THE END IS NEAR!

Yesterday, we attended mass in the Cathedral in Santiago

Ferro Cruz...Just because

It was over a week ago, (which is like saying about 10 years ago, when you´re walking the Camino) and many mountains and hills behind us...but what a scene. Ferro Cruz on the road to Santiago.

Broke 100 kilometres today!

Well, today we´re in Puertomarin. And that puts us 89 km from Santiago. What an amazing step again. This town was once along a beautiful river, but in the 1950s they decided that it would be a good idea to build a dam flood the river and bury the town. In true European style they simply dismantled the important buildings and moved them block by block farther up the hill. Voila...new óld´town of puertomarin. the only thing missing is one of the most important roman bridges on the Camino.
To celebrate crossing the 100km mark we stopped at a little bar for lunch in the middle of nowhere. It has been raining pretty steady for two days so the Gallacian Sopa was just right, especially topped off with an espresso and araju(sp?)(the gallacian version of Grappa. It makes you speedy and mellow for your afternoon walk!!

What a long time since my last post...it has been amazing country since we left the meseta. We actually had our biggest hills and some of our biggest moments since then. The northeast corner of the Leon region is unbeleivablably beautiful. Absolutely stunning scenery, towns plastered onto steep mountain hillsides, entire mountains in bloom with purple heathers, fabulous mountain paths. Definitely a place to return to. Ferro Cruz is a location at a high mark on one of the passes, it is still a couple of hundred km from Santiago, but in many ways it marked the accomplishment of a lot. Here, on this mountaintop is an absolutely giant cairn of rocks dropped by pilgrims from hundreds of years. Each rock, for me, represented some burden or some piece of the past that each person left behind. Thankfully, I dropped my own rock from Canada on this pile, and in an emotional moment, left it all behind.
Drop off this mountain, cross a lush valley for two days and then climb back up 1200 metres to get to our third set of passes in the trip as we enter Galacia. We stayed in a monestary town right at the summit of a pass. In O Cebreiro, we rented two rooms in a small stone house while the clouds stormed over the pass and rushed back down the other side. The wind rattled our windows all night, and at some time, it even snowed! Just another May in Wells! The next day we headed down into Galacia, the weather broke, to become only showers, and 2000 feet lower we were wet but at least we were warm.
Now, some of us are thinking more and more about home, and the end. Personally, I´m dreading the end, and I never give a second thought. Each moment on the trail is a blessing, and difficult or easy, it all has set up a pattern that is both simple and exceptional. Why dwell on anything else.
Having said that....here I am sharing it with you(me) and the future. Now though, it´s time to post a few Photos and go grazing at the supermercado for tonights feast.
Ultrea!

Where does the time go??

ALready May 8, and Cheryl and I are in Leon, trying to chase down joan and jola who are out on the trail ahead of us after skipping the Meseta. What a glorious place the meseta was...we were all afraid it would be flat. and it is! But beautifully flat.
So much has gone on , as I look back there is no way to piece together all the places inbetween now and only a couple of days ago. There are so many images and experiences.
And now...before I get started. I´ve got to end...I can´t upload at this monitor! Good thing I´m so tranquil or I'd be frustrated!!
,,,,Two weeks later, and I can finally finish this post...Enjoy the photos of the meseta. I´ve included a shop of a pigeon rookery. This one is broken down. At first we thought it was an old church! Actually, the locals still build these huge buildings to attract and shelter pidgeons. They eat the insects in the wheat fields, fertilize the fields and, hey...you can eat them too! Next to that is some rolling field leading into the meseta, the view of the church from our room, in some small town that appeared in a crack in the soil, and Cheryl, out on the Meseta proper...Miles from Nowhere...guess I´ll take my time!