My Camino in Spain - Section 8 (Sarria to Santiago)

This is the 8th and final section of the pilgrimage.

A 14.2 mile walk on the Camino today, Saturday, September 19th,  as we walked from Sarria to Portomarin. It was beautiful, but we were certainly not alone. What a contrast from yesterday.

Sarria to Santiago, a distance of 100 km, is the 8th and final stage of the Camino. Half of the pilgrims that do the Camino do only this segment.  From Sarria to Santiago is 100km, and is the minimal distance one must cover to receive the official certificate of completion, the Compostela.

Some of the enjoyment is taken away when a group of six walk nearby loudly yakking to one another. I absorb the natural beauty of the Camino more fully when it is quiet. I see and hear more clearly. I've come to treat the Camino with respect.   Yet I also don't want to be judgmental of others.

A dense morning fog was stubborn and did not clear
until about 11:00am, when we walked through a small village.

This is a horreo (granary).
It is at nearly every farmhouse since we've entered this region.

Green pastures, where a few cattle graze.

Harvesting the potato field.  It's a family affair.
Grandma is the boss.  She tells the younger generations what to do.

A view from the Camino, when we pause for a break.

It helps to get off your feet now and then.

The church in Portomarin, our destination today.

The town square is lined with cafes and hostels.
Many options for pilgrims to stay, and wine and dine.

Our Guest House, where we are privileged to stay..

Chef Enrique greeted us when we arrived at the Casa Rural Santa Maria, on the outskirts of time.  He asked us what time we preferred to have our dinner.   At 8:00 pm, he prepared a fabulous dinner for us:  a vegetable soup with potato and kale, pork ribs with fried potatoes, a fresh salad with tomatoes from their garden, and homemade Santiago cake for dessert.  It was heavenly.

Sunday, September 20th, was a 16.2 mile day on the Camino, as we walked to Palas De Rei.  It was one of our warmer days and also relatively easy, with nothing terribly steep.

Although there were plenty of other pilgrims, they were more subdued. Maybe they were tuckered out from yesterday.

We passed many farm villages and noticed several granaries.
 

When we stopped for lunch, after 11 miles, I ordered a "vegetable sandwich" and received tuna fish and tomato on grilled bread. I didn't know tuna was a vegetable, but that's fine. I could use the protein for the final five miles.

We reached our destination, Palas De Rei, under sunny skies mid afternoon, and hailed a taxi to our guesthouse, located 5 miles off the Camino. Another great day!

The fog slowly lifts as we begin our walk.

I'm keeping a steady pace during this section
which is more urban than most of the Camino.

A photo-worthy granary in the fog.

 

And another granary under sunny skies.

We pass by farms constantly, practically every mile. 

The landscape near the trail, midway through our hike.

A privilege to stay at this guesthouse.
The building is 300 years old. 

First floor of the guest house, with the original stone walls.

Monday, September 21st, it was an 18.2 mile walk for us to get to the town of Arzua.  It was Day #11 on the Camino and a bit more difficult than yesterday, with 1,918 feet of descent.  Hard on the old knee.

But it was worthwhile, and I can't think of any where else I would rather be. We crossed several river valleys and passed farm after farm after farm. We walked through several villages; none could boast of a population greater than 100. Very quaint and charming.

We saw our Camino friend Kathleen when we stopped for coffee. Even though we only met on the Camino and had dinner together several evenings earlier, it was like seeing a long lost friend. You tend to cross paths with the same people. It is part of the "Camino magic." Friendships are easily formed, and not forgotten.

"The Way" is marked by yellow arrows and /or the scallop shell,
which can be found on the ground, on buildings, trees, poles, walls,
you-name it. 

Still, you can miss a marker every once in a while and score unintentional bonus miles.

A very artistic trail marker.

59 is my lucky number, as I was born in 1959.
We pass this sign which tells us 59 km to Santiago!

At restaurant pulperia Garnacha, in Melide,
a town famous for its octopus (pulpa.)

We share a delicious platter of pulpo - boiled octopus
seasoned with olive oil, paprika and salt.
Also a plate of sauteed Padron peppers and a basket of bread.

A typical view from the trail today.

Gerry takes his chances and pets a calf over an electric fence.

We carry on, and appreciate our surroundings.

Our favorite granary (horreo) of the two dozen or so we saw today.

We take a breather, and let our stinky socks breathe as well
before we walk the final two hours of the day, into Arzua.

Tuesday, September 22nd, the sun did not shine at all today during our 14.2 mile walk. The hike was fairly easy and relatively flat. We walked through deep forests, thick with oaks, pines, and planted eucalyptus trees and ferns.

We kept our berry streak alive. Twelve days straight of foraging on fresh blackberries!

Our eyes were pealed for mushrooms, and we spotted several different species along the trail.

It wasn't a good day for picture-taking, as it was overcast the entire walk. We donned our rain ponchos when it started to drizzle right after our mid morning coffee break. It was in the 50s, which is cool comfortable walking weather.

I feel a bit melancholic, as our Camino is drawing to a close.

Plodding along through the woods,
decked out for the approaching rain.

We think this is a shaggy mane mushroom, an edible species.

Another shaggy man (?) and a good-sized one.

 

It is much larger than my hand (and I have big hands.)
Too bad I don't have a frying pan.

We like the granaries, especially narrow ones with stone bases. 

We pass by many homes with grape arbors.

Wednesday, September 23rd is our final day on the Camino.  Sunrise is at 8:21 am.  We are on the Camino before dawn because we have over 10 miles to cover on the road to Santiago.  Our plan is to arrive at the Cathedral in time to attend the pilgrim mass at high noon.  We've heard it's a good idea to arrive early, because the Cathedral will fill up to its capacity of 1,000 before noon.
  

The walk was a mere 10.7 miles from our village to the Cathedral in Santiago. I concentrated on the sights and sounds more than ever, and really wanted to enjoy each and every step. It seemed almost surreal when we had only one mile to go. The Camino experience is the journey itself, not the destination.

Still, we were happy to attend the Pilgrim Mass at high noon; standing room only. We had arrived at 11:20 am, early enough to get a seat in a pew 2/3 of the way back. The Cathedral is a site to behold. It is massive and very ornate. I don't consider myself religious, but I felt at peace among the pilgrims.

After mass, we walked around the corner to the Pilgrim Office, to receive our certificate of completion Compostela. It is awarded to bona-fide pilgrims who have walked at least the last 100 km of The Way. Your verification is the stamps you collect in your "pilgrim passport" along the way. You need 2 stamps each day. Stamp are issued by hotels, bars, restaurants, shops, churches and museums.

We stopped for a gelato before we checked into our hotel. The display window of the gelateria which showcased over a dozen flavors was too tempting to resist. No sooner had I ordered my cone when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and it was Franco, the Italian we met our very first evening on the Camino! We laughed and gave each other a big embrace. Yes, I do believe in the Camino Magic!

Our final rest, before we reach Santiago.

Our final granary before we say goodbye to the farm country.

We approach the Cathedral, our destination.

This is only part of the altar.

I show my credentials, and receive my completion Compostela.

The Immaculada Plaza, across the street from the Cathedral.
Monastery is front and center, with hotel on the left.

A close up view of the ancient monastery. 
Our hotel is in the attached building to the left.

The long corridor of our hotel at the monastery

The garden view

It is fitting we happen to be staying in a monastery building on the last night of our pilgrimage.

What an experience!  A total of 215 miles in 13 days.  Each day was a wonderful adventure.  

I am humbled and grateful.

SEAL BEACH via Electric Avenue

What to do when it is 100 degrees on a Sunday in L.A.?

A good solution is to rock onto Electric Avenue, which is what Gerry and I did.  Granted, the Electric Avenue in Seal Beach is probably not  Electric Avenue Eddy Grant refers to in his 1983 hit, but it works for us.

A main drag in Seal Beach, blocks from the beach, and free parking!

Beautiful houses along Electric Avenue

Seal Beach is a non-touristy beach town.  It's quiet and peaceful.  Perhaps not the best place to boogie-board, but an uncrowded beach, even on the hottest weekend in the summer.

Most were not bashful to jump into the ocean

Gerry and I each took two ventures into the surf.  It felt wonderful and refreshing!

We relaxed, read the paper, and enjoyed the coastal scenery in between swims.

Not the best selfie, but what the hey? 

Time to dry out and rest

And kudos to Gerry, he deserves to rest after all the driving.  It took us longer than usual to make it to Seal Beach from home.  The typical 30 minute drive was 45 minutes.  But it is all relative.  It is still a short drive....imagine if we lived in Kansas?

Stay cool my friends.  And enjoy the final days of summer 2015.

Adios!

SELFIES & Selfish Behavior

I admit I am getting old.  At 55 years of age, I am not intrigued nor very interested in "Selfies."  Perhaps I should be.  Everyone else seems to be on the Selfie bandwagon.  In November, 2013 the Oxford English Dictionary named "selfie" as the "word of the year."  It's the ultimate symbol of this narcissistic age in which we live.

I don't appreciate the "It's all about me" age in which people think they can do whatever they want, and that the rules of society don't apply to them.  I live near Griffith Park and there is a leash law in the park, which is blatantly disobeyed.  Easily 70 percent of the people who walk their dogs up Bronson Canyon have their dogs off leash.

And just when I thought I've seen it all re park behavior and activities.....

Sometime during the middle of the night, Monday June 29th, a group of renegade artists brought into the park a beautiful 80 square foot tea house.  The park trails are closed at night, but the artists paid no mind to the rules and regulations.

Folks hike up to see the tree house.
 

The view from inside the tea house looking out

People have been making the pilgrimage to check out the tea house and pay their respects.  Hundreds, if not thousands have come.  Supposedly, the city will allow the tea house to remain until July 27th.  The future of the tea house remains to be seen.  There has been talk it will be relocated to another location, possibly within Griffith Park or another park.   

Beautiful as the house is, I believe this sets a dangerous precedent of allowing people to do whatever they want in the Park.  At least the tea house has not been tagged  (yet.)



  

A WEEK IN THE SOUTHERN SIERRAS

Gerry and I spent the past week at the Golden Trout Wilderness Camp, in the John Muir Wilderness area, west of Lone Pine.  What a fabulous week it was!  Camp is at 10,100 feet elevation.  We backpacked in 3 miles, and carried in our sleeping bags, pads, clothing and essentials we needed for the week.  Then we used our day packs for the daily hikes, led by the renowned naturalists, Mike Prather and Louis Bevier. 

From the get-go, with an "Oh Wow" sunset on the first night,

I love mother nature

to the day we left camp, it was fabulous.

Welcome to Golden Trout

Our "home" for 6 snights.

We hiked each and every day.  Average distance was perhaps 7 or 8 miles with the destination of a scenic lake or mesa.  We made many stops along the way to learn about the environment, to take pictures of a flower or a tree or a butterfly or bird, and to simply rest. 

From above

Rock formations provide an interesting view at top of the mesa

Naturalist Mike and Gerry celebrate the top of the mesa.

We are fortunate; even in this time of drought native plants still bloom.

Mountain heather

penstemon

                             

Six days with no cellular, no internet, no radio or TV...it was a pleasure to disconnect from electronic devices and connect with nature.

Cottonwood Lake

Jenny Lake

We're back home now, and grateful for our time well spent in the Sierras.  We met wonderful people.  It was a week of walks and talks, and great food, too.

The Cabin, where we gathered for meals and conversations

Outside the cabin, where we ate gourmet dinners al fresco.

I have the feeling, "We'll be Back...."