Gloria Romero Roses

Thursday, 10/5: On this our last day on El Camino, we leave O Pino on a foggy morning. We decided to take the recommendation of the innkeeper and use El Camino instead of an alternate bike path being offered by Google maps.

Joining hundreds of pilgrims making their way on their final day on El Camino was a fitting way to conclude our journey, reminding us that we truly do not walk alone in our life’s journey.

Taking our last picture in front of a waypoint, a German pilgrim took it for us.

The distance was 24 km and the terrain was manageable compared to what we’ve encountered in different stages. Just as in life throughout this journey we have charted our course, facing peaks and valleys, headwinds and storms, and now as we near the end we have many small hills to climb and thereafter it’s all downhill. Along the way we encountered a musician playing the Galician bagpipes.

As we arrive at El Monte del Gozo, where pilgrims typically stop to rejoice in seeing the towers of the Cathedral and city skyline in the distance, the blanket of fog over the city of Santiago de Compostela was so dense that we could not see anything. At this point, with less than 10 km to go, our mission did not require visual confirmation as we continue to follow El Camino’s markers. If only the different journeys we embark upon in life could be so clear cut.

Upon entering the city, the enthusiasm was palpable as we approached the city waypoint sign.

And then it was all a whirlwind as we ride through the city: We head to the hotel to check our backpacks that we’d been carrying in the bike saddle bags and go to the drop-off point to return the bikes. As we sat down to have lunch, the waiter asked me how I was as he caught me taking a deep breath and stretching my neck. I realized I’d been tense with anticipation and now it was time to relax and relish reaching the destination we’d been cycling towards for the last 26 days.

After lunch we proceed to go to the Pilgrim’s Reception Office. There we scan a QR code to register the start date of our journey, our starting point and via what mode. We then wait in line with the other pilgrims.

When our number is called we individually walk up and submit our Pilgrim’s credential. This is a small booklet that we’ve been having “stamped” at every place we’ve stayed, or eaten, or visited along El Camino. Each location has a distinct stamp based on the city, town or village with their name. When they stamped our book they also wrote the date we were there. We actually had to pick up a second credential book so that we could finish collecting all our stamps.

The clerks review our credential and registration, and in a brief moment we are each walking out with our certificates in hand, one in Latin and the other in English.

As we walk out, we high five for the first time since arriving. We walk through the narrow cobblestone streets to the Plaza of the Cathedral and take in the full sight: pilgrims gathered in groups, hugging, smiling, some crying, all relieved to be basking in the moment of realizing their goal.

We proceed to explore the Cathedral museum, the Portico of Glory and the Towers from which we can see the old town surrounding the Cathedral.

Friday 10/6: We began our last day in Santiago de Compostela with a visit to the tomb of St. James, the first of Jesus’ apostles to die for his faith at the hands of King Herod in Jerusalem. The story of how St. James’ remains arrived in Santiago and how the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela began is over 800 years in the making. The Cathedral was consecrated in 1122 and is now the resting place for St. James’ remains.

Today we are able to walk through the crypt of the church where the reliquary is located. As we make our way under the altar we are then allowed to take the stairs behind the statue of St. James that is at the center of the altar and tradition holds that pilgrims may then “embrace” St. James. Now while we’re in line, I’m thinking that my husband is probably about ready to pivot to other activities: while he considers himself culturally Catholic, as a consequence of so many scandals involving the Catholic church as well as the politicization of the faith by some US bishops, he long ago opted for a spirituality independent of the religious theology and practice of the Catholic church.

As we arrive at our turn, I walk up first and offer my hand to my husband to join me, not knowing how he’d react. He looked at me sheepishly and as I nodded encouragingly I saw a look of vulnerability that I’ve only seen a few times in the 30 years of our relationship. He took my hand and we embraced as we each placed a hand on either side of St. James’ shoulders. As we bowed our heads, I said my prayer of thanks to God for blessing us with good health, the love of our marriage and our safe journey thus far. As my eyes watered, I squeezed Tom’s hand and we made way for the next pilgrim to approach.

Initially this journey was about keeping a promise. It has been a long time since we’ve had time and space to undertake an intense, difficult shared experience as a couple. The time and space to reflect, to struggle, to compromise, to achieve a difficult goal together yielded so many insights and validation. I believe we have been blessed by the promise of El Camino.

Wednesday, 10/4: Today we make our way to O Pino, a small village on the outskirts of Santiago de Compostela. It is a very short distance through primarily forest. As our pictures and videos have shown, Spain has a lot of forest. My initial research indicates about half the country is considered forest and of that 70% is privately owned and the balance is publicly managed forest. Since we left Castilla and Leon, we have seen an increasing number of reforested sections.

Specifically since entering Palas de Rei we’ve seen a number of Eucalyptus plantations. As we meandered through the backroads today we encountered a two-man team from a lumber company clearing a section of the Eucalyptus plantation and it was fascinating to watch how effectively this equipment cleared and cut the lumber.

Made me think of how sometimes to see the forest through the trees one has to strip the situation to its bare minimum and cut it into manageable segments.

Tuesday, 10/3: Upon arriving in Melide yesterday we entered the province of A Coruña within the autonomous region of Galicia. As a more urban city, Melide is a convenient stopping point for El Camino pilgrims. As we leave Melide, it’s amazing how green the landscape of Galicia is – and although we have not experienced it, apparently they receive a lot of rain throughout the year which explains the different landscape from the Castilla y Leon region that made up the middle part of our journey. Whether dairy pastures or sheep grazing pastures, there is always green around the bend. As we make our way from Melida to Arzua this is further reinforced.

It’s become apparent to me that Spaniards in these northern regions that we’ve traveled through are intrinsically tied to the land. Throughout our trip, in every region, whether we were traversing mountain roads, or farmland we would see Spaniards parked on the side of the road, plastic bag in hand, and walking into fields to pick mushrooms, nuts, or apples and pears. Not to mention the plethora of backyard vineyards and vegetable gardens that we’ve ridden by. It is impressive to see the bounty and self-sufficiency that I imagine comprises farm-to-table consumption in these rural communities.

One particularly bountiful specimen is the chestnut tree. Autumn is the season for chestnuts in many parts of Spain. With its prickly shell and sweet aroma, the chestnut has a history on the Iberian Peninsula stretching back to the ancient Romans. The European sweet chestnut tree grows well in Spain’s hilly western interior and in parts of the north as evidenced throughout our journey. Before the arrival of maize and potatoes from the Americas in the 16th century, chestnuts were an important part of the traditional Spanish diet.

And the flowers! Whether in gardens or just along the side of the road, it seemed one did not go very far without seeing them and smelling lovely fragrance.

It also helps that there is a lot of water everywhere!

And we arrive in Arzua!

Monday 10/2: Leaving Palas de Rei headed to Melide, we now begin to have shorter trips (16km) as we had originally planned to walk the next phase to Santiago and we have decided to cycle the rest of the way. The path to Melide is pretty straightforward: we are at 565 meters of elevation and will descend to 455 meters in Melide, we just have to go across 4 peaks and valleys in between here and there. Once again, the analogy with life is evident.

As opposed to other days where we felt pressured to cover a lot of ground and make good use of time, we agree to meander a bit.

We stop at Igrexia San Xulian: the Portuguese influence in the Galician dialect is evident in the use of “X” in spelling words with “s” or “j”.

We also see the first of many Galician “granaries” (the elevated structures with barrel tile roofs).

While the sun is shining and the weather is crisp, the dampness in the air has left a lingering haze over the valley.

And then we see the city of Melide. Unlike what we encounter in South Florida where (a) we don’t have natural hills that elevate your viewpoint and (b) when you do find some altitude like the top of the Rickenbacker Causeway bridge, the 360 degree view is of Biscayne Bay and city skyline – it truly is something else to come out of the woods on a mountaintop, be surrounded by rural farms and then see a city in the distance.

I know that there are implications for higher density in small cities, just as there is for sprawl that spreads the housing and the services that follow rooftops. Looking at how northern Spain has been balancing these forces while providing economic opportunities for Spaniards while maintaining its rural communities has been fascinating.

Sunday, 10/1: We say goodbye to Portomarin and begin the trip to Palas de Rei, stopping in the small village of Ventas de Naron.

We are dropping from 712 meters to about 500 meters and the temperature feels warmer. The landscape is hilly and similar with fields, farmlands and forests.

We are 4 days from arriving in Santiago de Compostela. It’s hard to believe we’ve been journeying on El Camino for 22 days. And this will be our last Sunday on El Camino. It’s been fascinating to watch our evolution from a practical standpoint: from how we unpack at the end of the day by putting away the day’s clothes and preparing our clothing for the next day; to how we get ready in the morning in time for returning our luggage to the lobby for the transfer service – compared to when we started we now have it down to clockwork. I guess it’s validation of why so many self-help programs recommend a 21 day commitment – that’s about how long it takes to form new habits supported by the muscle memory in some cases.

Saturday, 9/30: As we plot our path today we have 3 successive peaks to climb between 600-700 meters up from our elevation of 460 m in the town of Sarria. And then we can once again enjoy “the payoff” downhill to the town of Portomarin.

As we make a stop in the town of Barbadelo, I stop in the beautiful Church of Santiago dating back to the 10th century.

As we ride through farms, fields and forests of oaks and chestnut trees, we are mindful of the next milestone in our journey, the 100 km mark to Santiago and make a stop to document where we are when we reach it. This path truly is my favorite of the entire journey thus far.

The last 3 kilometers to Portomarin require a slight climb and then we see our destination just down the mountain across the River Mino.

The village of Portomarin originated along a Roman bridge over the Mino River (rebuilt in medieval times) and El Camino de Santiago. In 1212 it became its own town. In 1962 the reservoir of Belesar was built and the village was moved to the neighboring Monte do Cristo and the most historic buildings were relocated, such as the The Church of San Nicholas, and the Cruceiro. When the level of the dam decreases, the remains of the ancient buildings, and the original bridge can still be seen.

And a local car club was having a vintage car show in the town plaza.

Friday, 9/29: Since we began our journey 19 days ago, dawn has started later and later. On this day, we walked to the roadside of O Cebreiro to look out at the eastern horizon and the view over the valley was breathtaking.

And as the sun rose and the mist hung over the mountain ridges we began our next day on El Camino.

As we depart O Cebreiro we are bid farewell by a the apostle himself, St. James.

Today we head to Sarria. We will go down and up a couple of hundred meters to pass Alto de San Roque and Alto do Poio peaking at roughly 1330 meters. I begin my day with the Lord’s prayer for our continued safety and as we pick up speed down the asphalted road, I find myself repeating the mantra my mother used to say when she was anxious, “Blessed heart of Jesus, in you I trust”. My hands relax as I intuitively pump the breaks gently to manage the speed, especially around the curves. My eyes water as the cold wind failed to pierce around my face covered by my scarf but cut into my pupils.

There’s a certain irony that for all the effort to make it up the hills, the different effort needed to go downhill safely is faster and so we arrive in Sarria in what appears to be a blink-of-an-eye. A small town dedicated to pilgrims throughout their long history, the Monastery of Magdalena was founded in the 12th century as a hospital and refuge for pilgrims by two Italian friars.

Thursday, 9/28: We depart Villafranca del Bierzo to begin our trip to O Cebreiro. As we begin the ascent the views of the valley and mountains around us are spectacular.

The weather was perfect as we headed out in the low 60’s, with the sun shining.

The ascent was steady and steep with grades of a minimum of 10% most of the way and unexpectedly we reach a plateau with the most amazing view on a clear day.

Then the path leads us to a plaza of what looks to be an ancient church and we’ve arrived in O Cebreiro. Here we officially arrive in the region of Galicia, with its own dialect that combines spanish and portuguese.

The origins of this small village trace back to the “celtiberians”: Celt settlers that historians deemed lived in the area as early as the Bronze age (9th century B.C.). The celtiberians applied their building practices for the harsh weather they faced in the sierras of O Courel and Os Ancares. Their villages were comprised of buildings called pallozas. It is no coincidence that as I walked through this restored village with pallozas, hearing traditional Galician folk music playing in the background, I felt I might have walked through a time-travel portal to an Scottish village in the Highlands. And from every vantage point there are amazing views.

That evening there was a full moon that lit the view over the eastern horizon almost like a bright sun.

A perfect view for this mystical and ancient place.

Tuesday, 9/26: Today we depart Ponferrada to head to Villafranca del Bierzo, a relatively easy 25 km ride. The skies are clear and the temperatures are hovering around the low 70’s when we depart.

On the way we ride through vineyards to stop for lunch in a small city called Cacabelos. It turns out to be market day in the main plaza and we find an outdoor stand preparing octopus the Galician way – boiled and then seasoned with olive oil, paprika and salt. We definitely would not see this type of entrepreneurship allowed in Florida.

We arrive in Villafranca del Bierzo and as we ride to dinner we see the sunset over the vineyards.

We planned to stay an extra day to rest and enjoyed walking through the charming town.

A rest will serve us well as we prepare for Thursday when we will pick up the pace again as we make our way to O Cebreiro and arrive in the new region of Galicia. From our current elevation of 540 meters we will climb 700 km in about 15 km to an elevation of 1,350 meters at an incline of no less than 10%. 🤯💪

Monday, 9/25: We leave Astorga to head to Ponferrada – a 57 km trip with a couple of peaks hovering around 1500 meters, the elevation gain of over 600 meters will be the challenge for the day. We also make the full transition away from agricultural fields to forests and mountains.

On the way we ride through a quaint village representative of the change in the region , Castrillo de los Polvazares, as evident by the barrel tile roofs, stonework walls and cobblestone paths through town.

Making our way up with the electric assist bikes had us passing other bicyclists which felt odd. Even though I’ve accepted my limitations, I feel like I’m not playing by “the rules” of this journey requiring hardship.

This stage of the trip has a unique waypoint known as la Cruz de Ferro (or Iron Cross) at the top of one of those peaks. The tradition of pilgrims leaving a stone they’ve carried with them up to this point and leaving it at the foot of the cross symbolizes something they wish to “let go and let God”. Needless to say, the base is filled with stones, some with pictures attached or names written. It felt intrusive to look too closely at these remnants and so I did not take a detailed picture.

And while the ascent is quick, the downhill is long and fast – about 920 meters in less than 15 km. As we descended I said a silent prayer for my brakes to not fail us.

We arrived in the city of Ponferrada, and were greeted by the the Castle of the Knights Templar. Known as one of the “military orders of the Catholic faith” of medieval times, they were welcomed to Ponferrada in 1178 to protect the pilgrims and the route across the Sil River on the iron bridge (Pons Ferrata) to El Camino de Santiago. They took over the castle that had been built over a former Roman settlement and built more fortification, wineries, breadstores and vegetable gardens over the subsequent century. The story of the Knights Templar is fascinating and much deeper than the stories we have heard through pop culture movies like “National Treasure” or “Indian Jones”. As we walked through the Castle’s exhibits, what struck me was the fact that at their peak the Knights Templar commanded over 20,000 members that were either warriors, supporters (i.e. administrators, farmers, laborers of their various businesses and facilities all over Europe and in the middle east) or clergy. Some would say they were the first multinational corporation, also creating the first system of banking. Initially though, before they achieved great economic power, the draw seemed to be the sense of belonging and support they offered with a clear purpose: their motto “not for me but for the Glory of God” resonated with Catholic Christians of the day.

Throughout history we see people seeking a sense of belonging and purpose. As I observe the extremes in our world today, it seems clear to me that sometimes that very human need/want is the ember that gets stoked to fuel the fire for other purposes, not always for the purpose of the common good.