The Road Home – Finisterre to Santiago

Day 1

The sound of the local seagulls woke me up just after 5 AM. I was grateful for the wake up calls as I hadn’t set my alarm. I headed out to the beach in the dark to see the stars. I’d mentioned trying to see the sunset and stars last night – but when I walked out yesterday morning it was clear the cove faced East and, therefore, it made sense to see the B-side option instead. So, stars on a clear morning followed by a beautiful sunrise. Great way to start today.

I had breakfast in the pilgrims’ lounge at Cabo DaVila and chatted with Scott, a bicyclist from Scotland who lives in Madrid. His wife went back to the UK for a holiday and he opted to grab his bike and see the countryside instead. There were no beds in the albergue last night so he made use of their garden and set up a tent. Lovely chatting. His accent is clearly not Scottish but English – and he said his sister teases him about that.

Then I grabbed my pack and headed to the bus stop for the early bus to Santiago. This has to be the bargain of the trip. An hour bus ride to Santiago for €7. The bus was pretty full but really quiet. I think everyone was just tired.

I found my way back to the monastery but they were booked solid for tonight so I asked for a recommendation and ended up in Hospedaje Mera, just around the corner. It follows the same style as the monastery and the room is ‘just enough’. Was glad to ditch my pack and go explore the city a bit more.

I wandered around the city. When I was here last week I found the crowds overwhelming. Today I found them energizing. I wandered around a bit not sure if I wanted coffee or perhaps a sandwich. Eventually landed on sorbet…not literally. It was the perfect mid-afternoon treat.

I was about to pass into the cathedral area when I heard my name being called. It was my friend Julie! She’s in town for the evening and heads to Madrid tomorrow. We walked together through shops, chatting.

She had some laundry going at the laundromat so we checked on it. Eventually we both got hungry and started looking for a place to have an early dinner. We were both drawn to A Taberna Du Bispo which had an amazing selection of tapas on display in the refrigerated front counter. We were asked to show our vaccination cards prior to being seated. Fortunately we both had them with us. Service was exceptional.We both chose what we wanted from the tapas selection and shared portions. Everything was amazing. We sat and talked for quite a while. So grateful to have made this connection again. She will be missed but I hope to stay in touch.

Heading back to my lovely room soon. I observed earlier that the WiFi signal was weak there so I’m stopping in at the monastery to sit in their hallway and get reconnected.

It’s been a great day.

More later.. .