Finisterre Beware!!!

[scruffy1]

I have this information from a confirmed trusted source concerning Finisterre: "One sees nothing anywhere but sky and water. They say that the water is so turbulent that no one can cross it and no one knows what lies beyond it. It is said that some have tried to discover that which is beyond and had sailed with galleys and ships but not one has returned!". In 1466 Leo of Rožmitál ( modern Czechoslovakia for the uninitiated) Leo of Rožmitál - brother-in-law of the Bohemian Hussite king set out also for Compostela and rode on out to Cape Finisterre, the impressions above were written by one of his companions. You have been warned!

 

[Anamiri]

When we were there the water was very calm. However the size and impressiveness of the breakwater tells me that statement can be true (the turbulent bit).

 

[nycwalking]

Love this post!

 

[Thornley]

Muxia Scruffy is know as The Coast of Death.
Ships graveyard,
Very different feeling these towns

 

[JillGat]

Once when I was about 18, I hitchhiked to La Coruna and - in those (olden) days - there were not many visitors and I couldn't find a pension to stay in. But I DID meet a cute German guy on his wooden boat, who had just sailed from France and stopped in at the harbor in La Coruna for repairs on his way to Lisboa. So I stayed on the boat and decided to sail with him to Portugal. In a big storm, the engine died, the main sail ripped down the middle, the boat started to leak and there was some big festival going on everywhere that involved everybody who worked at sea, so no one was available to rescue us. We were off the coast of Finisterre and I remember, while being tossed wildly around in the storm, seeing all the barely submerged rocks noted on the nautical map of the area.

So anyway, we finally limped back to the coast of Spain and I survived.
I now return you to modern times, thanks for listening.

 

[Thornley]

Once when I was about 18, I hitchhiked to La Coruna and - in those (olden) days - there were not many visitors and I couldn't find a pension to stay in. But I DID meet a cute German guy on his wooden boat, who had just sailed from France and stopped in at the harbor in La Coruna for repairs on his way to Lisboa. So I stayed on the boat and decided to sail with him to Portugal. In a big storm, the engine died, the main sail ripped down the middle, the boat started to leak and there was some big festival going on everywhere that involved everybody who worked at sea, so no one was available to rescue us. We were off the coast of Finisterre and I remember, while being tossed wildly around in the storm, seeing all the barely submerged rocks noted on the nautical map of the area.

So anyway, we finally limped back to the coast of Spain and I survived.
I now return you to modern times, thanks for listening.

There was a festival in Muxia last Monday , 16 th July , for exactly what you mentioned I believe .
Is this date applicable

 

[JillGat]

There was a festival in Muxia last Monday , 16 th July , for exactly what you mentioned I believe .
Is this date applicable

I bet it was.... It was July for sure. We made it back to shore at Vigo. For some reason, I thought it had something to do with Gijon, but Muxia is a lot closer to where we were.

I had gotten a ride up to La Coruna with a truck driver from Madrid and he showed me lots of sights on the way. He strongly pushed that we stop in a city on the way to show me a big cathedral that drew pilgrims from all over. I said, "Naw, I've seen enough cathedrals."

So forty five years later, I walked to Santiago.

 

[JillGat]

Thornley, I've never been able to find any information about that festival online. Do you remember what it's called?

 

[Thornley]

The Festival of the Virxe do Carme , The Patron Saint of Sailors.
That morning in that beautiful church in Muxia there were 40 at least pilgrims at the early mass.
We came across it by mistake , just going for a walk to the church for a photo for the kids. Most were young (25-40) and I would say most were Spanish.
When we offered each other's a sign of peace they got very emotional as I think they all knew each other.
Maybe families of lost sailors?
Many years ago ( 2008) in Melide we were told by the Spanish. , their Camino finishes in Muxia not Finistere.

 

[JillGat]

YES, I remember now I thought it was Dia del Carmen. Amazing all these years later I would finally find out about it! And now they would have been mourning me along with the rest, dead at sea, because they were all in town observing this holiday.

 

[LGLG]

YES, I thought they called it Dia del Carmen. Amazing all these years later I would finally find out about it. And now they would have been mourning me along with the rest, dead at sea, because they were all in town celebrating instead of rescuing me


That was quite an experience no doubt, and what a better place to share it than on this forum? Just maybe in some roundabout they did rescue you? Or am I reading too much in this interesting confluence of events - the fact that you survived against such odds and that there was a church service to the patroness of sailors at the same time? THe power of prayer after all benefits believers and unbelievers alike. THe truck driver who wanted to take you to the cathedral? .. I'm glad to hear that you finally got there, I presume in a less dramatic fashion. Thank you for sharing your story.

 

[hel&scott]

My memory of Finistrerre is of fog. The first time we visited, there was a thick fog rolling off the sea that made it nearly impossible to tell which was sky, land or sea. As we walked out to the end of the cape, we passed a small church, the bell tolled and the congregation filed out. We were absorbed into the crowd that followed the paul bearers carry a coffin up to the lighthouse. There they stopped for a moments silence, before slowly walking back down the road. We went on to the edge of the cliff where the flog lifted enough to show the silvery sea below. It was a moving end to our Camino.

 

[pitztop]

Thanks @scruffy1 for this! I have walked to Finisterre from Santiago de Compostela three times so far and hope to walk there again many more times before my time on this Earth comes to an end. For me, sitting on Praia Mar de Fóra beach with a glass of vino tinto in my hand and peace and joy in my heart watching the sunset is where my camino officially ends. I must admit to never having ventured into the water above my knees, but I have seen how turbulent the Atlantic can be from the safety of the dry land

 

[AndreaCT]

I bet it was.... It was July for sure. We made it back to shore at Vigo. For some reason, I thought it had something to do with Gijon, but Muxia is a lot closer to where we were.

I had gotten a ride up to La Coruna with a truck driver from Madrid and he showed me lots of sights on the way. He strongly pushed that we stop in a city on the way to show me a big cathedral that drew pilgrims from all over. I said, "Naw, I've seen enough cathedrals."

So forty five years later, I walked to Santiago.

Thanks for my first smile of the day! I love your post.

 

[Llew]

Thanks @scruffy1 for this! I have walked to Finisterre from Santiago de Compostela three times so far and hope to walk there again many more times before my time on this Earth comes to an end. For me, sitting on Praia Mar de Fóra beach with a glass of vino tinto in my hand and peace and joy in my heart watching the sunset is where my camino officially ends. I must admit to never having ventured into the water above my knees, but I have seen how turbulent the Atlantic can be from the safety of the dry land

My thoughts exactly. Felt totally at peace when I reached Finisterre and felt more like the end of my journey than SdeC did.

 

[AndreaCT]

My thoughts exactly. Felt totally at peace when I reached Finisterre and felt more like the end of my journey than SdeC did.

I'm with you Llew and Pitstop. Finisterre definitely felt like the end of the journey. I had to laugh though when I looked at everyone on the rocks. We looked like the human version of meerkats as the 50 or so of us quietly stood or sat as we looked out over the water at the sunset. We were blessed with a full moon on the walk back to town so it was a magical evening.