Travels to the Edge

All things must pass. This Camino is coming to an end. Finisterre has been an opportunity to unwind and think back.  Yes I did spend time at the beach - reading THE medieval travel guide on the Camino, informative and orthodox, and very weird in parts. Other times were spent writing. I am happy with what I have done. I am looking forward to more recording and refining on my return home.  Mar de Fóra beach is an extraordinary place- naturally scenic and even mystical, especially at sunset. And now for something completely different! The Finisterre Pirate Festival. Hordes of locals gathered the other night to celebrate Finisterre’s pirate past. I could just imagine this place being a haven for pirates - Ahhh! Two pirate ships ‘motored’ in and did all sorts of pirate stuff like rescuing castaways, frightening the locals… Burying treasure.. . A couple of poor sods were abducted and made to walk the plank - while punters looked on and cheered.  Lots of locals, young and old, c...

People do strange things at the end of the earth - but hugging a concrete milestone, really? Getting to zero is not weird, it’s emotional. All the planning and preparation, starting out, finding ‘your way’, having problems with your feet and/or your pack, the joy and diplomacy of meeting people - ‘Buen Camino’, and saying goodbye - these experiences well inside us, and memories and random thoughts overwhelm. So hugging a tourist attraction is ok, right? My day started differently- in the dark, with an early breakfast. I handed in the key and left. Almost 32 kms to the Lighthouse at Cape Finisterre. The rotating wind generators sent a gentle hum down the hillside and across the valley. After dawn, there were decisions to make - Muxia right, Finisterre left - I took the ‘sinister’ path - hey I am left handed!  I passed a kind and generous, and unattended donativo stall. If you like it, pay what you think. More decisions and reminders that this is more than a walk - l went left again....