Day 32 – The one with the end of the walk

It took some self-encouragement to get up and get going after the fun the previous night as well listening to everyone talking about rest days in the last few days. The fact that most of the day was going to be uphill didn’t help either.

So I left around 8:30, just before the sunrise. It looked really nice and that gave some motivation.

Especially at the beginning the signs were way less frequent and helpful as on the way to Fisterra. This resulted in a few extra rounds here and there but either I managed to figure it out or even before that someone pointed me back on the way.

I had a super quick break in Buxan after 1:20 and 8km as there was a cute, donation based pilgrim rest and I took a stamp.

Not long after I met with Merek who was on his way to Fisterra. We recommended each other the hostels where we stayed the previous night and bid farewell.

As this route is basically two way I met a lot of people. The most surprising was a woman with a baby in a stroller. Not your typical setup for any part of the Camino.

Took another hour to get to Lires, the checkpoint between Fisterre and Muxia. I found the stamping station and at the end of the town I stopped for a break. I met there an old French woman who was kind enough to give me a pear.

From here on the slightly steeper uphill part started for 2 hours. Whenever I thought that I finally reached the top there was a little bit more just around the corner. Eventually though, around the 23k mark I got there.

After the way down to the coast there was a bit more roadside walking than it would’ve been nice but the sight of the ocean made up for it.

I went straight to the church at the end of the peninsula where the first glimpse of the bell towers actually triggered some weird emotions. By the time I walked there it dawn on me that this whole thing will end very soon.

I met two Irish guys and we helped each other with taking photos and also talked a bit. They told me about a Hungarian guy who walked the French Way and to Muxia to see the ocean for the first time in his life.

The low tide allowed me to sit on the huge rocks on the shore and watch the waves crushing on them. It was mesmerising. I sat there for more than an hour and left the little rock there as well that I carried from Irun.

I walked back across the town to go to the municipal albergue for my compostella. Later it turned out that it was unnecessary as since a couple of years all hostel can give it to you and I decided to stay in another one. Recommended by Merek as well top rated on Booking and not to mention that it was located much better it made sense for me.

I had a churros con chocolate in a place called Chocolate and I have to say it was the best: the chocolate had an almost pudding like consistency 🙂 I asked for a bocadillo for take away to eat it on the shore before the sunset however I didn’t manage to explain this and had plenty of time ao I didn’t mind.

I sat in for the first half of the evening mass in the church on the shore but as the sunset was just at the same time I went outside to watch that. It also occurred to me that because of the tide I cannot see – or at least find – the place I sat before.

The sunset was a proper and beautiful way to end the last of my 32 days of walking. With only so much cloud that gave a nice character to the sunset and the huge waves it was breathtaking.

Day 27 – The scary one

After the breakfast provided – and being thankful for a bedbug-less night we started together with Maria again preparing for an easy day: only 25k and the planned albergue opening at only 4:30pm.

Although this was the second day when we were expecting rain we were lucky enough that the rain stopped while we were still eating. We had a little bit of rain later on in the morning but the clouds started to disappear and the weather turned nice.

We mainly walked in forest or next to fields on dirt roads with trees alongside. Some parts were actually quite wild with huge flat rocks forming the road.

The highest part of the Camino was a fairly disappointing place: a little bump on a national road with not much view. It’s a bit more than 700m.

We arrived to Sobrado after 26k in a little bit less than 7 hours. Still had to wait for anything to open as until 4:30pm not only the albergue was closed because of the siesta but as usual, everything else as well.

The albergue was monastery. The rooms were converted barns but that didn’t show. I went to the evening prayers which of course was in Spanish but the singing was kinda nice anyway. Also I later learned that they prayed for the victims of the forest fires.

Afterwards I went to check out the church. It was probably the most beautiful as well as scary church I’ve ever seen: there was nothing but some benches inside, no altar, no organ, just the simply decorated walls and some tombs. All this in the weak light of the already set sun peeking through the windows. Beautiful and somewhat terrifying.

I had some instant soup to warm myself up and some fumed cheese from the region with fresh bread. As simple as it was it felt good.