Thursday 6 Oct
Jason and Ria had now departed and we met our local guide, Margarena, at 10.00 am for a tour of the Cathedral precincts and the church itself. We went inside the old university quadrangle. It all culminated in the special Pilgrims' Mass at 12.00 o'clock. We were advised to secure a place well in advance in the transept, in order to see the swinging of the Botofumiero. This was impressive, but it was somewhat smaller than I had imagined and it didn't fill the church with as much incense as I had been expecting. In the old days, pilgrims actually slept in the church (men downstairs and women upstairs) so the incense helped to purify the air.
After Mass, everyone was reluctant to disperse, but 3 of us were booked in for a special degustation lunch at Casa Marcelo, said to be the best restaurant in town.
As we were still fairly full from the night before, we chose the shorter menu for 45 Euros, together with a bottle of local white wine, selected by the Maitre D. We were most impressed by the menu which came on an iPad: a real bit of one-upmanship! We also received a souvenir copy to take away:
Friday 7 Oct
This was our day at the end of the world! Unlike many pilgrims who walk the last bit to the sea, four of us travelled in comfort to Finisterra in a hired Volkswagen Golf. It cost 101 Euros for the day. The others (Barbara, Lesley and Mac) were happy for me to drive and treated me to lunch at O Fragón in return. Of course, this meant I couldn't enjoy a drink!
The roads were extremely well made and well signposted, through pine and eucalyptus woods. It was good to feel the sea air on arrival, but the cool sea breeze was distinctly chilly and we didn't burn our clothes as the medieval pilgrims were said to do. We visited a small maritime museum in the Castle of San Carlos.
Coming back was a bit of a nightmare as it proved virtually impossible to find the way into the town centre to the car hire place. In the end I had to abandon the car in a carpark and walk back to the office; they were not best pleased. It was Jason who had recommended hiring a car, but my advice would be to use public transport in future. Bus drivers know the way!
Postscript
One day I might locate the photos for this trip, but a search of the house has not revealed them. Are they on some superseded electronic device? There is a lesson here, as technology moves so fast. I remember Allison carried an iPad with her every day which she whipped out of her bag and took photos on the trail. She entertained us every evening with a slide show. I bought myself an iPad when I got home, but of course its contents began too late.
Transcribing my diary has been a useful way to spend the dead days after Christmas, when it's too hot to be outside. Many people believe that a group tour is not a real Camino, but for me it was a chance to see how far I could walk day after day (albeit with only a small day pack to carry). It also enabled me to feel confident that I could walk the Camino on my own without getting lost. Navigation is not one of my skills! I returned to do bits of the Camino (and also parts of the French and Portuguese routes) year after year till Covid put a stop to my travels.
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