Fireweed - Camino de Invierno Journal - 2023
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Mary "Fireweed" Kwart
City: Ashland
State: Oregon
Country: USA
Begins: May 11, 2023
Direction: Westbound
Daily Summary
Date: Sun, May 28th, 2023
Start: Santiago de Compostela
End: Santiago de Compostela
Daily Distance: 0
Trip Distance: 162.1
Journal Stats
Entry Visits: 166
Journal Visits: 354
Guestbook Views: 3
Guestbook Entrys: 0
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Garden outside the cathedral
Final Day in Santiago
My hotel allowed me to store my luggage until I had to leave for my flight after I checked out. I went to the English Pilgrim mass at 9:30 at the pilgrim center and wrote in my journal after a meeting with other English-speaking pilgrims. The Mass was very moving. A priest from the Philippines doing the Camino was invited to officiate. Everyone at the Mass said where they were from and why they were hiking the Camino. They played Ave Maria at the end and I thought the singing was a tape, but no--the priest helping officiate at the mass was actually singing in a deep operatic baritone. No dry eyes around. At the get together after, more people elaborated their motivations. I did say I was a Buddhist and elaborated to a guy later about my motivations as "being aware as much as possible moment to moment to be able to hear the voice of the powers". As in "Stay Calm--Be Brave--Wait for the signs--Trust the powers". Got a taxi to the airport, then to Madrid where I stayed at the same Air Bnb as at the beginning of the trip. Flew to LA the next day, stayed two nights and flew back to Medford. Many problems in LA--the plane to Medford was grounded and we had to get off. I had to stay an extra day. I also grabbed someone else's bag that looked exactly like mine--won't be ignoring the signs that say "Many bags look alike" at the airport. Some poor guy from Japan had all his work samples in the bag I took. I hoofed it back to the airport after I discovered it at the hotel room. He was relieved to say the least. I was glad I hiked the Camino through a tour company specializing in the Camino and also glad I stayed in private rooms with my own bathroom and had a taxi move my stuff from town to town so I could walk with only a daypack. I am 71 and am looking for skillful means to be able to keep walking. Its still the Camino--I walked every step. I caught a cold on the way home--I didn't wear a mask. My bad. I did a Covid test and it was negative. Very enjoyable trip--great walking, food, people! I wish I spoke Spanish better--my only regret. I was on a Camino route less travelled with fewer English speakers.