Dave was excited to leave for Amenal early.
Michael left his home in Austria and
is going all the way to Santiago today.
This guy is a hiking animal!
Another shoe whose owner was not happy
with its performance.
Dave, looking to cushion his own shoe with a
special boot liner, quite popular on the Camino.
(Who dung it?)
Some beautiful countryside.
We will miss seeing these sights every day.
Spread eagle. Perfect form!
Dave, looking down the trail wistfully,
dreaming about how fast he used to go.
The flowers on the trail today were
magazine-perfect!
Wonderful, vivid color.
More flowers, near the Camino marker.
Walking into Amenal. Next stop, Santiago!
Flowers and more flowers. Can't even
describe how beautiful they are.
It has started to rain but feels very refreshing.
Look at that good-lookin' man. (Sue)
Great paths through eucalyptus tree groves.
Fun Irish pals; we always see them at bars
along the way. Sean, in a striped shirt, hails
from Limerick, Ireland. He's wearing Dave's
hat from Limerick, Maine to "authenticate" it.
More footless shoes, left behind on The Way.
Wonderful path through the forest.
Shoe abandonment: a major issue in Spain.
(Along with ice cream addiction.)
Happy trails to you!
Just horsin' around.
ONWARD, TO SANTIAGO!
YEP, SANTIAGO!!
Well, our rest day in Amenal turned into a rest
morning. We decided to walk into Santiago!
The trail was long and steep, but beautiful .
It was also nice and cool, which was great!
Dave, a glutton for punishment, was rarin'
to go! The end was at last in sight!!
A monument of an old pilgrim.
Guess which one is older, left or right?
This crazy pilgrim from Germany was in his
own world. Great hiking stick and accessories!
Just a fence pole that caught Mike's eye.
Guess he's more "ivy" league than we knew.
Mike wants to call these "bottle brush"
flowers, but the editor won't let him.
Such a neat trail we walked today.
Mike, feeding the algae growing inside his
hat with water from a trailside spring. Ew.
Never realized Mike was such a lover of flowers.
Guess Lynna has rubbed off on him over the years.
On the trail, with Mike in the lead.
Nice, shady stream as we near Santiago.
Mike, dancing for joy on the last day of our
Camino. Great feeling! (Nice moves, too.)
Walking past Santiago airport, we ran into
this quiet stream with jets flying overhead.
First view of the Capilla de San Marcos on
the way into Santiago. Lots of history there.
Monte de Gozo (Hill of Joy) is where Christian
pilgrims got their first views of the 3 spires
of the Cathedral de Santiago de Compostela.
Mike and Dave, up close and personal!
The monument is at our backs.
Dave's favorite story on the Camino:
Knights Templar statue.
Mike's favorite story on the Camino:
Acting like himself for a change!
Another great monument (?) as we enter Santiago.
Unprecedented dudes. We have arrived!
Entering the city of Santiago.
Dave's first look at the Cathedral. Victory!
Thrilled to see the Cathedral in the distance as
we pilgrims enter the old, historic part of town.
Back side of church, before entering the plaza.
(Back side of Dave: still sore.)
Happy hikers, ready to enter the plaza.
Shouldn't there be a drum roll or something?
Music to welcome us!
Note from Mike: Look closely,
Dave is itching his behind.
The cathedral is wrapped for restoration.
Still beautiful.
(A sight for sore feet?)
Elder and Sister Britton, serving in Madrid.
Their family is visiting from the States.
In the plaza with Mike's best friend:
Orange Fanta...
...Along with his BFF, Dave.
Another shot of the back of the Cathedral,
aka the Praza Obradoiro Cathedral.
A welcome sight for every pilgrim.
Look, it's the line to get our Compostelas
(certificates of completion)!
There's a bit of a wait, but we're up for it!
Video of us standing in line for the certificate.
Against all odds, we have made this thing happen!
Ignacio, a priest serving in China, interviewing
Dave about his Camino, reviewing his stamped
passport, and filling out his Compostela.
A pretty great moment.
This guy, a priest in training, interviewed Mike.
He is now best buddies with a Haitian living
in Pamplona and studying to be a priest!
Dinner for Mike...sole for the soul.
And for Dave, a very tender hunk of veal.
Pretty good after weeks of Camino food.
With guya and lemon sorbet for dessert.
Yes, we celebrated!
We close out this day with a video
that kind of sums it all up for us.
And a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke:
A Walk
My eyes already touch the sunny hill,
going far ahead of the road I have begun.
So we are grasped by what we cannot grasp;
it has inner light, even from a distance––
and changes us, even if we do not reach it,
into something else, which, hardly sensing it,
we already are; a gesture waves us on,
answering our own wave...
but what we feel is the wind in our faces.
Translated from German by Robert Bly
There are no stories today, just joyous celebration, rest, and quiet contemplation for Dave and Mike. But tomorrow, the Pilgrim's Mass will be attended, and personal stories will be told. We look forward to sharing these final days with you as we approach the end of our Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. Buen Camino, friends. We have fulfilled a dream, one which began as Mike's and ended up as Mike and Dave's. "What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it." –C.S. Lewis
And so it is.
Click below to support mental health and
suicide prevention, the causes Mike and Dave
are championing with their walk.
The last video made me tear up!! What an abolishment, and against such odds/trials.
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine how you both felt!
I really want to see Bishop's leg. Can I?