DAY 16 SANTIAGO

The previous night was again one of little sleep and lots of snaring. Before 05:00 I went for a shower. We were off by 06:00 and reached Santiago by 12:30.

To describe the feeling as a sense of achievement distracts from the inner experience. We therefore did not enter the cathedral, we went to get our Compostelas, the certificate in Latin stating that we completed the pilgrimage.

Then it was time to look for accomodation, no easy task. "Do you have a reservation? Sorry sir, we are full."

A woman stops us and asks if we are looking for a room. The way she is dressed, let me immediately respond: No! Ansie can't hear, and asks if she knows where we can stay. The lady explains about an apartment just around the corner. After further looking around, we decided to take her up on her offer.

She has a beautiful two bedroom apartment and rents out the one room on a daily basis. We can use the apartment as we please. What a joy!

At 17:00 we were meeting Cristian and Theresa, two pilgrims whom we met on the way. We went for sangria and said our goodbyes. After supper we walked past the cathedral. The Santiago orchestra was performing at 20:00. This was a fitting end to our pilgrimage, Chaikovski's Hungerian Dance.

This morning we went back to the cathedral. First, we went to the crib where the remains of St James are kept. I was thankful for our pilgrimage. The relics of St James reminded me again of this long tradition of faith we find ourselves in.

So again, the question is not did we achieve what we hoped for? The question is; did God achieve that which He planned for us? In faith, I would like to answer, yes! It was sufficient.

"...all these are nothing less than tools for the cultivation of virtues; but as for us, they make us blush for shame at being so slothful, so unobservant, so negligent." (Rule of St Benedict)

Johan van den Heever

DAY 15 CALDAS DE REIS - PADRÓN

Last night we attended a part of the Eucharist in one of the churches. The singing was beautiful. We slept well!

The morning started late. We only left by about 08:00 after yogurt and a banana. We stopped for a quick coffee and were on our way. The road took us again through beautiful vineyards, forests with rivers and small villages. We arrived at about 14:00.

Just before Padrón we stopped for a beer. We met two ladies from America. They walk roughly 10km's a day and stay in hotels with spa's. "Life is too short to miss out on a good massage, or even a bad one." She exclaimed. I told her I will not judge her. "And neither will I judge you", she answered. We laughed at these two as we walked away. Is there not a better way to enjoy a holiday in Portugal?

We meet so many (professional) people on the way. I wonder if they are searching for something deeper in life?

I asked Ansie this morning if she is afraid of dying? No, she said. St Benedict says we should always keep death in our sight. Death is part of life. When you acknowledge this fact, you will start to live. The energy wasted on the fear, is turned into a life force where you can focus on the Giver of Life.

Padrón is the city where St James preached the gospel of peace for the first time. Here the brother of Christ proclaimed life in Christ and here they brought his body after his martyrdom. The value of the myth is that it binds us to an ancient tradition of faith and Christ himself.

May we return, afresh to live from this faith that is love and life. God be with us.

Tomorrow it is Santiago!

DAY 14 PONTEVEDRA - CALDAS de REIS

Sleeping together in a dormitory with 40 other people in terrible heat is a nightmare. I had one of the worst nights on the route so far. My bed (bunk beds) was bent on one side. I was sweating and the snoring of the person on the opposite bed made sleeping impossible. I could not wait to get up and leave.

The poor guy on top of me was in pain and battled to get to the top bunk. I don't know if he was praying or moaning during the night, but he and his friend were out before us. We saw his feet later on in the day.

Just something about shoes, again! If you plan to walk the Camino you are going to experience all sorts of terrain. Buy a pair of versatile hiking boots (preferable) or hiking shoes. Make sure they are two sizes bigger than your normal shoe. I for instance wear a no 8 shoe. My running shoes and hiking boots are UK 10/US 11. If you do not know what this means, make sure to find someone who can help you with this. The Camino is hell when your feet pack up.

The walk today was mostly through farms and next to rivers. We arrived at 13:00 at an Albergue/pension where we got a double room in the pension for €2 more per person than in the Albergue. What a pleasure for privacy and a good bed.

The towns are beautiful. Tonight we will have a picnic on the bank of the river and hopefully get a good night's sleep.

We have two days left with roughly 45 km to go. Looking back at our previous Camino, I realise that one can only reflect on a pilgrimage when you are back home and had time to evaluate what you have internalised.

"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; ..." Malachi 4:2

DAY 13 REDONDELA - PONTEVEDRA

We were on the road by 06:45, stopping for coffee and bread. We walked to Arcade hoping to swim but the beach did not look very appealing. We then stocked up on bread, cheese and meet for lunch. This we enjoyed along the road. We took a detour for the last 3 km into town, walking in the shade next to a river.

The albergue can accommodate 56 pilgrims and is almost full. This makes sleeping a challenge! After the usual routine, we walked to a shop to buy food for supper and tomorrow's breakfast. Tonight it is salad, cold pork and Spanish wine.

We can feel the more than 300km we have walked so far. Our feet are tired and our legs feel like we are training for the Comrades again. We are looking forward in arriving in Santiago on Thursday - Dio Valente.

I was reflecting on the frustration of not being able to pray at a small chapel where we stopped briefly. The way is now more busy and pilgrims walk in and out of the chapel. I later read this from John Main, which I posted last year some time: "I think there comes a time in the life of every Christian when we have to choose decisively between the infantile prayer of the past, necessarily self-centred, and the prayer of Jesus, the prayer which is going on within us, filling us with the life that takes us beyond ourselves, a life that shatters all the fear-laden barriers that have so far prevented us from being fully ourselves. It is because we are not fully ourselves that we are not capable of becoming fully brothers and sisters to one another; that is the distancing of ourselves from our neighbour – our own fear. And that is the fear that is cast out by the experience of the love of Christ active within us".(Awakening 2, John Main OSB).

The road becomes the prayer inside of us. Every step we take, Jesus is praying within us. That is why it is a pilgrimage. The prayer of Christ is drawing us into the presence of God. It is no longer about what we want to achieve, but what does God want to achieve in us and with us.

Ultreia, Suseia, Deus adiuvanos.

DAY 12 PORRIÑO - REDONDELA

Last night it was extremely hot in the albergue. We battled to sleep. We were awake by 05:00, had breakfast (bread and cheese) and set off to arrive here by 11:00. We were thinking of pushing on but decided against it. This was the new plan, to rest over two days. So we went for something to drink while we waited for the albergue to open.

After checking in we walked to the beach/lagoon to swim but this was not possible. Back again to the albergue, showered and did the washing of our clothes.

In Spain everything is closed on a Sunday, except for the bars and restaurants. It is almost strange to find everything so relatively quiet.

I reflected on the rule of St Benedict regarding the importance of community, how everything should be done to preserve the wellbeing of the community. Do we do enough in this regard? Whether it is our family community, church community or any other community we find ourselves in, we take it for granted. And then when we are separated from it, we only realise how important community really is.

Maybe it is for this reason that when we meet pilgrims on the road with the same values that we share, we start to form a loose community looking out for one another, try to meet up in the same towns and share the journey together. This is expressed in small gestures like sharing ointment for sore feet or handing a few plasters for blisters. We will hopefully be able to say goodbye, in person when we reach Santiago. As Sarah from Finland said this afternoon, when we finish our pilgrimage  in 5 days time, facebook is ok, but it will be better in person.

DAY 11 TUI - PORRIÑO

The plan was to take a break and lay over at Tui. We then realised we can do nothing with our backpacks until 13:00 when we can book in again. We decided to walk 15 km to the next big town, Porriño.

We arrived early and enjoyed meats, cheese and bread next to the river, while waiting for the albergue to open. We are now relaxing in the small old town center. Later we will go for supper at one of the restaurants that cater for pilgrims.

Today, maybe because of the short walk, was uneventful, but also because we walked 5 km's through the industrial area of Porriño. The route is now busy. Many people are only walking the last 100km to Santiago to get the Compostela. You recognise them immediately. They have a day pack and wear running shoes.

Tomorrow will again be a short stretch of roughly 17 km. We will see the sea tomorrow.

DAY 10 RUBIÃES - VALENÇA/TUI

Last night we had a good night's rest with the whole house to ourselves. It was good to have some privacy and cooked pasta with tomatoes, cheriso sausages and cheese and of course some local wine. We set off at eight. Theresa and Cristian passed us when we still had croissants on the patio. This was their recommendation but they decided to stay at another place.

The house we stayed in belonged to an old lady, she must be well in her eighties. She was there to make sure everything was in order. She even started cleaning our boots.

We set off at a very slow pace. Ansie's feet were in bad shape. The scenery was again breathtaking with rivers and lush forests around us.

We time-traveled across the boarder from Portugal to Spain. The moment you step over the boarder, you must turn your watch one hour ahead. We met up with Cristian and Theresa as we crossed the boarder and are now staying at the same albergue. Tonight we are 18 pilgrims sleeping together.

The usual routine was followed when we got here: Book in, get your beds, shower, wash the clothes, buy food and relax. We will go for coffee later and look for wifi.

I again reflected on how religious this country is. Mary is venerated as I have not seen before. There are saints all along the way as a cloud of witnesses to guide us along the way. Crosses decorate the way. And yet, why is it that so many do not care for their animals?

I think of South Africa. We are just as religious, well at least in a Protestant sense, and still we battle with racism, homophobia and sexism (to name a few) on so many levels. Can we not rediscover the spirituality of the early pilgrims who walked these paths, whose only trust was Christ revealed in the stranger, bread, animals and in the way itself?

The mystery is Christ living in us, God dwelling in His creation. The challenge is to go and find Him, in yourself and in nature.

Tomorrow is a rest day. We will explore Tui and let the bodies/feet rest.

Ultreia! Suseia!