Distance: 30.6km (445.8km), time spent: 9:14 (137:30).
Weather: Grey, dense fog, lighter in the evening.
During the night the clouds increased in density and lies packed around the houses almost like cotton. I have planned to continue to Muxia after finishing the Camino Finisterre, so this is not my final day off my walk. Nevertheless, being the end of the Camino Finisterre this does feel as the final day, as that the extension to Muxia is but an encore. And I do like to finish my walks in nice weather, which may be the reason why today's walk did not become so great emotionally. Somewhere along the way, something went wrong.
Dense fog between Logoso and Hospital, ghost like trees in the clouds.
It is a despondent world to start walking in; the fog is like a thick soup. I keep myself well into the raincoat. There were lots of clouds yesterday as well, but a far cry from what meets me today. The most uplifting in the morning, is the information I get in an information office about the Camino in Hospital, I do not need to stress tomorrow to reach the last bus back to Santiago de Compostela. In the bar here (Hospital), I meet again the two American girls from earlier, Lucy and Annie.
Walking through an empty landscape.
Shortly after Hospital, you arrive at the junction where the two routes separates, one route leading to Finisterre, the other one leading to Muxia. The bar in Hospital is the last opportunity to get food or drink, from here it is a long walk until Cee where there is nothing. Today the weather has a negative impact on me, for reasons unknown.
Walking over the Montes de Buxantes in the sea of clouds, with trees looking like overgrown vegetables.
Across the Montes de Buxantes, the world disappears into the grey fog. Usually, I sometimes enjoy walking in this kind of weather, but not today. I struggle keeping my mood up. This turns out to be the only time on the Camino where I actually feel lonely, even though I can hear voices around me. The walk is long and after a while it feels like I am walking past the same tree over and over again.
Corcubion seen from the outskirts of Cee.
The Santuario de Nosa Señora das Neves, a chapel from the 15th-century, and a cross out in nowhere breaks up the monotony, without making it any better. Where there is supposed to be a view towards Cabo Fisterra, there is now nothing. I come down to Cee with a mind just as foggy. From the ocean both waves and sea mist rolls in over the land.
View over towards Cabo Fisterra and Finisterre beneath a grey layer of clouds.
In Cee, I follow the Camino where it goes in a quite odd route through the town, before I leave it by and go back to a place that I visited earlier. I need a beer to calm myself, to get a breather. It helps a little bit, but in Corcubion where I have planned to eat lunch, I use a long time finding a proper place (in most of the places the dishes was of size that of a dinner, I wanted something easier) and I lose my mood again. I believe that I am tired and sleepy.
0.00km left to go, at Cabo Fisterra. It is as far as you can go.
I recognize the Camino here from last time I walked here, it is a pleasant walk, but it was nicer then. As it also was on the Camino Frances, it is enjoyable to recognize those places I pass by. My mood is better after the huge portion of food that I finally had to succumb to in Corcubion. Looking over to the end of the world beneath the grey clouds is also not so bad a view either.
Once in Finisterre you can finally put your feet up in the air and say you have done it, these feet has carried me around 445km from Sebrayo to here during 18 days.
In Finisterre, I find myself an albergue before I go to Cabo Fisterra. I choose Albergue Finistella, which is a good enough private albergue, I do not wish to be bound by the bed times of the public albergue here. I leave my backpack behind and only take what I need in my small travel light pack out to the lighthouse.
Celebration in Finisterre.
Out at the Cabo Fisterra, the lighthouse and the 0.00km-mark I forget everything of my bad mood. There is no sun in the sky, but there is a beautiful light over the sea anyway. Melancholic. I sit down on one of the cliffs below the lighthouse, and repeats the ritual in front of the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela; I remove my shoes and socks. I lift my feet towards the ocean; they have carried me here as well. On one of the rocks there is a man sitting and playing guitar. It is a cliché, but you do get somewhat contemplative sitting here after a long walk on the Camino.
Sunset at Cabo Fisterra.
As expected, I cannot find again my shoes that I buried here four years ago.
One of the pilgrim's rituals at the lighthouse in Finisterre, to burn a piece of clothing that you have worn on the Camino. Here my socks are going up in flames together with other clothes.
In Finisterre, I meet again Lucy and Annie and I join them for a celebratory dinner at one of the restaurants in the port, together with the group they have walked with. In the evening, we meet out by the lighthouse again. Without the weather clearing altogether, it is now more openings in the layers of clouds. Through these, we get a wonderful sunset over the sea. Darkness descends. We make a fire and I burn up my socks in it (one of the rituals at the lighthouse after a Camino is to burn one of your clothes that you have worn on the walk). In addition, I 'buried' my toothbrush on the mast together with all the other paraphernalia the pilgrims has left behind there.
I did not have a very good walk out to where the worlds end, but the afternoon and evening became a worthy ending of the Camino Finisterre (though I have not finished it quite yet).
La Fisterrana.
<- LogosoMuxia / Santiago de Compostela ->
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