect. More beautiful eucalyptus forest and rolling hills which were more appreciated due to the better weather. There was a 15 Km stretch of just trails with no opportunity to break, replenish water or take a break. We still were able to get to our destination after 4 1/2 hours of walking. Cee is a quaint fishing village and a bustling town with busy shops, schools, and of course restaurants.

As you can see in the photos, our route took us past the town of Hospital where an ancient pilgrims hospital once stood. It is the point where you must decide if you are walking to Fisterra or Muxia. We will continue to Fisterra tomorrow and plan to get to Muxia this weekend. Our first sight of the Atlantic Ocean was inspiring as we had a steep walk down the mountain to Cee.

We chose to splurge and stay in a hotel rather than an Albergue. Having your own bathroom, shower, and towels is a luxury on the Camino and well deserved at this point. We made the decision to take three or four more days to get to Fisterra and Muxia before returning to Santiago. I have been inspired by the quote of the Spanish author, Jose Ortega y Gasset when he wrote, “Slow down, do not hurry, the destination you seek is yourself “