Okay, we said we were at the end of the journey when we reached Santiago but we weren’t quite telling the whole story. There is a very beautiful addendum to this hike, the trail to Finnestre and then on to Muxia, that is worth the 5-day investment. So, we are on that addition.

Today was 13 miles, bring your walking total to 548 miles. As is classic for Galicia, the morning broke cool with a bit of fog but with spectacular views. This is the view of the cathedral from the west side. Only those hikers who leave Santiago and proceed onward to Finisterre have the opportunity to see this view. It is almost surreal in the mist like this.

In short order we were back in the rhythm of hiking, and meeting new peregrinos. The question amongst all of us was do we greet each other with Buen Camino, as is the standard greeting on the Camino, or is there a different greeting for this trail beyond Santiago? We decided it all worked!

We came across a group of about five Portuguese women who were making the walk from Santiago to Finisterre. They were a lively group and very friendly. They wanted autographs from people from California, as Diane and I were, so we autographed their hats per their request. Really? Yep.

Interestingly, they are from Porto, in Portugal, which is where we go next after we finish this hike. They gave us great ideas on what to see and one of them posed for a photo for us. 

As we continued the hike, our enjoyment of God’s creation just increased. It was stunningly beautiful, the air quality was perfect, as was the temperature. We came across this bridge and small dam along the way. 

And just to confirm that Bill also joined on this hike, Diane took this photo of Bill passing underneath an ancient bridge.  Tomorrow will be a long one, about 20 miles in length with a fair bit of climbing. We’ll see how well our worn out feet and shoes do. For now however the chores await.

Good day to each of you.