BobM
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- V Frances; V Podensis; V Francigena; V Portugues; V Francigena del Sud; Jakobsweg. Jaffa - Jerusalem
I had one last scourging to reduce pride and engender humility as I walked home from the bus stop in Melbourne last night.
The rain was pelting down, so once again out came the faithful poncho that had served me so well on rainy days on the Camino Frnaces (May 18 - June 20).
I will post apres-camino tips and reflections once I get my notes in order. Experience is a wonderful teacher, and many of my pre-camino ideas have changed to some extent.
One thing that really struck me was the number of people who do multiple caminos and others who walk phenomenal distances. One person I met was on his 4th Camino Frances. Quite a few others had walked from Holland and Germany.
Originally, I had planned to finish in Santiago, but along the way I decided to go to Finisterre (by bus - no time to walk). I am glad I did this, because it gave another dimension to the conclusion of my Camino. On arrival at Santiago I felt a sense of completion, of calmness, of home-coming, of having done something siginifcant.
At Finisterre, I trudged up the hill in rain (once again!) to the lighthouse and clambered further out over the rocks and sat looking out to sea. Down below, the water churned and broke on the rocky shore. Small spring flowers bent in the wind all around me. Seagulls wheeled and dived in the stiff breeze.
This was truly the end of the known road and only the boundless ocean lay before me. What lies ahead in life? There are no certainties, as there were no certainties for generations of mariners who set sail upon those restless waters.
I said some private words, threw a small personal possession into the sea. As I walked down the hill, the sun came shining through the clearing clouds and warmed my journey homeward.
While Santiago gave me a sense of closure, Finisterre gave me a sense of a new beginning, of new hopes - a satisfying end to a Pilgrimage.
Regards
Bob M
The rain was pelting down, so once again out came the faithful poncho that had served me so well on rainy days on the Camino Frnaces (May 18 - June 20).
I will post apres-camino tips and reflections once I get my notes in order. Experience is a wonderful teacher, and many of my pre-camino ideas have changed to some extent.
One thing that really struck me was the number of people who do multiple caminos and others who walk phenomenal distances. One person I met was on his 4th Camino Frances. Quite a few others had walked from Holland and Germany.
Originally, I had planned to finish in Santiago, but along the way I decided to go to Finisterre (by bus - no time to walk). I am glad I did this, because it gave another dimension to the conclusion of my Camino. On arrival at Santiago I felt a sense of completion, of calmness, of home-coming, of having done something siginifcant.
At Finisterre, I trudged up the hill in rain (once again!) to the lighthouse and clambered further out over the rocks and sat looking out to sea. Down below, the water churned and broke on the rocky shore. Small spring flowers bent in the wind all around me. Seagulls wheeled and dived in the stiff breeze.
This was truly the end of the known road and only the boundless ocean lay before me. What lies ahead in life? There are no certainties, as there were no certainties for generations of mariners who set sail upon those restless waters.
I said some private words, threw a small personal possession into the sea. As I walked down the hill, the sun came shining through the clearing clouds and warmed my journey homeward.
While Santiago gave me a sense of closure, Finisterre gave me a sense of a new beginning, of new hopes - a satisfying end to a Pilgrimage.
Regards
Bob M