PILGRIMAGE POSTCARD
TREK TO CATHEDRAL RICH IN HISTORY
A long resident on our bucket list, the pilgrimage to the great cathedral at Santiago, purportedly containing the bones of the apostle James, was supplemented by a much less busy leg to Finisterre, where the Romans believed the world ended.
I wasn’t expecting celestial harmonies and rays of heavenly luminescence, but I thought the start of our pilgrimage to Santiago would be more poetic than stumbling into an overcast day feeling slightly the worse for wear.
We started in historic Sarria, a town of around 14,000 and wellstocked with eateries serving the pilgrim’s dinner, a simple threecourse meal.
The 24-kilometre walk to Portomarin was easy, mostly paved tracks and gentle rolling hills offering some spectacular views of the Galician countryside.
The trail is busy and we met folks from all over Europe, Canada, the United States and even Australia. Some had started weeks earlier in France, while other “short timers” like ourselves picked up the trail in Sarria to complete the minimum 100 kilometres for the certificate of completion in Santiago de Compostela.
The next day was a mix of rain, hail and sunshine. The trail climbed out of Portomarin, which gave us some spectacular views of the lush Galician countryside, and we continued on to Palas de Rei.
It was a day of finding our rhythm and finding our pace. I would love to talk about the
cadence of the countryside, but it’s a myth; cars, stops and other pilgrims are a constant source of distraction.
After getting an early start for Arzua the next day, the trail led us over a number of beautiful medieval bridges which were to be a feature of the walk. Halfway through the trek we came into Melide, A Coruna, a city founded in the 10th century and famed for its pulpo Gallega (octopus). We struck the city on market day and it seemed that every one of its 7,000 inhabitants was out. At 30 km, it was our longest day.
They say that rain is good for the complexion. If this is true then we’ll return as gods. A short 16-km stretch from Arzua to Rua took us through lush forests with a deep sense of history. It’s incredible to think that monks, nuns, adventurers and villains have all trodden these very paths, either seeking salvation, or as a magnificent act of penance.
An affront to these noble hopes of yesteryear is the senseless graffiti that blights the numerous distance markers along the way.
As we arrive in Santiago, the shrine of Saint James, the sun has finally appeared. Along with our fellow pilgrims, we wander around the cathedral, consecrated in 1211, and then we enjoyed the next two hours in a sunny queue, waiting to get our completion certificates.
“A road less travelled” is an apt description as we start the second leg of our journey from Santiago to Negreira. There was less of everything: people, cafes and, thankfully, rain. We covered the 20-km stretch fairly quickly.
It doesn’t serve you well to arrive too early, as dinner isn’t served until 7:30 p.m.
The route today took us through the picturesque town of Augapesada, with its medieval bridge and charming houses.
As we made our way toward Olveiroa, we spent much of the day alongside roads, not perfect walking conditions.
There’s an interesting credibility hierarchy that exists, depending on where you started from. Those who started 800-plus kilometres away are godlike, whereas those of us who started only 100plus kilometres from Santiago hold mere mortal status.
Another picture-perfect weather day, with most of the walking on a glorious route to Cee. If I do have any whine, it’s that too much of the day was spent walking alongside roads. Putting the inherent danger aside, it’s anti-social to walk in single file against constant traffic.
A short 15-km final hike ended at the hotel in Finisterre, supplemented by a stroll to the famous “Land’s End” lighthouse after an excellent lunch of local seafood.
While we posed for pictures at what was, in Roman times, the end of the world, it made me think about time and place. How lucky we are.