The last two days have seen some fairly lengthy walking days, both well over thirty kilometres and yesterday, with the climb up to the lighthouse and back being closer to forty. The walking over the last two days has been wonderful with great scenery on quiet pathways or quiet country lanes. The difference in the number of people since Santiago has been surprising, I have had times when I would walk for several hours and see no other pilgrims, at the end of the day there would be people around but it was much different and until I reached Finisterre I only saw three or four people that I knew.
The day prior to my arrival the landscape while a little hilly in parts was covered with cornfields and harvest time had begun. As I walked along I saw the machines harvesting the corn, large tractors with trailers taking it in for storage and machines spreading it in bins to dry. Because I was on narrow country lanes I often had to move aside as yet another tractor roared by with its harvest in tow.
The final day started well, sunshine was in the forecast and it promised to be a lovely, if not lengthy day. There is a section that is about 15 kilometres that is entirely undeveloped. It winds its way up and down, along ridges and contours in the land to eventually arrive at a crest where suddenly you see the sea and in the far off distance, the Cape, Finisterre, known in Roman times as the end of the earth. If you have been reading my blog for awhile you might guess that the first sighting was an emotional moment!
From the crest you wind downhill to the town of Cee, and I was once again on the Ocean, with the wonderful smell of the sea that always reminds of home. From here there is still some walking to do and always the Cape inches ever closer.
The town of Finisterre itself is still 3.5km from the Lighthouse so after a quick shower, some food and the customary grande cerveza it was time to head to the end. I wanted to be there for the sunset, with no pack the final few kilometres want quickly and then, there it is, kilometre 0, the true end of the Camino where people have been coming since roman times thousands of years ago and the end of my Camino destination.
It was a pretty powerful moment for me and it was nice to see others, hands held high in the air, celebrating the completion of their respective journeys. I settled in to watch the sea and to see the sun go down, phoned my son to wish him happy birthday, it seemed a fitting day for me to finish. I plugged into my iPad and listened to Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World as the sun set.
I have spent today in Finisterre and have done some hiking around the Cape, spent time on the beach and have caught up with a few friends, tomorrow it is on to Muxia for a couple of days and then back to Santiago to arrange a flight south.
Until next time
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