I woke up and went to the front desk to pick up our clothes. The manager took me up to the furnace room where clothes lines were strung around in all directions. I walked along the lines pulling off my and G
v's clothes which were randomly interspersed with other peoples stuff. I'm surprised that I didn't miss something. I packed my bag, checked out of the hotel and joined G
v on the way out of town. The weather was quite a bit different from the day before. It was quite pleasant.
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Corcubión harbor in the early morning. |
We walked to the next town, Corcubión only a kilometer or two away. This is where I got lost last time and took a wrong turn. This time there was more light and we managed to take the correct turn. The Camino isn't marked well in this small town. At one little square I stopped and looked around trying to find an arrow or something pointing the way. All of a sudden I heard someone saying something and, looking up, I saw a hand pointing out of a window. The town may not be well marked but it does have helpful people.
The rest of the walk was gorgeous. There was a slight wind but the sun was out and there were only a few white clouds in the sky. We hadn't seen the weather forecast so this came as a surprise - one I welcomed wholeheartedly. What a difference from the day before. Just before you reach Fisterra you top a little hill called the mirador or lookout. From there you can see all of Cape Fisterra. The view from there today was incredible.
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View of Fisterra from the mirador. |
As you reach Langosteira beach you have a couple choices. You can follow the path and walk on a boardwalk/sidewalk that parallels the beach or you can walk on the beach. Last time I did the boardwalk/sidewalk. This time
I took the beach and it was the better of the two choices. Walking on the beach was easier than I expected and the sound of the surf was incredible. I think I was humming most of the way.
Last time I walked Langosteira beach there had been
thousands of shells. The beach had changed a lot. There were
few shells this time. I was a bit disappointed. All of a sudden I put my hand to my throat and realized I wasn't wearing the shell necklace. I did a quick mental inventory and realized I hadn't seen it today. I hadn't packed it. The last I saw of it was the day before on a table in my hotel room. I must have forgotten in at Hotel Larry. Me and shells ... How could I have been so careless? *sigh* Not only had I lost my shell but I'd lost the monk blessed Bhutanese cord I'd put it on. Bummed me out the rest of the walk along the beach.
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Langosteira beach from Fisterra. |
We reached the municipal albergue and it wasn't open yet so we walked around to find something to eat. We found several restaurants with great looking menus but they would not be serving until 1:00 PM - the same time the albergue would open. We finally found a small bar that served food and we ordered some sandwiches for lunch.
We checked into the albergue when it opened and we went out to explore the town and the beach. We ran into V
n. He'd walked to Fisterra the day before in the rain. He looked very happy. We went for a walk on the beach. I picked up a few shells. I was a bit disappointed by how few shells there were this time. I'd told everyone about all the shells and now they would think I was nuts or something.
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My shadow under the sea. |
I let the water wash over my feet. When the water receded I noticed that the bandage on one of my toes that had been holding onto the nail was not there anymore. Neither was the nail. My contribution to the end of the world.
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Faro Fisterra through the trees. |
Late in the afternoon we picked up supplies for a picnic meal and walked out to Faro Fisterra, the lighthouse at the end of the world. When we got there people were starting to gather. We got stamps at the lighthouse and then walked out to the end of the cape just beyond the lighthouse and found some rocks to sit on. It was windy and a little chilly but you could see the sun near the horizon so it didn't matter.
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The 0.00 kilometer marker. |
As I sat there eating my sandwich and chocolate, watching the sun slowly set over the Atlantic ocean, I felt a deep feeling of satisfaction. I'd had a feeling of things being incomplete last Camino. This time, as I watched the sun go down, I felt everything was complete. The feeling I'd hope to feel last time was there. My Camino was finally and truly over.
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The sun setting at the end of the world. |
As I watched the sun lower into the Atlantic, I wondered what the pilgrims of a thousand years ago had felt seeing this. When the pilgrims of old watched the sunset, it was pointing to the end of their world. To me the sunset was marking the end of my Camino and pointing the way home.
I took some nice pictures today so please check them out. Pictures can be found in my
2013 Camino de Santiago Google Photos album.
Total Distance on Day 43: 16 km ( 9.94 Miles)
Total Distance Walked: 991 km (615.78 Miles) |
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Approximate Track of the day's hike.
[Click on map for a larger version]
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And I cried while watching the Sun set. Still can't identify all the feelings that I was feeling while sitting there. A wonderful moment.
ReplyDeleteGen: I think all pilgrims should go to Fisterra. It generated more feelings in me than arriving in Santiago de Compostela.
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