Finesterre

Hello

I´m here! in Finesterre. Woke up late for me ... 06h30, and left Cee in the most glorius weather this morning. The first time I set off without a long sleeve shirt on. It was beautiful! Must just tell you that there were some sea gulls oon the roof of the house next door - 3 stories high, that were very noisy and chasing other gulls away, and I got a little irritated as their cry is quite mornful and almost distressing. Then I saw that they had babies! 3 flighless chicks that were grey in colour and being allowed to scuttle around the roof under the very watchful eye of mommie or daddie. It was rather cute. Here´s hoping they all survive and don´t fall off or run off the roof before they can fly.


Anyway, late yesterday .. about 5pm, the sun came out and I ventured out to the little Cee beach, only to be entertained by all the local dogs, out for walks with their owners. There were labs swimming, poms running around, other braks (local hounds like beagles) digging holes and chasing each other everywhere ... it was rather special. All the mons were out with prams, children on bicycles, and a group from the local home for intellectually handicapped individuals were also out in force all walking the promenade. I bought a King Cone and sat on the beach watching all the activity. I also sussed my way out of town for the mornning, and explored the local shopping centre before going back to my hotel. I´d bought fruit and yoghurt earlier in the day so made a sort of fruit salad in my cup with yoghurt for supper and eventually got to bed at about 8. I also bought a banana (plantain american) and yoghurt for breakfast so was ready for an early start.


Sylvia, I walked past your Algergue at San Roche and got a stamp there in my passport. Unsure if they were there when you served as hospitaleria there, but there were 3 very fat happy cats also having breakfast when I arrived, and some of the pilgrims I´d met briefly on the route were still there having breakfast. These looked about the happiest Spanish cats I´ve seen to date. Funny, the cats here don´t respond to kitty kitty or kitsy kitsy .. they obviously only know their home language.

It was 10 km into Finesterre and my hotel, which is rather lekker! am pleased. 35E and well worth it by the looks of it. AND they do laundry. So put everything in the packet and sent it off. Price later!! but who cares at the moment as I don´t think everything is all that clean. Yesterday in the all the rain even my walking clothes inside my rain coat got soaked as I said, and at times I watched little soap suds run down my trousers on the outside ... so I´d obviously not rinsed something I was wearing properly. Once I´d put my back pack down at the hotel and sorted out what needed to be sent for washing, I set off for the lighthouse at Finesterre and am just back in town - having walked another 10km there and back. The weather is fantastic! and I got a couple of photos taken of myself at the 0.00km bollard. I didn´t want to venture into the hotel there for tea ... I think it could have been quite extensive. So when I´m done here I will find lunch and then go and see if I can get my Finestere compostela thing. The Albergue, where it is issued, opens at 1.

There are lots of tourists here .. they are actually a pain. Anyway .. suppose I´m a kind of tourist too. Lots of knick knacks for sale at terrible prices, so can´t wait to ge going to Muxia tomorrow morning. where my walking will formally end.

I´m sorry too that yesterday the keyboard I was using was so funny as I had these really important thoughts about doing a camino walk like we just did. All since forgotten (maybe luckily) - but I think its about deciding before one goes, what one hopes to get from the trip and how one wants to do it. I was very clear about why I wanted to do this section, how I wanted to do it, and what I wanted from it .. and its living up to all that. So while I carry my full pack, I´m enjoying knowing that I have a bed at the end in a hotel (although there is a cost involved) and I´m really enjoying the time on my own .. making contact when I want to. There are probably as many reasons for undertaking a camino as there are pilgrims, and to each their own way of undertaking the Way. I´m really happy with how I´ve decided to do it! .....

I will probably come back here later an post some more.....

Off to find lunch now as the tummy is grumbling. I hope this is typed ok. I sat on my glasses last night and broke one of the arms off ... so must look really funny with them balanced on my nose. Typed today without them and so far so good.

Am looking around for another pair and will see what I find as I do need them for reading.

Love to all.
Kathy