Muxía – Fisterra (30 + 7km)
It was easy for me to leave Muxía. I needed to rush my loneliness, which paralyzed me after saying goodbye to all my friends from the camino. It was 30km to Fisterra (Finesterre = the end of the world) and 7km walk from town itself up to the lighthouse, where everybody must go, even with both legs broken :). It seemed enough kilometres to get rid of any sorrow.
I started my journey after 7 am and I was able to lose myself right behind the city. The arrows dragged me to the beach and disappeared. At first it was a great feeling to start a day on the beach, but looking at the clock, I was a bit nervous about the long distance I had before me. About 300 m in front of me was a path where there might be another sign.
If Marcos was here (with whom I had walked some day), he would go back to the last sign. He used mobile only in emergency, while I was searching our way via my mobile. Usually we found out the result at the same time :). But now he wasn’t there with me. Returning to the last sign seemed a waste of time to me, but I only had an application with a camino map to Santiago. After using google maps for a while, I realised I might not be even able to reconnect to the pilgrimage route again, I bet last 25% of my mobile data and downloaded the Santiago-Muxía-Fisterra-Santiago route to my mobile. I did not regret, nor did I feel as a bad pilgrim. The application gave me assurances when I left the road and saved my time and energy so I did not have to come back. Thanks to it, I found my way back, set the pace and passed few pilgrims, including a Hungarian group from my hostel, who also came from Muxia this morning. But in fact, I’m really not as sporty as it may seem. Again, my nature has manifested that my life pace and energy flow from extreme to extreme. After about twenty kilometres, which I’ve walked almost without stopping, my hips began to hurt and my body seemed to be hungry.
I sat down on a log near the road and unpacked my lunch. I can not imagine what had to be a look at me, but all those who had definitely passed around me at that moment, were worried if I was okay. I think I have slowed down last few kilometres, but I couldn’t feel it. In the shower I noticed yesterday that I had lost some weight. I am still not sensible enough for needs of my body…
But it was clear I had enough time and Fisterra was not far away, there was no hurry to go. The journey started slowly and pleasantly go down to the sea.
In fact, I came into the city tired as a kitten. Most of all, I was wondering where to take off and put my backpack. Even here I could not go to the pilgrimage hostel. I went to the next closest one for 10 euros and it was hungarian again. In the room where one bed was left for me, I met hungarian guys I knew from Muxia, having their siesta already. It was nice to meet known faces after a day alone and in an unknown city, but I really did not want to get acquintance to anyone else.
When the owner watched me sit down on the chair, the first thing she did, was preparing coffee for me. It was very nice … till the time when her son came to replace her for the afternoon shift. He made strange sounds and had a glance of a seasoned boxer. He scanned me from the top down, and gave me the keys with the words “what’s wrong with you?” I tried to look cool and just waved my hand that I was just tired because of the long way. He released one of the limited range of his sounds again, “it was just such a warm-up today, do not make it bigger than it is.” I thought I was doing to kick him, but I’d rather gone away with a poker face, took a shower and left for a city tour.
The band walked through the streets and the city was preparing for the evening carnival. I wanted to go down to the lighthouse in the evening to see the sunset. I have gone to the beach for a while, and I could not move away from there… I don’t know for how long. It was so pleasant, the wind blew sand all over me, I had it everywhere. I played with it, letting it slip through my fingers, and I felt like touching eternity.
A wonderful surprise happened when Clara and Chris suddenly appeared on the beach. They had just reached Fisterra from the direction of Santiago.
They arrived here in 2.5 days from the moment we’d say goodbye in Santiago. It was unbelievable! After many hugs, they went to find their hotel and, according to their custom, which they had been holding for the 3rd year when they reached Fisterra, they went to visit their barber. 🙂 Another great news was that we had arranged lunch with Marcos for tomorrow in a town 12km away (for him it was 20km from the other side). I could take the bus back to Santiago from there and I had the last chance to say goodbye to most of my dear friends.
When I had enjoyed the beach doing nothing and gaping, I moved myself to the beach on the other side of the peninsula, from where I waved my friends to America.
The sea slowly mixed with the sky, and infinity was spreaded all around. I went barefoot all the way, enjoying the connection with the ground. The path from the beach rose in the woods. As I walked up, there was a way to the lighthouse, an endless ocean around me, something moved in me.
I stood there so close to heaven! I had my heart full of things I did not want to give up, but at that moment came the power through the setting sun, and I put everything on my open palm so that God could do whatever He wanted to do with it. He could have swept it in the waves that broke under the rocks below, but he did not, and he began to change my heart to its horizon. So far, I do not understand it all, but it is said that sometimes it is not important what you will experience during your journey but what would happen with you way back home …
I went down to the lighthouse. There was a wall with a caffé behind, which looked a bit too luxurious, but there was a music band playing so lovely… I was determined to give anything for a drink and spend the sun set evening there on the terrace. To my surprise, I got also some snack with my drink, which Marcos explained to me the following day, and so i had my dinner too :). Music and the singer having his little daughter sitting on his lap were unforgettable.
The wind was colder than I wished, yet it was a wonderful evening. The sun was only about to begin to bend to the horizon. I tried to send a message to Clare and Chris if they could come here. Immediately, the answer came. They were finishing their dinner at the restaurant in the city, taking a taxi, and it took a minute before they were with me. Together, we waved the sun before it went to sleep. They asked me if I was already on the cliffs … No, I wasn’t. I was so interested in the music! But they took me there … We sat on the rocks, on the right hand there was sea all red from the sun, on the left there was the moon comming out.
We talked about everything possible, and whatever I wrote about this evening, it would sound like a cliché. They are amazing!
We were returning to the city enlightened only by the moon. The carnival was in full swing. Square full of masks and dancing people, podium with DJ. When Chris and Clara left to sleep I still stayed and wished to have somebody here and dance till the morning. But at one o’clock, I went to bed too, to have the strength to make my last trip tomorrow. At 5 am I could still hear the noise of the carnival breaking into our room through the window. Spanish seem to be celebrating really straight when it comes to it :).