And so we reached the pilgrim's goal of making it to Santiago de Compostela. We toured the famous cathedral and hugged St. James, explored the town, listened to bagpipe music (it's very Celtic here near the coast), discovered the spot where full-on pilgrims get credentials certified and receive their compostela, poked into and out of shops, stopped in a bar for a light lunch accompanied by Galician beer, talked with some locals. It was good to have time on our hands to savor this very special place.
And then we headed to the western coast for a day to immerse ourselves in Galicia.
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| The rocky coast of western Spain on this misty day was a stunning sight. |
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| Name this plant. Grows on trees in western Spain near the ocean. Anyone? |
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| See the circles of stone? Remnants of an ancient Celtic hill fortress. |
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| Looking down into the sea from Barona, the stone fort. |
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| The magical, misty, moss-covered forest in which the dolmen (see below) resides. |
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| Another beautiful winery in Galicia, where white albarino grapes are grown in latticed vines forming a canopy. |
And so ends this trip to Spain. A smooth flight on Iberia Airlines back to the USA.
Back to a new beginning influenced by memories and experiences along the Camino with new Catalonian, Basque, Galician, and American friends.
And back with an open hearted mindfulness to approach life as the pilgrimage it is, staying present for that uplifting, energetic “
Buen Camino!” from fellow pilgrims along the trail!
